Fancy mice are fun and adorable pets. Being tiny makes them different from others. But as they are tiny, do they need a lot of time, effort, and understanding? Do potential owners must know their needs and wants? If you are one of the people who are planning to have mice as a pet. Why not read this article first before bringing little furry mice into your home.

What are the things your pet mice need?

Is it your first time to have mice as your pet and still searching for what’s best for your little furry pet? Well, you are in the right place. As you continue reading this article, we will give you ideas about what are the things your pet mice need.

You need to have other mice

Mice are sociable animals, so one thing your pet mice need is another mice to accompany. For female mice, having some friends of the same kind will give them the opportunity to interact and be active that will lead them to have a healthier and happier life. Once they are living alone they will become lonely and depressed. On the other hand, male mice are different. They are best to keep alone and far away from each other. They are territorial, aggressive towards other male mice. As a matter of fact, living alone will lead them to have a stronger bond with their owners.

Focus on your pet mice’s diet

Mice are omnivores, they eat plants and animals as their food. Their body needs to consume a protein level of at least 16%, and fat content at At least 4-5%. It is important that you focus on your little pet’s diet and ensure to give them healthy food that their body needs. You can give them fresh fruits and vegetables like:

• Bananas
• Beans
• Berries
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Celery
• Fresh corn
• Parsley
• Peas
• Pears
• Tomatoes
• Apples without seeds

You can also hand your pet mice some occasional treats like:

• Bread
• Cereal
• Biscuits
• Cooked pasta
• Cooked rice
• Seeds
• Sweets

You can also give your little pet some rat pallets or rat cubes, and of course, don’t forget to provide them some freshwater. However chips, chocolate, garlic, lemons, lollies, onions, orange, raw meat, peanuts, and sugar are the food you should not give to your little furry pet.

Encourage them to be active

Mice like to play, chew, and exercise around the corner of their cage. To prevent your mice from getting bored why not put some toys that they can play with, some scarp to chew with, and some obstacles to exercise with. Those toys don’t need to be expensive and bought. By having some creativity, you can do your own obstacles all by yourself. Cardboard rolls, tissues, scrap paper, ropes, plain wooden craft sticks, hanging toys, or ladders are enough for them to have fun and play. You can encourage them to be active by providing them some cheap toys like these. You can also offer them some treats inside their obstacle to motivate them to have more fun and be active.

Be observant of their health

Being aware of pet mice’s health can help you understand and also save your pet from any harm and health problem. Ensuring that you give your pet mouse appropriate food is one way you can help avoid some common health issues such as obesity and some related disease to your pet. You need to also be observant regarding heat stress because mice are prone to that. To prevent heatstroke, make sure that you keep your pet mice in a well-ventilated area, and far away from direct sunlight, draughts, or areas that have extreme temperature and strong winds. There are many signs that your pet mice are healthy including:

• Active
• Sociable
• Alert
• Healthy fur
• Clear bright eyes
• Eats and drinks regularly
• Walking normally
• Normal stools

There are also signs that your pet mice are unhealthy or ill including:

• Diarrhea
• Overgrown teeth
• Weight loss
• Bumps on the skin
• Abnormal hair loss
• Nasal discharge
• Audible breathing
• Unusual stools
• Changes to the personality

Pet mice have a short lifespan it is about up to 3 years if they are healthy. So it is important that you are being observant of your pet mice’s health, if you notice any changes in physiological and behavioral personality that could imply illness, you can seek a veterinarian for some advice.

House

It is important that the house of your pet mice is suitable for their necessity. Mouse houses can either homemade or bought online or at the pet store near you. Just be reminded that your pet mice house should be big enough for them to play. It should be comfortable for them to rest, it should be safe for any predators to attack them and, it should be secured for any attempt to escape. If you are using metal as your pet’s house, the bars of your cage should be no more than 0.9 centimeters apart, since mice are good escaper. You need also to ensure that their house is always clean to avoid health diseases.

What are the 6 things your pet mice need?

