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Fancy Mouse Breeders

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Fancy Mouse
(Mus mus)

Article By Tiny Pals Mousery

Habitat
Cage: The Ideal cage for your new mouse is a fish tank. We typically use 10 gallon tanks at our mousery, with two to four females or one male per tank. When a female is pregnant we routinely separate her into her own 10 gallon tank to minimize stress on the female and babies.

Novelty cages with lots of tubes or wire cages can seem cute and fun for your mouse but should be avoided as they are often hard to keep clean and can pose a safety risk for your mouse. Wire cages are dangerous because mice have the ability to easily escape from very small spaces, a mouse can escape from any area that they can get their nose through and because they allow too much air to get into the cage, mice are very sensitive to drafts. And Plastic novelty cages are not very sanitary because bacteria often settles into plastic, the tubes can be very hard to clean and, often plastic cages do not allow enough ventilation.

Feel free to use a tank bigger than 10 gallons. The bigger the tank the more toys and things you can add to it to keep your mouse busy. Also be sure to put a lid on your tank as mice can jump surprisingly high. Fish tanks are also pretty cheap depending on size, shape, and where you get them. Certain chain stores carry 10 gallon fish tanks for about $10.00 and plastic lids that lock in place for about $6.00, *Various pet stores sell a lid that is metal with screen for about $20.00 but this type of lid may require a rock or some type of weight be placed on top to keep your mice from escaping. These types of pet stores also sell 10 gallon fish tanks for about $20.00-$25.00.

Bedding: The next thing you’ll need is good quality bedding. We use a bedding that is 100% Aspen Wood and is completely safe. Again you can find it at certain chain stores for about $4.00. One bag does about four cage changes for a 10 gallon tank. You should never use Pine bedding for your mice as it usually contains chemicals, which can make your mice very sick and can potentially be fatal. Also stay away from any bedding that is green in color and has a lot of dust because the green color is usually dye which is no good for small animals, and the dust is also no good for your small pets lungs. Other than the Aspen wood bedding other suitable ones are Recycled Paper Bedding, and just plain shredded newspaper will work too.

Wheels, Tubes, & Toys: Nothing is more entertaining than watching your mouse play on a wheel or run through tubes, their playful antics are just too cute to ignore. You’ll want to make sure that your mouse has some things to keep him/her busy because a busy mouse is a happy mouse. The first thing you should get your mouse is a Wheel. These come in many different sizes and are often metal or plastic. The plastic ones are often more comfortable for your mouse to run on, but should be washed thoroughly in hot soapy water at every cage change and completely replaced once a year. The metal ones are more sanitary but the wire that your mouse runs on may hurt his/her feet over time. There really is no right or wrong choice here, just pick what will work for you. All wheels will squeak after they have been washed and it can prove mighty annoying when you are trying to sleep. We oil all of our wheels after every washing with vegetable or canola oil. Be sure not to overdo it though as your mouse is bound to lick some of it off and too much oil can give your pet diarrhea. A little on the areas where the wheel is held onto the stand is all you need and a cheap small paintbrush usually works really well for getting into those small spaces. If by accident you spill a lot of oil onto the wheel or you overdo it then all you need to do is soak the wheel in hot soapy water again for a couple of minutes to get the oil off.

You will probably also want to get your mouse some tubes of some sort to hide in, run through, and sleep in. Again this is all your preference and the choices are many. There are plastic tubes, heavy-duty cardboard tubes, and so forth. We use plain old toilet paper and paper towel tubes. They are free, disposable, you can cut them to different lengths, and the mice love chewing on them. Keep in mind that again plastic is going to be harder to clean and if you decide to go with plastic tubes your best investment will be a bottle brush that you will use only to clean the mouse stuff.

There are also many other toys out there that mice love. Some you can make and some you can buy. Mice love to climb on things and hanging bird toys made out of rope with things hanging off of them can be great fun for mice. Just use your judgement, anything that doesn’t look safe don’t use.

Cage Cleaning
Cleaning your mouse’s cage is a lot easier than you may think it is. You will need to clean the cage every 5 days for a male and every 7 days for a female. If you have more than two females in the cage then you will need to clean it every 4-5 days. Mice have an odor (Especially males) and the general rule is that if you can smell mouse in the cage then it is way too strong for the mice and should cleaned (Don’t be afraid to stick your head in the cage and take a big whiff). Some males are just slobs and will need to have their cage cleaned more than every 5 days. If you have just cleaned the cage and you do the “sniff test” and smell mouse, check the pet as he/she could need a bath (more on that later). All you will need to do is empty the bedding into a plastic bag and replace it with fresh.

