Nothing can be quite as devastating as the loss of a beloved pet, and it makes sense why someone might want to know how long they can delay such a moment.
To that end, the longest-lived species of mouse is the white-footed mouse, with a notable lifespan of up to two years on average.
These averages can be longer or shorter, but a lot of that time discrepancy boils down to where you got your pet from, its living conditions, and whether or not it had any underlying health issues.
What Pet Mice Live the Longest?
Truthfully, only four mouse candidates can boast of having a slightly higher-than-average lifespan. Still, suppose you are genuinely seeking to maximize your time with your fluffy friend. In that case, you’ll want to consult with an experienced breeder, as they often have mice with unique genetics that allow them to supersede the normalized values.
1. Fancy Mice
Fancy mice are first on this list because they have the distinct possibility of living for up to three years. Now, this isn’t an exact high chance by any metric, but the adage, “Something is better than nothing,” rings especially true here. They are relatively cheap to both get and take care of, so that definitely should be taken into account.
2. White-Footed Mice
The place for runner up belongs to White-Footed mice, who boast an average of about one year as far as lifespan is concerned with some people noting that of three years, and the longest ever to be recorded was an impressive seven and a half years, when it comes to white-footed mice, temperaments may vary wildly, and you are going to want to keep your local vet on standby for check ups.
3. Pacific Pocket Mice
Pacific pocket mice are number three, but not specifically because their life span is shorter. On the contrary, Pacific pocket mice’ lifespans average about one year or so, largely the same as all breeds, but under good conditions, with a healthy diet, that range skyrockets to anywhere between three and six years!
Now, there is a bit of a caveat here, and that boils down to the price that you’d pay for this specific species of mouse. Unfortunately, it comes to about 100.00 USD per mouse, which is quite a bit considering you can typically get a fancy mouse for about 5 to 10 dollars.
4. Deer Mice
Finally, we have deer mice, and if saving the best for last were to have a literal meaning, then these little guys take the cake (but don’t give them any!). Deer mice, when left to their own devices, can live for about a year in the wild.
However, give them a nice, loving home, a few toys, and plenty of affection. These little guys will definitely go the distance with you, with one of them breaking a whopping eight-year lifespan. If everything plays out wonderfully, diets are maintained, and no medical abnormalities arise, you may be blessed enough to have a similar story play out for you.
Can Mice Live for 10 Years?
In most cases, no, mice cannot live for up to ten years. However, there are a few accounts of wood rats that have managed to live for around that amount. However, factual accounts and proof are very fleeting, to say the least.
What Mouse Has the Longest Lifespan?
Both white-footed and deer mice have the most impressive lifespans, averaging about two years for both, but outliers and perfect scenarios have these lifespans tripling in some cases. If you are looking to get a mouse with a higher lifespan, you may want to focus more on the intricacies of their daily lives, as opposed to the average offered by the species itself.
What’s the Average Lifespan of a Domestic Mouse?
The average lifespan of a domesticated mouse is usually a year, to a maximum of two years, if everything goes according to plan, diets are maintained, accidents don’t happen, and the mouse is healthy and lively.
Do Wild Mice Live Longer Than Domesticated Mice?
No, unfortunately, quite the opposite is true. Life in the wild is a dangerous and unruly place, with survival of the fittest being the rule of thumb. This wisdom is observed by anything living outdoors. Most mice have an average lifespan of six months to a year max in the wild.
Domesticated mice, however, do not face the many hardships that come with dealing with survival on a daily basis. The struggle for food, shelter, and protection from predators while being prey is something they never truly consider (outside of genetic memory, of course). To that end, it only makes sense that most domesticated mice outlive wild ones by large margins.
What Are Some Ways to Keep Your Mouse Healthy?
One of the most pivotal choices you can make when attempting to bolster your pet mouse’s lifespan is to regulate its diet and avoid overeating, obesity, and diabetes at all costs. These are some of the most life-threatening issues you will face as a pet owner.
Environmental changes can be made to ensure your mouse’s respiratory system isn’t affected by excessive dust or exposure to synthetic scents and other inhalants that can cause problems in an attempt to fight odors.
Finally, and potentially the most obvious, you’ll want to make sure that your mouse doesn’t have to deal with any potential dangers or predators in your home. While that can be your big cat, who only views the mouse as a tasty morsel, it can also be loud family members, the oblivious dog, or slamming doors.
These life-threatening or jarring movements can cause your mice to go into torpor, which can be mistaken for hibernation. Still, it is genuinely a very fatal form of lethargy and extreme depression.
Do Mice Live Longer With Another Mouse Companion?
