Showing posts with label Mice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mice. Show all posts

Sunday, June 21, 2020

From PET MICE to Folkmanis Puppets - Mice Have Been Favorites Throughout History

Pet Mice
Pet Mice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
All domesticated mice come from the descendants of the common house mouse whose scientific name is Mus musculus. In fact, the word mouse comes from the Sanskrit word 'musha' which means thief. The origin of the common house mouse is Asia. Today, mice are now found throughout the world, and mice, in general, thrive where populations of people are present. The mouse is also a member of the rodent family of the order, Rodentia.

It is believed that mice began living with humans as long as 10,000 years ago. Association with humans and interaction seems to go back to the dawn of history. Archaeologists have also found Egyptian bowls and other artifacts that contain pictures of colored mice. These artifacts have indicated they kept mice as pets because they thought they possessed supernatural powers. They worshiped these animals and believed that they were born from the mud of the Nile and had healing properties. Other societies believed that mice could cure diseases including measles, whooping cough, and smallpox. Even Biblical references recorded included plagues of mice. And mice were also used in various other writings such as Aesop's Fables which are the basis for many modern-day puppet shows.

During the 1700s the mouse fancy really got its start. The earliest domesticated mice were kept in the royal palaces of Japan and China. In Japan, they were increasing in popularity as breeding animals and also pets. It was during this time that people were experimenting with breeding to produce new colors. 'The Breeding Of Curious Varieties Of The Mouse' booklet was written in 1878 by Chobei Zenya. This informational booklet included drawings and descriptions of variations on breeding programs. The booklet instructed breeders on how to create specific colors and varieties.

In the early 1800s popularity began to grow in Europe. In 1877 Walter Maxey, the father of the mouse fancy, acquired his first mice in the UK. Later in 1895, Maxey founded the National Mouse Club in England. This club set the standards for the different varieties and sponsored regular shows. The first show was in 1895 in Lincoln and was won by Miss Ursula Dickenson with a Dutch Oven. This affair with mice breeding eventually leads to the rediscovery of Mendel's theories on genetics by the scientific community.

Mice eventually made their way to the Americas by sailing across the seas and are believed to have been introduced to North America by Spanish sailors. The mouse attraction is relatively young in the United States. The first U.S.mouse clubs were founded in the 1950s. Lately, the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association was founded in 1983. There are now several clubs in the United States and many more worldwide.

When most people think about pet mice they predictably think about the classic "white mice", but in fact there are well over 40 varieties. Most mothers are terrified at the thought of pet mice getting loose and scurrying around the home. Often these mothers prefer mice puppets and mice stuffed animals rather than the real thing. In fact, many manufacturers such as Folkmanis specialize in creating beautiful yet lifelike puppets and stuffed toys. Parents can use these puppets to teach their children the virtues of the mouse without enduring the clean-up.

The main feature of mice is their gnawing front teeth which continue to grow throughout their lives. These paired teeth are called incisors. Mice have poor vision and their activity patterns rely heavily on smell, taste, touch, and hearing. They are excellent jumpers and are capable of leaping at least 12 inches vertically. Female mice make the best pets because their urine does not smell like that of the male. Mice are nocturnal in nature and very social. They are active in the evening and night but mainly sleep during the day. They can breed as soon as 8 weeks old and can deliver a litter of up to 12 babies in three weeks. Mice can live for over two years while the average life expectancy is about 1.5-2 years.



The most commonly available type of mouse available as a pet is the domestic pet mouse and is the result of hundreds of generations of careful breeding. These mice have been selectively bred to be placid while enhancing the desirable qualities of the mice. They do not carry any diseases but also do not carry much of a chance of surviving in the wild if they were to escape.

This current economic recession has affected many people. People have less time, money and space available for animals. People are often turning to pocket pets such as mice as an ideal low-cost and low-maintenance alternative to having pets in their busy lives. Pet mice, both real and plush provide an outlet and a means to admire the virtues of the mouse.




Monday, August 20, 2018

MICE As Pets - The Perfect Low Maintenance Pet That Will Even Learn Tricks

A female fancy mouse with her litter
A female fancy mouse with her litter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Mice are a popular choice of pet and unlike their generally bad reputation can be very sociable, intelligent and clean. The most popular type of mouse to have as a pet is the regular domestic mouse which is available at almost any pet store. More specialized types of mice are also available. Pet mice owners believe mice to make the perfect pets because they are fairly low-maintenance, do not make a loud noise and are sociable animals. 

