Types of decorative mice for home keeping. Decorative mice - reviews

Mice are the largest family in the class of mammals. These rodents are distributed throughout the world, except Antarctica and high mountain regions.

There are various types of mice in nature. The smallest mice are about 5 cm in size, and the largest members of the family reach 35 cm. Most mice are gray in color, hence the expression “mouse color”.

What types of mice are there? Why are rodents dangerous to people? What mice can be kept as pets? The article provides descriptions and photographs of representatives of the mouse family, information about their characteristics and lifestyle.

Features of representatives of the mouse order

The mouse family belongs to the order of rodents. Science knows 519 species of these animals. A typical representative of the mouse family is a small animal with small ears and short hair that is gray, reddish, brown or black. In nature, there are also white albinos with red eyes.

Mice are very fertile. The female carries the cubs for 25 days and produces up to five litters per year. Each litter contains 8-12 small mice. The mouse feeds its young with milk for about three weeks. After 20 days, their incisors form and they begin to feed on their own. Mice develop very quickly; within three months after birth they are ready to bear offspring. The average lifespan of a mouse is about 2 years.

Mice lack a collarbone, which allows these rodents to fit into the narrowest crevices. In addition, the animal quickly adapts to any living conditions and can go without water for a long time. All this makes mice very tenacious.

The presence of thin whiskers helps the animals to navigate the area. Rodents have two pairs of constantly growing sharp incisors. If their size reaches 2 cm, the rodents may die, so they need to chew something, grinding down their incisors.

The genes of mice are 80% identical to those of humans. Due to this property, mice, mostly white, are used in laboratory scientific and medical research.

Rodent lifestyle and nutrition

Mice are mostly nocturnal. They have polyphasic activity: sleep alternates with periods of wakefulness from 25 to 90 minutes.

The animals are very mobile, they can move at speeds of up to 13 km per hour. They usually run along certain routes. Their routes of movement can be determined by the droppings they leave behind.

Rodents live in groups consisting of a male and several females with cubs. Each family has its own plot. Males are very aggressive towards other males. Grown-up offspring are usually expelled from the family.

In nature, animals make nests from grass, settle in holes or hollows of trees, stocking up on food for the winter. Once indoors, they settle under the floor, between the walls, and in attics.

The animals feed on plant seeds and small invertebrates. They can also eat bird eggs and small chicks. Mice living in the house eat any food, chew candles, soap, plastic items, and paper. These animals are capable of causing serious damage to humans.

The greatest harm that a wild mouse can cause to humans is the various dangerous diseases it carries:

• typhus;
• intestinal infections;
• bubonic plague;
• Lentospirosis;
• salmonellosis;
• sodocosis;
• rabies;
• tularimia.

Scientists have not ruled out the possibility that mice can transmit breast cancer. Diseases can be transmitted through food contaminated by rodents, water, bites, or air in a room heavily contaminated with rodent waste.

Description of wild mouse species with photos

Representatives of different species of mice differ from each other in size, color and habitat. The following species of wild mice live in Russia:

Wood mouse

The wood mouse lives on the edges of mixed and deciduous forests or in meadows among tall grass. The size of the rodent is about 10 cm, and the length of the tail reaches up to 7 cm. The mouse has round ears, its color can be from red to dark brown (see photo). The long-eared animal moves very quickly and can climb high into trees.

The rodent settles in tree hollows, under roots and fallen trees. The wood mouse overwinters in burrows that are up to 2 meters deep. Minks have several chambers for food supplies, a nesting compartment and 2-3 exits.

The animal feeds on fallen tree seeds, acorns, nuts, berries, and grass sprouts. The diet is supplemented with small invertebrates.

The animal reproduces 2-3 times a year, bringing 5-8 cubs. The number of animals depends on the harvest of food and climatic conditions.

House mouse

The house mouse lives in human housing or adjacent buildings: barns, warehouses, sheds. Can climb to the upper floors of apartment buildings. It is usually a gray or black mouse that reaches 6-10 cm in length. The length of its tail is up to 60% of the size of the body.