Pet mice are little pet that needs delicate care and proper understanding. Pet mice are friendly, gentle, and active pet, which is their natural personality. However, it is also crucial that they are happy and healthy at the same time. But how can you help them to maintain this personality and how can you assure that they are having a healthy and happy living with you? Below are the 6 things that your pet mice need to maintain their natural personality and have a good living.

Bedding

House without bedding can’t be comfortable at all. For mice, it is their beginning of comfort and hygiene. As for bedding, paper and aspen wood are the two types of the most recommended bedding types for pet mice. They are both affordable as well as comfortable for mice. There are many ways you can do to paper as their bedding. You can make paper pulp, you can cut it by using a paper shredder, or just tearing it into strips. Meanwhile, aspen woods can be purchased at any pet store. Just be reminded that don’t use aspen shaving from lumberyard because it is not cleaned for dust and mites and these can cause health problems to your pet mice. Medium to high-quality aspen shaving will totally perfect.

Make it cozy and secure

Having a place to hide and room to rest inside their house, will make your pet mice feel cozy and secure. Their houses can be your own work or it can also purchase in a store, both will do. If you make a house for your little pet or if you are planning to buy one. Just make sure that they cannot escape from it, have a cozy house, and of course secure and safe from all danger and predators. Pet mice love to play around their house. By providing them a cozy and secure place will make them so happy and comfortable.

Water Bottle

There are various ways to refresh your little friend, and one of them is by using a water bottle. Not to mention, it is the most advised for rodents. Water bottle keeps your little pet’s water clean and fresh, which is far away from being contaminated and splashed around the corner causing messy bedding. But even if it not contaminated, still, change the water frequently and make sure to wash your water bottle properly. A glass water bottle is way expensive than a plastic bottle, but you can assure that a glass water bottle is high-quality and can last longer than the plastic one.

Quality food

Your little pet mice should eat nutritious food that is appropriate for their body and good for their dental health. Crunchy vegetables are ones that make your mice have healthy teeth. Just like many rodents, their teeth continue to grow. And it depends on hard, and crisp things they chew to grind their teeth down and keep in check. It is also best to give your little pet mouse pellets rather than a loose mix. This is because they are naughty that they will only choose their favorite bits. And this can actually lead to leftovers, not only that it can also be the result of your mice obesity and malnourished. One more thing, pellets give your pet mice the necessary nutrients they need. You can also give your pet mice carrots, broccoli, peaches, apples, melons. Eggs and mealworms can also be offered to them as a source of protein.

Wheel and other toys for your pet mice

Mice naturally love to run, play, climb and other things related to exercise. Giving them a wheel and other toys will surely make them happy and active. The wheel allows your mice to run and run and run that will help them to be healthier and be fit. Toys will allow them to play, chew, or even explore that will help them to be happier. But just be careful in choosing a wheel or a toy for your pet mice. Avoid low quality plastic materials, because it can be too easy for your pet to chew, instead, pick a wheel or toy that is made up of metal or hard plastic materials. Also, select a wheel without rungs, as your pet mice can easily get caught in these and lead to an accident.

Bath and Toilet for your pet mice

All tricks can be learned by the mouse, but it requires a lot of patience, kind handling, and consistency. Pet mice can be trained not only to do tricks but also do a hygiene routine, including toilet trained. Yes, pet mice can be toilet trained, just place a litter tray that they can use. It is better if you put it on the corner of their house and put a stray dropping into it so they know that there is their toilet.One option also to encourage them to pee in their tray is to place a flat stone to their litter tray. How about bathing? Do pet mice bath? Well, mice are clean animals, they can groom themselves, but sometimes when they get older, they tend to need extra help to clean them. According to Animates, mice don’t require to take a bath because it can be stressful bathing for them. Unless if told by the veterinarian, that’s when you start bathing your pet mice.

Conclusion

Just like any other animal, if you want to have pet mice, you must have background information about them, what they need, what they want, what’s harmful to them, and how to take good care of them? Not because they are tiny mouse, doesn’t mean they need a small effort from you. Tiny makes them adorable and unique from others.