When you purchase a mouse you will obviously have to choose a suitable home for it. The most popular type of housing for mice is the metal cage with a solid floor. This will allow your mouse to grip and climb up and down the walls of the cage. You will need to put a soft layer of hay, shavings or shredded paper on the floor of your mouse's cage. This will have to be cleared out at least once a week to prevent the cage turning smelly. You can equip your mouse's home with toys and play objects fairly cheaply, by adding decorations like pipes, through which they can tunnel, blocks, running wheels and empty cartons. Mice are nocturnal animals and so love to run around and play at night.

While the best type of food that you can feed your mouse will be available at your local pet store, you can also give your pet other alternatives like, leafy vegetables, carrots, celery, cereal and even certain types of worms. Beware that there are some foods that you should never feed your mouse. These include; peanuts, uncooked meat, citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges, as well as garlic. If you feed your mouse a new type of food product and notice that it develops diarrhoea or skin irritations you should seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.

Much like a cat or dog your pet mouse can also be taught tricks like coming when it is called. After exercising a little patience and trial and error, you will see that your mouse will quickly dispel those rumours that they are un-intelligent animals.



Thursday, December 21, 2017

Guide to Keeping PET MICE - Choosing, Feeding, Housing and Enjoying

Pet Mice - Photo: Pexels

Choosing Your Pet Mice

So, you have decided to buy some pet mice. You need to first decide how many mice you are going to have. This is best determined by what size cage you have for them. You need to allow them as much space as a gerbil, hamster or other small rodents. Never have one mouse on its own, however, mice are social animals and get very lonely when kept on their own, this often leads to them getting sick.

Next, you need to decide between female and male mice. Keeping a mix of males and females will almost certainly mean you'll have a litter of 'pups' as baby mice are called before long. This is irresponsible unless you are intending to breed your mice intentionally.

So the pros and cons of males and females are as follows:

Males - They tend to fight among themselves occasionally to hold territory and can be a bit smelly. On the plus side, they are bigger than females, tend to not get sick as often and are less fidgety with you making them easier to handle.

Females - They can be weaker and sometimes get sick. When you are handling females they don't tend to stay still for long, always trying to run off. On the plus side, they do not have hardly any odor at all and will rarely if ever fight among themselves.

So there are the pros and cons, it's up to you to take a few moments to consider what sex you want your mice to be.

Feeding You Pet Mice

Mice are fairly popular pets in most countries. It should not be hard to find some prepared mice food available at your local pet store. If there is not a specific food mix for mice, hamster food will usually do, just check with a pet store professional first to make sure.

You can give pieces of most fruits and vegetables to your mice to if you want to balance out their diet some more.

Remember to keep some fresh water in their cage too in a bottle or bowl. You should only need to fill up their water and food bowl once a day, usually in the evening is the best time as mice are nocturnal and will be waking up around then.

Housing Your Pet Mice

This is the easy and fun bit. You get to shop around for a cage that you think will fit into space in your home and house your mice comfortably. It's best to go as large as you can afford or accommodate if it has an exercise wheel and other toys/obstacles inside this will benefit the mice.



You are going to be cleaning it out once a week so don't keep it anywhere hard to access. Lay some wood shavings down for bedding and give your mice some cardboard tubes to chew on and play in.

Enjoying Your Pet Mice

Now you have your mice and everything set up for them its time to enjoy them. Most people find it relaxing to have them in view so you can see them building nests and playing with obstacles. Try and handle them at least every other day and they will be a lot tamer, they might even start approaching you as you put your hand into the cage. Feed them some treats in the palm of your hand or give them a stroke and observe how happy they are.





Sunday, May 28, 2017

RAT and MICE Health - Tips on Medications and Neutering

Just like cats and dogs, rats and mice need regular medication and the occasional visit to the vet. As always, prevention is best, and this article gives you some tips and advice to help your pet mouse or rat live longer and healthier and be the best companion for you.

English: A female pet mouse standing in hand. ...
A female pet mouse standing in hand. It's an adult, but it's smaller than a pet mice usually are, because it's bred to be small.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rats and mice need worming three to four times a year. They also may need spraying to keep mites away. However, this can be done cheaply if you purchase your products from your local pet store owner and you buy a generic brand. There are vitamin supplements that can be added to their water too. Most of these products can be purchased for approximately $10 each and are well worth keeping just in case your pet becomes ill. By administering vitamin syrup or worming, for example, you may be able to save your pet's life or at least prevent if from getting very ill.

Cages and toys should be sprayed for mites at least once a week when they are cleaned. By keeping cages and toys clean, you will provide a much healthier environment. I always soaked toys and bowls in hot water and disinfectant; they were then rinsed thoroughly. They never went straight back in the cages, however. I always had two or three sets of everything. That way items could dry properly and there was little risk of the mice and rats becoming ill from the disinfectant I used.