We clean the cages with soap and water every 4th cage change and/or after breeding has taken place and after babies are born. Just use plain soap and hot water on the cage and all toys that need cleaning. Be sure to rinse everything well. Some people do use pine-sol on their cages but I think it is too risky and I don’t recommend it.

After you clean or empty the cage (Be sure to dry the cage well if you washed it), then add about two inches of fresh bedding and put all the toys, food bowl and water bottle back and you’re done!

Food Bowls and Water Bottles
You will need a food bowl for your mouse. This can be anything from a heavy plastic dish to a nice ceramic one. Be sure to clean it with soap and water at every cage change. You may also want a second bowl for any treats and extra’s you may feed.

If you plan to use a fish tank then you will need a water bottle with a holder that is made for use in an aquarium. Make sure you read the package to be sure that it will work in a tank and is not made just for a wire cage. Again clean the bottle at every cage change.

Feeding Your Mouse
Mice can eat many different things and usually are not picky but it is important to make sure they have a balanced diet. *The recommended amount of food is two tablespoons per mouse, per day. We also feed a lot of extra’s to our mice including rolled oats, sunflower seeds (which contain vitamin E for a shiny coat), carrot pieces, dry cat and dog food (for extra protein), dried fruits, nuts, yogurt, and the occasional piece of popcorn or toast. Try to refrain from giving your mice sweets because the extra sugar can make them bounce off the walls and never give chocolate. Always change the food daily because it can go stale and any fresh food you may feed will go bad. Always have fresh water available.

Handling Your Mouse
As soon as you get your new mouse the first thing you’re bound to want to do it handle it. Although very tempting, you should avoid picking up your new mouse for the first two days after you bring him/her home. Your mouse will already be hand tame because we at Tiny Pals handle all of our baby mice everyday from three days after birth, but your new mouse will need a couple of days to get used to it’s new surroundings. After the first two days are over, then you can gently go into the cage and pick up your mouse.

Do Not Pick Your Mouse Up By The Tip Of The Tail! If you have to grab him/her by the tail at all then be sure that you’re grabbing the base of the tail only, as close to the body as possible. Picking up your mouse by the tip of the tail can be painful and there have been some cases where the mouse was so young or scared that they actually pulled the skin off of the tip of their tail while they were trying to get away! The best thing to do is take all toys out of the cage and put your hand in the cage so it is flat on the bottom of the cage, mice are very curious by nature and usually will walk right onto your hand after a few minutes.

If you mouse is acting very skittish and won’t let you get near him/her then you might want to try washing your hands and then rubbing them in the bedding to get any strange smells off of your hands and replace them with the mouse’s own scent. You should be sure to handle your mouse for at least 15 minutes everyday.

Giving Your Mouse A Bath
Mice are very clean creatures by nature and rarely will need a bath but sometimes they may smell like their cages even if you keep the cage clean. Mice enjoy water and it is fun to watch them swim but they tire easily therefor they should never be left unattended while in water and they should never be put in any water that is more than an inch and a half deep. Make sure the water is a nice temperature, a little warmer than room temp is perfect. The kitchen or bathroom sink is a perfect place to give your mouse a bath. Put your mouse in the water and let him/her swim around for a few seconds to get thoroughly wet, then pick them up and put a tiny dot of baby shampoo on their back. Rub the shampoo in making sure to get the belly and bottom. Avoid the head all together as it too easy to get soap in the ears, eyes, and mouth. Next put your mouse back in the water and let him/her swim around a little longer to get the soap off. You may need to help your mouse rinse off by picking it up and splashing a little water on it’s back. Have a towel nearby to put your mouse in and gently dry him/her off. You do not need to completely dry your mouse off, just get the majority of water off. I usually go sit somewhere after I dry them off and wait because they will start to groom themselves and will be dry in no time.

If Your Mouse Gets Sick
If at any time you think your mouse is sick, bring him/her to an exotic vet immediately! If there is no exotic vet in your area then bring them to any vet. Since mice are such small animals when they get sick it can be very serious. You will be getting a list of exotic vets and/or vets that accept mice in your area.