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Mice come in lots of difference colors and hair types but a mouse always looks like a mouse. Most people who have mice as pets prefer the white mouse. You might want to think of having a female mouse as a house pet as the males have a very masculine mouse odor.
You need to check a few things out when purchasing a mouse. Be sure you get one that looks very alert, is active, curious and the coat is sleek and also that the mouse's eyes look bright. Be sure to get only one mouse because a pair will breed very fast and you will have mice all over the place.
I would suggest getting a female mouse to start and then consider getting a male mouse so she can mate and produce young. You will need to keep them separate unless you really want to have a lot of mice. I would also suggest buying a mouse in a pet shop instead of trying to capture a wild mouse as you might never tame the mouse. These wild mice will be extremely attractive and have sleek coats but still you might want to be able to pet and hold and tame and the chances are very slim of doing that with a mouse captured from the wild. A wild mouse will escape and leave if he has a chance and one that has been raised in a cage from birth will be less apt to do that.
Most mice will weight about an ounce, have a sleek body, protruding eyes and no hair on their tails. If you protect them from the elements and harm they will usually live around three years. Be prepared as mice will be make noise at night, as they are definitely night creatures, and they will run and jump and make noise all night. They have a good sense of hearing but are very timid and also nearsighted.
Mice are exceptionally timid but if you will talk to it after you bring it home and place it in a cage of its own, it will gradually become accustomed to the area and will petting, handling and talking you should get the mouse to be very tame. You will want to buy a very young mouse
As an older mouse will not adjust and become tame as easily. When the mouse gets to know you and trusts you he should climb into your hand and upward on your arm. You will have to be very careful and have a method of capture if he crawls from your hand or arm to the floor as
He could get into a small area and you might not be able to locate him. A box would be a good thing to have in an emergency to capture the mouse. You would put the box down on the floor and when he goes to explore it you could just pick up the box or whatever container you have for capture and place him back in his cage. You might want to try rewarding him with food when he does come to you and remember the more you handle him the easier it will be to tame the mouse.
When you go to pick up a mouse you will want to pick him up by his tail, don't grasp the end as you might harm the end by tearing the skin and his tail covering might come off. You will need to move quickly when picking up the mouse by his tail, so as soon as you have hold of his tail you need to lift him. Be careful as he might resist and bite you. You will want to take the mouse to the area where you want him by his tail and let him down, don't take much time in this movement of your mouse. When you want to grab him for some reason you might grasp fold of the lose skin over his neck and shoulders but just enough to keep him from turning his head and biting your hands.
I would suggest getting a cage that measures about six by twelve inches: you might even put in two mice, but one will live nicely in this area. You need enough room for an area to feed and water, a spot so he can take care of his daily elimination, a box that he can have a little nest as mice do love to nest, and you'll need room for his toys. He will need enough room to play and run around without knocking over items in his cage area. Be sure in invest in an exercise wheel as you'll love watching him getting his daily exercise and he will be healthier doing his exercises.
It is very inexpensive to feed a mouse and don't put out more than perhaps a teaspoonful of food a daily. He will eat mostly at night so you might decide to feed him right before retiring yourself. If you put out perishable foods in the earlier part of the day and he doesn't decide that he Is hungry until during the night you might have spoiled foods and endanger his health. You can buy pellets for mice or even cubes of food or feed him some nuts, bird grain, seeds, brown bread or even bits of dog food. You can work out your individual feeding method with your mouse in just a few days.
Mice can get bite wounds if you have more than one mouse in a cage and these wounds can be treated with an ointment. He will groom himself lots so will clean the wound himself.
If your mouse seems at all depressed and has a discharge from his noise or have difficulty in breathing I would suggest checking with your veterinarian about medicine.
Sometimes a mouse will have diarrhea due to his diet, so make adjustments in his diet and if you feel it is necessary to consult your veterinarian you might want to bring stool samples.
Mice for the most part if taken care of properly will be very hard and have no disease. Just a little daily food, fresh water, and cleaning his area will make your mouse very happy.
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