If you are a huge animal lover like me, you might be prone to getting a bunch of animals together, especially if your home has the space to do so. Some people love that there are different animals throughout their home because they have a lot of joy knowing they can ensure other living creatures have a good lifestyle. If you are one of these people, you might wonder: can pet mice and rats live together? The answer might surprise you.
Pet mice and rats cannot live together for various reasons. Rats and mice have different housing needs; they can and will fight together, which will cause more chaos than peace. It is important to note that although mice and rats are great pets, they are not good companions.
This article will discuss the biggest issues with rats and pet mice living together. On top of this, we will discuss whether you can still have a rat and a mouse in the same household and which pet would be right for you.
It is important to note that although some things in this article might not be exactly what you want to hear, it is still essential to consider each thing. We highly encourage you to continue reading for more information.
Is It Wise to Put Pet Mice and Rats Together?
Having a pet rat or a pet mouse will provide a lot of entertainment! They do things that we humans do not, and it is also fun seeing them interact with some of their peers.
However, putting pet mice and rats together is not a wise decision. Because they have different housing needs, this would cause a myriad of issues, including more aggression, anxiety, stress, and risk of injury and death.
1. Aggression
Rats and mice are highly territorial regarding food, nests, and other interests. They also like their own space and require different square footage per animal.
Suppose they are together in the same enclosure. In that case, having these few conflicts alone will cause a lot of aggression between the two species. This is true regarding having multiple male mice and rats in the same space. They will most likely fight to establish dominance over each other, which leads us to point number two.
Lastly, mice and rats might even convert to cannibalism. There are numerous reasons, including food scarcity, an injured mouse or rat, aggression towards one another, or even the mother eating their newborn pups. In this case, we genuinely hope there will not be any unexpected pregnancies if you have attempted to coexist with each other.
2. They Have a Prey-Predator Relationship
It is no secret that rats are much larger than mice. Rats are 9 to 11 inches long, excluding their tails, while mice are only 3 to 4 inches long (also without the tail). Because of this, rats have a significant advantage over mice and will innately supersede any strength they may have, especially if they are both males.
In addition, mice are very fragile due to their size and delicate bones. Even pet mouse owners have to handle them with extreme care. On the other hand, rats are not nearly as fragile and have much thicker bones than mice.
3. It Will Cause Anxiety and Stress
Not only will rats and mice being put together cause stress and anxiety in each other, but you, as their pet owner, will also be affected. For example, suppose you place each animal together and think everything is fine. Then you notice your mouse is not doing so well. In that case, you might initially wonder why that is, only to find out that your rat is the one who is bullying the mouse.
In the worst-case scenario, they will die due to whatever the rat (or even another mouse) did, which makes things more severe. On top of this, if your mice or rats bond with each other and one dies due to issues arising from the other species, their behavior will change for the worse.
Some anxiety and stress in these animals may include the following:
- Lack of exploration
- Excessive grooming (more than usual)
- Decreased social interaction
- Become more immobile
- May increase vigilance
4. Risks of Injury or Death
The biggest reason you should never house pet mice and rats together is the risk of injury or death. Rats are omnivores; if they are hungry enough, they will innately prey on mice, especially in the wild. Domesticated rats will have that same tendency.
Because rats often kill mice, this behavior is known as muricide, a natural predatory behavior. Mice will frequently avoid rats for this reason also. Although rats might not always display this behavior in captivity, it is better to be safe than sorry.
5. They Have Different Housing Needs
Rats and pet mice require different housing. To make this easier to understand, we will discuss each in two categories.
Rat Housing Needs
Rats require a minimum of 20″ L x 14″ W x 24″ H for a single rat. The floor area should be increased by at least one square inch for each additional rat. It is crucial to ensure the bars are no bigger than 1 inch apart. It is essential to make sure they have plenty of space to roam around and not be so enclosed with one another.
Pet rats also need many hammocks, hiding spaces, tunnels, natural materials, and more. They require a minimum of 4 inches of bedding in their space to ensure they remain comfortable and allow ample room to dig and burrow. It is essential to clean their cages out at least once a week to ensure their environment remains healthy.
Mouse Housing Needs
A mouse’s housing needs are quite different than rats’, as they do much better in a 10-gallon tank than a caged enclosure. This is not to say you cannot put your mouse in a cage, but this is a good way to help keep them secure and prevent them from potentially breaking out.
A good space for them is 20″ L x 10″ W x 12″ H. However, a larger enclosure might be a good idea to give them ample room to run, climb, dig, and play in different areas. It is also important to note that the bigger the enclosure, the better if you have multiple mice.
Since mice are prey animals, they need plenty of spaces to hide, nest, and burrow, as well as areas where they can go and climb (like ropes, fruit tree branches, and DIY cardboard tunnels). It is also important to make sure the temperature where they are is right. Keep them away from extreme humidity and keep them cool if temperatures rise. For example, a sunroom might not be ideal for your pet mouse due to year-round fluctuating temperatures.
Do Pet Mice and Rats Get Along?
No, pet mice and rats do not get along. In fact, if you have a pet rat and a mouse in the same house, you might want them to meet each other just to be friendly. Still, this can do a lot more damage than good.
If your pet rat seems very interested in your pet mouse, you might be looking at one of your mouse’s limbs or feet disappearing because your rat is potentially thinking it is food. Although it is gruesome, it is an unfortunate truth, as one Reddit user mentioned a while back.
Can You Still Own Both a Pet Mouse and Pet Rat?
Owning a pet mouse and a rat in the same household is possible. However, it is extremely unwise to house them in the same room. We highly recommend separating everything of theirs, as mice and rats have sensitive smells. If two male species are next to each other or in the same room, this could lead to aggression due to the testosterone in the air. On top of this, both animals might become stressed or anxious due to their natures, as mentioned above.
On the other hand, if you wish to avoid any altercations between rats and mice, then it is important to make a wise choice and only choose one of these two animals to live in your household. That way, there is nothing that will cause these issues to happen.
Conclusion
To summarize everything in a nutshell, rats and mice cannot coexist, especially in the same enclosure as one another, for several reasons. The biggest reason is that rats bully or even kill your pet mouse. On top of this, mice and rats have different living environments, making it extremely hard for them to live harmoniously. We hope this article was helpful to you. We recommend checking out our other articles on rats and mice if you have any other questions. We wish you the best in your little pet endeavors. Remember, we are always here to answer any concerns or questions!