In the spring, house mice move outdoors, and with the onset of cold weather they return indoors. In homes, animals cause a lot of inconvenience: they chew furniture, wiring, walls, and spoil food.

Field mouse

Field mice are those that live in meadows and fields. They are widespread in Europe, Siberia, the Far East and Mongolia.

Voles are dark or tan in color with darker stripes and have a white belly and paws. Their size reaches 7-12 cm. The tail of the animals is relatively small. They go out for food mainly at night, since during the day they risk becoming a victim of numerous predators, such as the common snake. They feed on plant foods and small insects. These mice are very fertile and tenacious.

Gerbil mouse

The gerbil was brought to Russia from America for laboratory research. Now there are more than 100 varieties of this animal. Dwarf and Mongolian gerbils live in Russia.

Sand mice are often kept as ornamental pets. They have a red color with a black stripe and a white belly. Some animals have a fluffy brush at the end of their tail.

Yellow-necked mouse

The yellow-necked mouse is found in Russia, Moldova, Belarus, China, and Ukraine. This mouse got its name because of its unusual coloring: the animal itself is painted red, and its neck is surrounded by a yellow stripe. The animal is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.

The size of these mice is 10-13 cm. The long tail is the same length. Rodents feed on plant foods. They can harm gardens by destroying shoots of fruit trees.

Grass mice

Grass mice live in Africa. These rodents are the largest among their relatives. Their size reaches 35 cm along with the length of the tail. Weight can be more than 100 g. The color of the animals has grayish or brownish shades with dark patches. The animals nest in burrows or bushes. They can live in rooms and houses. Grass mice live in large colonies. They feed on vegetation. They can completely destroy agricultural crops.

Decorative house mice

Thanks to the work of breeders, a variety of domestic decorative mice have been bred. They differ in type of coat and color. The fur of a domestic ornamental animal can be curly, long, or satin. Even hairless mice have been bred that have no hair at all.

The animals can be painted in the standard mouse color, or in blue, silver, red and other shades. Mice with Siamese, sable or chinchilla colors are in demand. Depending on the characteristics, the coloring is:

At home, small decorative mice are kept in cages with small cells or glass terrariums. They create a living corner in which feeders, drinking bowls, and items for games are placed. They are not picky about food. This could be cereals, grains, herbs, vegetables, dairy products or special feed purchased in specialized stores. To grind down their incisors, the animals are given stale bread crusts and tree branches.

Most often, white mice are kept in homes. The white mouse is larger than the decorative mouse and smaller than its wild relative. An albino mouse has red eyes and a pink nose.

V. TRETYAKOV, biologist.

White mice (albinos) are very sensitive to bright sunlight because their skin and eyes lack protective pigments.

Science and life // Illustrations

Mice are very playful creatures. They deftly climb ladders and perches. Trainable.

A mouse of this color is called chocolate.

Science and life // Illustrations

Pet stores sell mice of various colors - white (albino) and colored. Why are these animals interesting and why are they kept in cages?

White mice are bred in laboratory conditions as experimental animals for medical and genetic experiments. They are domesticated descendants of the well-known house mouse.

Using laboratory mice, scientists study the influence of all kinds of factors and drugs on the body of a living creature: from weightlessness to new drugs. But astrologers in Ancient China many centuries ago used a white mouse for their predictions. The capture of a surprisingly colored mouse or rat was considered an important event. Therefore, the Chinese rulers ordered their chroniclers to enter into the chronicle reports of each meeting with such a miracle. Documentary evidence confirms that from 307 to 1641 only 30 albino mice were captured in China.

Interestingly, in Ancient Greece, respect for house mice was associated with the cult of Apollo. The Greeks dedicated certain types of animals to the gods of their pantheon. Apollo was depicted with a mouse sitting at his feet. In some areas of Greece, this god was considered the patron of not only the arts, but also mice, and therefore rodents were kept in temples. In other places in the country, Apollo was identified with the deity who protected the population from mouse invasion, and they even created a myth about it.

