Be Nice to Mice

The domestic mouse is the one commonly kept as a pet. The female mice are said to make the best pets as their urine is not so odorous as that of the male. You can keep them in a wooden box or cage with proper ventilation. Provide sawdust for the cage bottom and hay or paper (newspapers are best) to sleep in. Clean them at least once each week. To let them play, use an old toilet roll tube or kitchen towel tube or you can make the traditional mouse wheel if you wish.

Be gentle when handling mice. Try to start stroking them at a young age so they will get used to your hand. They usually get nervous when taken out but through regular and gentle handling, they will eventually get tamed. If you need to pick a mouse, do so by firmly but gently holding the root of their tail.

When buying mice, pick the active and bright ones with smooth clean coats and pink clean skin which you can determine through their ears and tail. Their eyes, nose, mouth and anal parts should be clean as well. Go to a store that separates the males from the females.