Both rats and mice have a fantastic sense of smell and will benefit from the use of essential oils. These oils will aid with healing wounds and regulating behaviour. However, as with dogs and other pets, you will have to dilute it and read the instructions carefully. If the male mice were fighting, I used to apply a tea tree cream. It has great healing qualities and is so pungent that the other mice would live the victim alone. As male mice tend gang up on just one, the use of this cream allowed the poor thing to recover and heal its wounds.

Get professional advice from your health care expert about which oils would be best for your pet. There are also some great websites available that can offer advice about which oils to use, dosage rates and much more.

You can desex rats but not mice; they're just too small. Desexing male rats is much simpler and painless than desexing females. However, the easiest and cheapest option is to keep separate cages for your males and females or just keep one gender.

You shouldn't breed your females too young as this may stunt their growth and cause problems later on. Females will need to be rested for months between litters as over breeding will cause health problems. Proper diet is also essential for lactating females and I have covered it in another article.
Rats are not as territorial as mice and we mix rats from different litters together all the time and we have never had any problems with one rat accepting another, in fact, they welcome the company after a brief investigation. I have seen females grooming small young that are not their own in both mice and rats too. Both species seem to have a very community spirited idea to caring for the welfare of their young.



If you are concerned about introducing a new animal to your existing ones, do it in neutral territory like your bathroom; clean the cage thoroughly and then give them fresh food. Put both animals back in the cage at the same time. They will be so busy running around investigating the new food and new bedding they won't bother with each other.

If these animals do start fighting, there is not much you can do but separate them in different cages.

    By Sue Day
    Sue Day has worked in the pet industry for many years. Now a full time dog trainer, Sue has put together a website of over 50 pages to share her knowledge and experiences of pet care.
    Article Source:  EzineArticles

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Choosing the Right Pet For Your Family - RATS and MICE

One thing I have learnt from years in the pet industry - people's opinions of rats and mice is black and white; they either love 'em or they hate 'em! For this reason, double check with your family members if they are OK with you having one before you bring one home.

Each year more and more people choose to keep domestic rats or mice as pets. And why not? They are cheap to purchase, easy to maintain and take little time out of your day. And yet, they offer great companionship and attention and make very good pets for children.

Pet Mice
Pet Mice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Although we often group them together because they have similar needs there are some differences between rat and mice that I have noted on this website for your interest.

For example, they should never be kept together because rats will kill mice. Rats if handled properly make much better pets than mice. They are as intelligent as a dog and will seek out human companionship.

Both rats and mice smell depending upon how often you choose to clean their cage. Male mice smell awful and it can take some time to get used to. Rats, either male or female, don't really smell as long as their cage is kept clean.

Rats don't run away if let out of their cage but mice do. Both animals need lots of stimulation in an interesting environment so you will need to be prepared to spend time with them outside of their cage and rotate their toys weekly.


Rats don't have very good eye sight and will nip if they are frightened. Be careful with small children who may squeal or grab at the rat and frighten it. However, they have excellent hearing and again a sharp yelp from a child or loud bang maybe enough to make them lash out and bite the closet thing to them. Rats have very sharp teeth and will nearly always break the skin when they bite. Be wary of playing music too loud or running machinery for too long near them.

On the other hand, both mice and rats have a great sense of smell. That's why they will bite sometimes if they can smell food on your hands. They simply think that your fingers are the food they can smell on them. It's always a good idea to wash your hands before putting them in the cage.

Neither rats nor mice carry diseases like their wild cousins so you and your family are safe handling them.

Sadly rats or mice only live for a few years and they usually die from stroke or tumors. They do, however, make great pets. Rats have their own personalities; will learn to come when you call them and will happily sit in your pocket for most of the day and 'hang out' with you where ever you go.

Mice are not as responsive but you can train them to run through mazes and if you are interested in breeding them, the patterns and the colours they show are fantastic.

I believe that the more you put into your pet the more you will get back one hundred fold. This is the same for rats and mice. When you spend time with them, you will appreciate their different personalities and needs. All of which provide great joy and company for their owners.



    Sue Day has worked in the pet industry for many years. Now a full time dog trainer, Sue has put together a website of over 50 pages to share her knowledge and experiences of pet care.

    If you would like more great tips and you would like to save some money on your pet bills for all your pets including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice or rats, please go to: [http://www.save-money-on-pet-bills.com]

    Article Source: EzineArticles


Thursday, March 24, 2016

Environmental Enrichment For Your RAT or MOUSE

Rats & mice are extremely active and intelligent animals, and thus require exercise and mental stimulation for optimal health. These animals are often purchased as pets for children and many are housed in smaller than adequate cages with only the bare essentials such as food, water and an exercise wheel. Just imagine how bored you would be living in a bare room with an exercise bike as the only form of mental and physical activity?