In Europe, white mice began to be bred approximately 130 years ago. Since then they have become an integral part of scientific work. In vivariums, fertile animals multiplied in huge numbers without any problems, sometimes producing mutants with an appearance even more unusual than that of albinos.

Breeders bred not only colorful mice, but also tailless, short-tailed, long-haired and even... naked. Long-haired mice are quite cute fluffy creatures. But the appearance of a hairless rodent evokes sympathy or hostility in people. Such animals are bred partly from the desire to create a sensation.

Most animal lovers prefer to keep not white, but more elegant colored mice in home and school zoo corners: black, dark and light brown, red, cream, silver (light gray), lilac and bluish-smoky gray, as well as piebald (white with various spots). Quite often there are mice with fur of a natural color: on the back it is from grayish-sandy to dark gray, on the abdomen it is whitish or grayish.

All this variety of laboratory mice differs significantly from their wild ancestors not only in appearance. Tailless and colored, long-haired and white domesticated mice have lost their original timidity and are easy to keep and breed. They require very little food and little space. In short, these are easy pets for the novice naturalist.

Mice never bite and quickly and easily get used to their owner. Unfortunately, these tiny creatures have an equally tiny intelligence and emit a strong, specific smell. The latter circumstance is a serious obstacle to keeping a group of such cute colorful animals in the living room. The mouse smell can be reduced to a minimum if one or three animals are kept on a thick layer of frequently replaced (at least three to four times a week) sawdust. By the way, females smell weaker than the stronger sex.

A home for mice can be an aquarium or a special container-terrarium made of organic glass with a lattice lid. Mice jump well in height, and a lid is required. It is better if it is made of thin metal wire rather than plastic, which rodents can damage over time. You can make a small cage for the animals with dimensions in length, width and height of 40 x 30-40 x 25-30 centimeters from a metal fur farming mesh, the cells of which do not exceed 10 * 10 millimeters. However, observing mice living in such a cage is less convenient than observing the inhabitants of a transparent cage. The cage is placed in a plastic or aluminum tray of sufficient size filled with sawdust. A 2-4 cm layer of bedding is also poured onto its lattice bottom: small wood shavings or large sawdust. For the nest, use a small box with a hole for entry or an old flower pot turned upside down with a broken edge. A small, clean glass jar will also work as a cover. The fact that it has transparent walls does not matter to mice.

Make sure that the environment inside the cage is as diverse as possible. Place there a bizarrely curved twig, a ladder, a perch, a stump of wood in the form of a stump and, of course, a running wheel, but not a plastic one. Mice, especially young ones, are very active and will gladly use all these simple devices for their vigorous and cheerful “physical exercise.”

Do not forget to regularly wash the aquarium or cage with hot water and laundry soap and change the bedding. Rinse nest boxes and climbing frames as needed. Dry everything thoroughly before placing the animals back into their home.

Place the cage in a place where mice cannot catch a cold. Small rodents are very sensitive to drafts, and a cold for them is certain death.

Mice are practically omnivores. In nature, living next to humans, they do not refuse sausage, cheese and lard, they eat cereals and other products (by the way, they do not eat paper, but only gnaw). Laboratory mice love millet, oats and wheat, unroasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, white bread, dairy products, pieces of boiled meat and egg whites. Among the succulent foods they prefer are dandelion and cabbage leaves, slices of carrots, cucumbers and beets, green grass, and bread soaked in milk. Candies, chocolate, fatty and spicy foods should not be given to animals.

To prevent mice from overgrowing their incisor teeth, you need solid food: twigs of trees and shrubs (except lilac, which is poisonous to animals), white bread crackers, and pieces of white school chalk.

For food bowls, it is better to use durable ceramic or earthenware cups. And offer drinking water exclusively in dropper drinking bowls. Open bowls of water get dirty very quickly.

It is enough to feed the mice once a day. The daily norm is a teaspoon of grain per animal. You can't overfeed.

