Introduction:  Leah expressed her concern to me about my web page on mice.  She thought I was a bit mean to mice, so I told her she could have her own page.  The pix are mine.  The words are Leah’s.  LA  

LA
Females usually get along -- but not always.

Leah Says:  Mice make great pets. They are small, friendly, and  they have personalities as different as the colors they come in. But before you get a mouse/mice consider these tips, and make sure you do as much research as you can. A lot of people think because mice are small they don’t need a vet visit when they are sick, but that is not true. If you can’t take them to the vet when they are sick, please don’t get mice!

LA
Pregnant females are easy to sex.  They are wider and their nipples are quite evident.

LA
Testicles are quite evident on the males.  Very young males are difficult to sex.

  Before you get mice make sure you can tell the gender of them. If you can’t, you will have a big problem on your hands. Here are a couple web sites with pictures to help with sexing mice:
http://research.uiowa.edu/animal/mp7.jpg
Here is a picture of a female mouse:
http://137.222.110.150/calnet/sexing/image/mousesex3.jpg
Here is one of a male mouse:
http://137.222.110.150/calnet/sexing/image/mousesexing1.jpg

  Mice live an average of 2-3 years, longer if taken care of properly.

LA
Females usually get along very well.

  Females like to have a friend, as they are very social.

LA
Mice also like to distribute their food throughout their cage.

  A cage they can’t escape from is necessary, but I prefer a 10-gallon tank for no more than 3 adult females.

  Males should also have a 10-gallon tank but it is better if there is only one male in the cage, as males are very territorial

  The cages should be cleaned once a week

LA
Mice like wheels as much as hamsters.  They also enjoy chewing on and hiding in tubes.

  In their cages there should be: a mesh wheel, food bowl, water bottle, a nest box, bedding, and something to chew on (like a chew block or toilet paper tube).

LA
Aspen cost a bit more than pine, but we prefer it at Aqualand.

  I recommend Aspen bedding as opposed to pine or cedar, as pine and cedar can cause respiratory infections. I also use unfertilized potting soil, called Garden Basic. Before you put it in their cage either freeze it or microwave it, so it kills all the little bugs hiding in there.

LA
Mouse food costs a great deal less than cereals.  Cereals make great treats for variety.

  I feed mine Wild Bird Food, mixed with original oatmeal, and a couple cereals, and lab blocks. Treats are good on occasion but not recommended as part of their main diet.

  I prefer to get mice from a breeder rather than a pet store because the mice I have bought from pet stores have had lice (which are hard to get rid of), respiratory infections (which can only be fixed by going to a vet), and lacked human socialization

LA
When adding new mice to an existing group, always watch them carefully.

  When you get new mice, make sure to quarantine them for about 3-4 weeks. But if they have lice longer, quarantine them longer to make sure all the lice are dead.

LA
You can find numerous toys and chews for mice and other rodents.

  Couple toy ideas are: toilet paper tubes, cereal boxes (remove the plastic from them). I also use like Capri Sun boxes cut in half, ropes, and hammocks.  Leah

Last Words.  Thanks, Leah.  LA