Annie's Rodents
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| Marvelous Mice |
How can you pick a good pet mouse?
There are several things you should look for when you pick out your new pet. Here
are a few tips to help you along:
Ask to see the area where the mice are bred and kept. Does it smell and is it
clean? There might be a slight odour, but if it smells really strong it might not be a
place you want to buy a mouse from.
What are the mice being kept in? While mice can do well in bins, they need to
have a warm, clean, dry place to live. Mice do prefer to live in colonies, but they
don't like to be overcrowded.
Are there any toys in their home? Mice love to play and explore and need to have
toys of some sort in their cage.
What kind of food are they being fed? Do they have fresh clean water? Mice
need a good well-balanced diet and fresh clean water at all times in order to be
healthy and happy. Dog food is NOT a suitable food for mice and can cause
several serious health issues including cancer.
Now it's time to look at the mice.
Do they look active and curious when you approach them? It's natural for mice
to run and hide at first, but do they come out of hiding to check you out?
Are their tails free of scabs and dirt and nice and plump? A healthy tail is a sure
sign of a healthy mouse.
Check their ears for any sores or scabs as this could indicate mites.
Listen to their breathing. If you hear them wheezing and sneezing, this could be
a sign of respiratory illness.
Look at the fur. A nice healthy mouse will have nice shiny fur.
Mice are social animals and it's always a better idea to get two mice. However,
one mouse can live alone quite happily. If you do decide to get two mice, it's a
good idea to get two females as males tend to fight with each other once they
reach maturity.
Males or females??
Males tend to be a bit more territorial than females and keeping two males
together usually ends up in a big fight, though there are exceptions.
Females tend to be a bit more sociable and less territorial and get along much
better in groups.
Everybody has their own opinions as to which sex is better, but just as every
human is different, so is each and every mouse. EVERY mouse can be an
awesome pet, regardless of sex.
There are several things you should look for when you pick out your new pet. Here
are a few tips to help you along:
Ask to see the area where the mice are bred and kept. Does it smell and is it
clean? There might be a slight odour, but if it smells really strong it might not be a
place you want to buy a mouse from.
What are the mice being kept in? While mice can do well in bins, they need to
have a warm, clean, dry place to live. Mice do prefer to live in colonies, but they
don't like to be overcrowded.
Are there any toys in their home? Mice love to play and explore and need to have
toys of some sort in their cage.
What kind of food are they being fed? Do they have fresh clean water? Mice
need a good well-balanced diet and fresh clean water at all times in order to be
healthy and happy. Dog food is NOT a suitable food for mice and can cause
several serious health issues including cancer.
Now it's time to look at the mice.
Do they look active and curious when you approach them? It's natural for mice
to run and hide at first, but do they come out of hiding to check you out?
Are their tails free of scabs and dirt and nice and plump? A healthy tail is a sure
sign of a healthy mouse.
Check their ears for any sores or scabs as this could indicate mites.
Listen to their breathing. If you hear them wheezing and sneezing, this could be
a sign of respiratory illness.
Look at the fur. A nice healthy mouse will have nice shiny fur.
Mice are social animals and it's always a better idea to get two mice. However,
one mouse can live alone quite happily. If you do decide to get two mice, it's a
good idea to get two females as males tend to fight with each other once they
reach maturity.
Males or females??
Males tend to be a bit more territorial than females and keeping two males
together usually ends up in a big fight, though there are exceptions.
Females tend to be a bit more sociable and less territorial and get along much
better in groups.
Everybody has their own opinions as to which sex is better, but just as every
human is different, so is each and every mouse. EVERY mouse can be an
awesome pet, regardless of sex.