English: Agouti pet rat, female, 4 months old.
Agouti pet rat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are a number of fun and easy ways you can provide toys and enrich the environment of your pet rat or mouse:

Toys to CHEW -
These are necessary for dental health, as rodents teeth grow continuously throughout their life and need to be constantly worn down. Safe chew toys for rats and mice include rawhide chews, nylabones, untreated wood, cardboard rolls, boxes and egg cartons.

Toys to SHRED -
Softer items such as toilet paper or tissues, sisal rope and straw provide hours of entertainment for your pet rat or mouse. They particularly enjoy shredding these substances to use as bedding material to line their sleeping areas. Ensure you do not give your pets any toys containing soft rubber, soft plastics, leather or string as these materials can cause an intestinal obstruction.

Toys to PUSH & CARRY -
Many rats and mice love to carry or push small toys around. Sturdy, hollow plastic cat toys with bells inside or acrylic toys provide great entertainment for your pet.

CLIMBING Toys -
Ladders, branches, hammocks, ropes, PVC tubes, boxes and bird perches can provide numerous climbing opportunities for your pet rat or mouse. These items can be secured to the sides or top of the cage to increase the amount of play area in your pet's cage.

FORAGING Toys -
Rats and mice in the wild spend much of their day foraging for food. In captivity, we often put out a bowl of food for our pet rat or mouse and that bowl is simply placed in the same area, with the same food in it every day. Our pets quickly become lazy, bored and overweight from the lack of enrichment and foraging opportunities in their lives. Provide your pet rat or mouse with mental stimulation by hiding their food in specially designed foraging toys, treat balls, cardboard rolls or tubes. Bird foraging toys made from bamboo or cholla cactus can also be used for rodents.



TUNNELS -
Rats and mice in the wild use and construct tunnels from items in their environment on a regular basis. Tunnels made of sturdy plastic, acrylic or PVC can be placed in the cage or attached to the side or top of your pet's house. Ensure you select a tunnel with a large enough diameter to prevent your rat or mouse from becoming stuck in the tunnel. Blocks of untreated wood can also be hollowed out to make tunnels which rats and mice may enlarge themselves. You can provide ready-made tunnels for your pet, or allow them to construct their own from various materials provided in their environment.

EXERCISE WHEELS & BALLS -
Activity wheels provide an excellent way for your rat or mouse to exercise within the confines of their cage. Solid wheels made from plastic or acrylic are safer and preferable over wheels with wire bars that can trap your pet's feet or tail.
Exercise balls are also a great fitness tool for your rat or mouse outside of the cage. Always monitor your pet while they are playing in an exercise ball to ensure they do not overheat and are always playing in a safe, flat area.

If you have a pet rat or mouse, use your imagination and enrich their life by providing them with a range of toys that will keep them entertained for hours.



Saturday, March 5, 2016

A MOUSE For A Pet

Albino Mouse eating a piece of corn
Albino Mouse eating a piece of corn
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
Domestic mice have been bred to be friendly and calm. Breeders try to pair of the most intelligent and friendly mice together. The best way to locate a healthy mouse is to find a breeder. Usually the best way to find a breeder is your local newspaper or check with your local pet shop.

Mice should be kept together with two or more together make for more social mice. Breeders normally tell you not to put males together unless they are brothers from the same litter. Some owner would rather have only one mouse. The single mouse can still be happy and healthy if you spend plenty of time playing with it.

Remember until the mouse is use to playing with you and is not afraid. After the mouse is use to you it will walk into your hand as soon as you reach for it. If you need to pick up a frightened mouse softly pinch the base of the tail. The way I catch mine is to place a paper towel tube in the cage and the mouse walks right in and I pick up the tube holding both ends.

Wild mice are scavengers and will eat anything they can find, but it is so simple to go to the pet store and buy mouse food. These foods are very nutritious and healthy for your mouse. You need to provide a variety to their meals by giving those treats like small amounts of green vegetables like broccoli, apple, carrots, or dry bread.

Mice only need a small space to live and play; this makes mice a perfect pet for people in a small apartment. One of the best homes for mice is the glass aquariums. They have solid walls and you can pile lots of bedding for the mice to snuggle down into. Bedding can be shredded newspaper, but store bough liner will do a better of controlling odor. It is also helps keep it more sanitary.




