I am geting mice!?

Question

i am getting 2 pet mice and i want to konw wat i should keep them in and how to tell if the are male or female. hwo long do they live for and what to feed them?

Answer 1

Hi,
Not to be rude, but did you do some research before you even decided to get mice? My best advice for you is to go to your local library and check out a book or two on mice. Look for one that was published in 2004-2007, that way the info will be much more recent and probably correct. Anyways, it is good that you said 2 mice, because mice are social bugs and need at least 1 other friend. So I will answer your questions in order-

#1. Here are some good cages that would be easy to clean.
This is a starter kit and would come with everything you need for only 20 bucks! http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441816748&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302047888&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1186787199042&itemNo=13&In=Small+Pet&N=2047888+4294966584&Ne=2
You could only house 2 mice max in it, but it is a really good deal if you could take them out enough. Something else that you might like is though fancy cages with all the tunnels, the only problem is that they can be a pain to clean!!!! Here is one that is nice for mice, they have it in blue or pink. http://www.petco.com/product/12916/Pink-Princess-Castle-Habitat.aspx#details It comes with a fair amount of stuff, you just need to buy food, bedding, and put a water in the water bottle.

#2. Here is a good site that tells you how to identify the gender of a mouse.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.peteducation.com/images/articles/tfh_sexing_mice.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm%3Fcls%3D18%26cat%3D1804%26articleid%3D2584&h=134&w=288&sz=10&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=i6WIxOeUgRFlZM:&tbnh=54&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsexing%2Bmice%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

#3. Mice approximately live for 2-3 years on average.

#4. Well, mice eat mouse food. You can get it at a petstore or a Wal-mart. Here is a link to a good brand of food. http://www.petco.com/product/2276/Kaytee-Fiesta-Fortified-Gourmet-Food-for-Mice-and-Rats.aspx

I have to ask why do you want mice? They are the most timid pet rodent and no offense to mouse lovers put thier droppings stick and smell! I would personally recommend a dwarf hamster. Read a book or 2 on dwarf hamsters and compare them to mice and decide which you like better, You could use the cages for a dwarf hamster that I put up for mice, though the princess ones are bigger so that would be a better choice. So please do some research, and make sure you are willing to make a 2-4 yr commintment on any rodent.
Thanks

Answer 2

Make sure you get an escape-proof cage for your little ones, they can squeeze through openings that seem impossible. Ours live in a Crittertrail X, which is a bit tedious to clean but they really love it. We added a small Silent Spinner & some hanging toys & chew treats.
It's probably better if you get 2 girls, as boys are likely to fight. Please don't get a boy & a girl, they can have babies every 3 weeks & each litter can have over a dozen babies.
Yes, mice can be nervous & skittish but some really enjoy being held & even if they don't they're charming & fun to watch.
I think the average lifespan is about 2 years for mice but this can vary a *lot*. Our 2 girls are over 2 yrs & are as active & playful as they've ever been, but we recently lost 2 other girls who were only about 6 months old (the younger ones were from a feeder bin, so probably had undetected health problems). We feed them the same things we feed our rats-- various whole grains (including puffed, unsweetened cereal), small amounts of seeds, fruits & vegetables, vegetarian dog food & veggie dog biscuits to gnaw on. We buy organic whenever possible & I peel any veggie or fruit that's not organic. They have packaged mouse food, but this can have artificial colorings, preservatives & other stuff that your mice will be better off without.

Answer 3

If you want to keep your mice safe and contained, I wouldn't recommend a cage. Although, if you can find a cage with bar spacing *no greater* than 1/4", it might work...but most are too wide for mice. Tanks are the safest way to go, and that's what most owners/breeders use for their mice.

You can use a seed mix and/or lab blocks to feed them. Although, some mice can't tolerate protein above 13%. So, some owners/breeders use hamster seed mix, which is typically lower in protein than actual mouse and rat diets.

Lifespan is 1.5 to 3 years. There are exceptions, but this is the general rule.

Here is a page on determining sex (w/pictures): http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/sexing.cfm

Answer 4

What you should keep them in: A wire cage with a plastic bottom.
How to tell if they're male or female: Well... This sounds a little crude, but males will have fairly obvious testicles even when young. Just check under the tail.
Lifespan: About 1.5-3 years. They can live longer, but this is unusual.
What to feed them: Most stores sell mouse/rat food mixes; these are usually good unless the mice only pick out their favorite pieces.

Don't get a male and female, though--you'll end up with way more babies than you know what to do with!

Answer 5

I have kept mine in a cage designed for mice so the wont escape...cause some are smart enough to find ways out.

the boys will have the danglie downs..girls dont
and boys mice stink up the cage more

about 2 years

forget the fancy pants 'mice diet' from the pet store. Mice are still mice. They eat cherios and such just fine. They like fruits and veggies too...just no seasonings or sauces thats not natural. Every once in a while I'll let them have a sugar cookie. No cholclate stuff. I'm not sure what'll happen. Snot good fer dogs.

Answer 6

Mice are really rad pets. I have two girls. I keep them in a 20 gallon fish tank. With a reptile cover. They're pretty kool they are like Houdini. They are good at escaping so whatch out and keep a keen eye

Answer 7

Keep them in a wire cage, they live for 4-6 years. From http://www.pwrats.com/