Leftover food and contaminated pieces must be removed from the cage in a timely manner.

If you decide to let the mouse run around the apartment, be very careful not to accidentally step on it or crush it under the door. Make sure that the animal does not get into any gap from which it is difficult to get out. The rodent's main place of residence should be a cage, and the place for walking should be the owner's palms or a table.

Mice are collectivists, so it is better to place two or more animals in a cage.

The question of gender only makes sense when one wants to breed mice. Two or three males or two or three females living in one cage get along well with each other. Moreover, those from the same brood, or those that were united together in adolescence, get along better. Letting a newcomer into an established mouse team is a risky business. Mature mice will attack an intruder and can chase him to death.

The sex of the animal is determined by the distance between the anal and urinary openings. In the male this distance is clearly visible, in the female it is very small.

Like all small rodents, mice are very fertile. Already on the 30-49th day of life, animals can give birth. Pregnancy lasts about 20 days. In each brood, the female brings 6-7 cubs. It can reproduce up to ten times a year.

Babies are born in a shelter house, where the mother mouse builds a nest from hay, paper and rags. The female touchingly cares for the newborns, protects them, feeds them, and cleans them. The father shows parental feelings towards the children if there are no other males in the cage.

Newborn mice should not be handled. The foreign smell will remain on their body, the worried mother will stop feeding them, and they will die. For the first two weeks, try not to disturb the female at all: do not change the bedding, exclude quickly perishable food from the diet.

Helpless, naked and blind mice grow and develop very quickly. At the age of one month, the babies leave the nest and become completely independent.

The lifespan of mice is very short: a rare animal lives up to three years. Most often, they do not reach old age due to the development of internal tumors.

Try to purchase only young animals for the zoo, otherwise you will have to experience the bitterness of loss too quickly.

For many centuries, these small creatures have lived next to humans. And, the attitude towards such rodents, and we will talk about them, is very ambiguous. On the one hand, rodents harm and spoil products, and on the other hand, imagine at least one medical and research laboratory in which laboratory rats and mice would not live. And, since these creatures can live in laboratories, then why can’t they live in our homes as pets? We have already written about the features of keeping decorative rats on our website - read about it. Now, it’s our turn to talk about decorative mice.

What are the peculiarities of keeping such pet mice, what to feed such rodents, and how to care for them? Our publication will try to answer all these questions...

Relatives of ordinary house mice today are decorative mice. It’s just that if the first ones are destroyed, then the second ones are groomed and tender. Of course, such a house mouse is an excellent candidate for the role of a pet if you have limited living space and free time. But who should not have decorative mice are those who are pathologically afraid of these creatures, or cannot stand the specific mouse smell (no matter how you clean and wash the cage, the smell will still be in the air), as well as those who suffer allergy to rodents.

Features of keeping decorative mice at home

In principle, if you are familiar with the peculiarities of keeping decorative rats, and such rodents lived in your house, you should not have any difficulties associated with keeping decorative mice. These cute animals, with beady eyes, quickly adapt to new conditions, are unpretentious in matters of maintenance, have different colors and are very funny. Mostly their waking period occurs at night - this means that your biorhythms coincide, and with good care these creatures can live for 2 years. They are very prolific - this applies to those who are going to get a pair of mice - immediately think about where you will put the mice, and they reach sexual maturity early. Rodents quickly get used to their owner, become tame and can even learn a couple of simple tricks...

Where to buy a decorative mouse

As for the number of decorative mice you purchase, if you get a female, you can choose another female for her company - the rodents will enjoy being in the company, and they will be friends. But, if you add another male to the male, then you cannot do without bloodshed.
But the cohabitation of a female and a male will inevitably end in numerous offspring.

It is better to transport mice home in a special box or in a box with holes for ventilation.