Yes, on average, mice live longer when they have a companion to share life with. The vast majority of it boils down to them having a friend to help fight stress with. There are other notable benefits as well, but be advised: You should never let two male mice share a cage together, as they may attempt to fight one another, completely defeating the purpose and putting both of their lives at risk.
1. Ensure You Feed Them a Balanced Diet
As noted several times above, your mouse’s diet is going to be one of the biggest parts you’ll have to worry about when it comes to your pet’s lifespan. This is mostly because nothing can be as influential or potentially harmful as this diet.
Any irregularities, overindulgences, or extreme portions can lead to your pet’s weight and health getting out of sorts. After that, it is very hard to get them back on track, as you typically don’t have a vast amount of time to handle such issues before they spiral out of control.
2. Schedule a Regular Vet Check Up
The best way to stay informed about your pet’s health or make impactful changes in time is to be made aware of it, obviously. To that end, you’ll want regular check-ups with your vet to gauge how things are going and be aware of any surprises looming around the corner.
3. Provide Your Mouse a Big Enough Enclosure
Mice, like almost everyone and everything, do not like being confined to small spaces. It’s not exactly ideal as far as mental health goes, and the limited range of movement is disastrous on your mouse’s well-being from a health perspective, and so from a quality of life.
If your mouse cannot move as it pleases, it misses out on a vast majority of the physical engagement it would get, which helps keep it active and healthy. So you’ll need to do your homework and invest in an enclosure that fits your pets’ needs in order to grant them a healthy lifestyle.
Tips to Care for Your Pet Mouse
Thankfully, there are more than a few tricks of the trade that will help you make the most of your mouse’s enclosure and give them a fulfilling life—a healthy one as well, with any luck, extending it by association.
1. Change the Bedding Out Often
No one likes using a dirty bathroom, but if you could only sleep, rest, and play in your bathroom, the sentiment would probably become even more frightening. Your mice are no exception to this rule, as their homes are their bathrooms, in one way or another.
It is with that same level of concern that you’ll want to rotate their bedding out frequently, as sometimes accidents happen, or a filthy buildup over time, so getting a new start on things is good from a mental health standpoint. Still, it is also beneficial from an overarching well-being viewpoint.
Soiled bedding can breed disease, bacteria, and bad odors, so routinely changing it out is just a good idea. Never mind that your poor pet could get covered in filth, making grooming a nightmare and playing with it even worse.
2. Offer Plenty of Enrichment Items
Your mouse needs to have a wide assortment of options available to help it feel as if it is living a full life. This can be done in a myriad of ways, such as adding small toys, decorations, a few treats every so often, or even obstacles to climb and maneuver around, but the important takeaway is that they are needed if you want your mouse to be as happy as it can be.
3. Give a Well-Balanced Diet
While it may seem like we are really doting on this mantra of “eat well, live well,” it’s very true. If your mouse is eating poorly, its life will reflect that and, sadly enough, become shortened by it as well. There is no need to go any deeper than that, but regulate your pet’s diet and reap the rewards.
4. Make Sure the Bedding Is Deep Enough for Burrowing
One of the most critical components of your mouse’s life is burrowing in its enclosure. This simple process not only gives them a very good exercise option, but the sense of exploration and adventure helps give them a more enjoyable life, and that alone is worth considering.
5. Make Sure Their Enclosure Is Well Ventilated and Made Out of Metal
Mice are notorious, even in cartoons, for being escape artists and occasionally thieves. This is true for a few reasons. The first is that they are very keen on exploring every nook and cranny of their enclosure, partially to see if there is a way out and partially just because it’s something fun to do.
Regardless of the reasoning, you’ll want to make sure they can’t test the limits of their chewing capabilities and escape by giving them a metal cage. This may seem cruel, but in most cases, your mice will give up on gnawing on the grating before any severe damage can be done.
The ventilation portion stems back to how sensitive a mouse’s respiratory system is and how dangerous stagnant fumes, bacteria, or disease buildup can be for your fluffy friend.
Being well ventilated in this sense just means there is plenty of room for air to circulate around the enclosure, that it isn’t against a wall or cluttered with so many toys and enrichment items that air can’t aptly circulate within or around your mouse’s home, and that you aren’t setting odor-fighting sprays, mists, or potential allergens within the vicinity as well.
6. Provide Chew Toys to Ensure Their Teeth Remain Small
Keeping in step with your mouse potentially chewing on their cage, you will want to give them an option to keep their teeth from growing out of control and becoming a health or safety issue. There are several great options as far as these kinds of toys are concerned. Anything from rawhide chews to cardboard chew toys is up for consideration; just do a bit of research before investing.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, your mouse will need a considerable amount of enrichment, interaction, and general diet watching to live a happy and healthy life. Even more importantly, they need you, the owner, to become knowledgeable about their needs and stay up to date with vet visits to keep them healthy.