Saturday, February 13, 2016

You Can Cure Your PET MOUSE

It is a sad day to see your pet mouse in ill health, deteriorating before your eyes, but if you look very closely you can often see the culprit of your pets discomfort... little black specks in the fur or bedding, a mouse's deadly enemy... mites.

Pet Mice
Pet Mice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You can take care of your pet! For once, you can do something to help your mouse before having to take it to the vet. Let's face it we'd prefer to spend money on pet toys rather than vet bills.

Mites are everywhere; they have evolved and specialized to live off any organic matter in any environment. They can be found throughout the world, from the arctic to the Antarctic. The vast majority of them are microscopic but some can grow up to over one centimeter long. Without them the world would just fill up with dead matter, they are part of the eco system, we can't live without them! Unfortunately some mites have evolved to feed off our loved ones.

Often your pet will have mites living on them without any detrimental affect to the mouse... their numbers are kept down with the mices' natural grooming, however if your pet becomes ill and listless, it's grooming habits may be curtailed and the mite population on your pet can quickly become epidemic. This is when problems occur and your mouse can have an adverse reaction to the high number of these parasites.

Some mites just live in the fur of your mouse, eating dead skin and other skin secretions; they don't harm the mouse per say, but their waste (poo) can and does become an irritant to your pet, leading to excess scratching, rashes and bald patches in its fur.

Other, more insidious types of mites are the ones that actually feed on blood of your pet. Some are blood suckers that pierce the skin to get at the blood, other smaller types of mite actually burrow into and under the skin, living their whole life there!

These blood feeders in very small numbers are not a problem for your pet but in epidemic numbers they can make your mouse extremely uncomfortable and even anemic; also their "bites" can get infected causing even greater distress for your mouse.

The bad news is that if one mouse is affected and you have more, then all your mice are probable hosts to mites, even though they are not showing signs of distress...Yet!



The mites will also spread throughout your house looking for other mice to feed on, or other hosts if no mice can be found. There is one type of mite, called the Tropical Rat Mite, that will even look at us as a food source! However, luckily all mouse mites can not reproduce without a mouse as host, so while some mites will feed on us they will eventually die and bother us no more.
There are numerous remedies and cures for mites on the market; some are even costlier than a trip to the vet, while others are a waste of time. It all depends on the type and strength of the infestation of your pet.

Once your pet has had the mites eradicated from its body it is imperative that re-infestation does not re-occur. This is much easier and will become part of your care for your mouse.


    By Phillip Halliwell

    For more information about specific mouse mites [http://stopupest.com/mouse-mites-mice-mites] and the eradication of this pest, can be found here along with other information about mites [http://stopupest.com/] in general.

    Article Source: EzineArticles


Thursday, January 21, 2016

Train Your PET MOUSE

While it is typically rats that are trained, it is also quite possible to train your pet mouse. In fact, these little creatures can be some of the most fun pets once they are trained. You can get them to do things such as sit in a shirt pocket or on your shoulder as you move around doing your ordinary activities. It is not all that difficult to train a mouse but you will need a great deal of patience.

English: A female pet mouse standing in hand. ...
A female pet mouse standing in hand. It's an adult, but it's smaller than a pet mice usually are, because it's bred to be small.
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
To begin with, understand that your mouse is going to be motivated by treats as its reward for being smart. So your first step when you want to train your pet mouse is to buy an assortment of its' favorite treats. Have them handy where you can reach them easily.

The next step is to build trust between you and your pet mouse. This is the part where you are going to need a great deal of patience because it usually takes awhile before you see that first result. Put a treat in your hand and place your hand into the mouse's cage. Now sit back, read a book or magazine, and wait. Eventually, your mouse is going to crawl into your hand to take that treat from you. When that happens, replace the treat with another one and repeat the process.

Establishing familiarity is vital when you decide to train your pet mouse. If your mouse knows you and begins to form a bond of trust with you, the rest of the tricks will come easily. Once you get it to hop into your hand the first time, you will be able to build on that. Soon, it will be hurrying to climb into your hand because it has been taught to believe that there will be tasty treats there all the time.

Take this a step further. Move the treat about halfway up your arm. Your mouse will start to crawl there to retrieve it. Before you know it, you will have the mouse scurrying up your arm to find the treat that is waiting on your shoulder. This is how you can train your pet mouse to sit on your shoulder. It is all very easy to accomplish as long as you have patience and treats.

    By Turner McCorn
    Turner is a professional writer, you can check out his most recent work on best cheese grater by visiting his latest site on cordless cheese grater [http://www.bestcheesegrater.com/cordless-cheese-grater.html].

    Article Source: EzineArticles