House (fancy) Mouse

Mice are very active and curious, making them excellent pets for almost anyone. They are generally good-natured animals can be handled with ease. They can be territorial and care must be exercized when introducing new animals to others. They do not require much human interaction for people who have busy lifestyles, but definitely do not mind it either. They also come in a multitude of colour and coat phases. Pictured above is a dove fox male.

Scientific name: Mus Musculus
Size: 17-23cm long (including tail)
Lifespan: 1-3 years
Natural range: Europe and parts of Asia

Housing

• cages allow for climbing and are generally better, but make sure the wire spacing is close enough together to prevent escape
• aquarium can also be used with wire mesh lid
• allow at least 10gal per trio
• females should never be kept alone and can live in pairs or colonies
• males are very territorial and should be housed individually
• Bedding: aspen
• Accessories: wheel, branches, hideaway, tubes

Food

• feed a mixture of quality rodent blocks and commercial rodent seed mix
• fresh fruits or veggies once weekly
• occassional kitten kibble

Breeding

• Maturity: 5-6 weeks but should not be bred any younger than 3 months
• Gestation: 20-21 days
• Litter size: 4-12
• pregnant females should be moved to an aquarium in last week of gestation
• eyes open around 14 days
• should be fully weaned at 5 weeks