Colors of decorative mice

If you think that decorative mice are all gray or brown without exception, then you are mistaken. Breeders have bred quite interesting varieties of mice, which can differ from each other in the type of their fur (mice can be curly, satin, long-haired or short-haired) and their color. At the same time, the colors can be monochromatic - when the rodent is painted in one color, black, white, red, steel, blue... There can be such colors as tan - red, with existing tan marks on the main background, and fox - with white tan marks. When determining the type of color, it is worth taking into account the location of color zones and spots. Depending on this, the type of color can be determined - ribbon, broken marked, Dutch. The colors of decorative mice can also be variegated, when colored specks are located on the main white background.

Also, there are such categories of colors of decorative mice as agouti, chinchilla, sable, Siamese... You can also find completely hairless hairless mice (they look like). In any case, you have plenty to choose from...

Caring for decorative mice

As a rule, to keep decorative mice you can use a metal cage, the volume of which should be at least 20 by 30 centimeters for each mouse living in this cage. The cage itself should be spacious - mice are active creatures, and absolutely safe for keeping a rodent. That is, you must remember that there should not be any cracks, wooden doors, etc. in it.

Line the bottom of the cage with shavings or strips of unpainted paper. It will also be necessary to additionally install a house, a potty, a feeder, a drinking bowl, as well as various accessories for games in the cage. Also, you can additionally equip the cage with ladders, branches, shelters and a running wheel so that the decorative mouse can have fun when you are busy.

Mice, throughout the entire period of their existence, do nothing but ruin a person’s life. Rodents eat almost anything that gets in their way. They don’t mind eating vegetables, fruits, as well as some things that are in the house. As a result, a person has spoiled food and everyday items. Therefore, over the years, people have come up with many effective ways to get rid of such an unpleasant neighborhood.

Before you start fighting rodents, it would be a good idea to study the ways they can enter the house, otherwise the fight will not have a positive result. In addition, you need to determine what attracts mice to this living space. If you approach this problem with all seriousness and responsibility, then you can get rid of mice once and for all. The main thing is to start the fight against rodents in a timely manner before they multiply.

As a rule, house mice, which are synanthropic creatures, settle in a person’s home. They differ in that they live exclusively next to a person in his home. They constantly follow a person and can be seen on ships and even on airplanes. Therefore, house mice quickly master new human homes, entering them through ventilation systems, through cracks in the floor or walls.

When a mouse appears in a house, it is not immediately noticed, since mice prefer to be nocturnal, and during the day they rest in secluded places. When they begin to actively move around the house at night, you can hear rustling and squeaking noises, and that’s when the owners begin to notice the presence of rodents in the house. Field mice breed exclusively seasonally, while mice that live in a house breed year-round. After 2 months of life, they can already reproduce. At the same time, they are able to reproduce offspring literally every month. It’s not difficult to imagine what the mouse population will be like in six months: their numbers are increasing exponentially.

The female arranges the nest herself, dragging various pieces of paper, wool, shavings, etc. to a certain place. During this period, she becomes aggressive and can even bite a person. Since mice are not large in size, they can penetrate through fairly small cracks. If mice are in danger, they are capable of attacking animals that are much larger than them.

In human homes, mice settle mainly in storage areas. With the arrival of summer, they leave human habitation and move to fields, where they build nests at a depth of about 40 cm. With the arrival of autumn, they again begin to attack private houses.

The damage that rodents cause in a person’s home is so significant that it is difficult to even imagine. These animals can chew wires, which can cause a fire, and damage soft toys and upholstered furniture, as well as other items. In addition, mice are carriers of dangerous diseases such as salmonella, plague, typhoid, and Weil's disease. Infection can occur through food on which a mouse has run and left traces of its activity. Rodents are distinguished by the fact that they leave their excrement everywhere, infected with various viruses and bacteria. Even waste vapors pose a danger. Children and the elderly who have weakened immune systems may be the first to suffer.

Despite their small size, the damage these pests cause is quite significant. Even in ancient Rome, mice were caught with various mousetraps. Pests are also distinguished by the fact that they quickly adapt to new conditions. They survive in conditions of extreme cold, hunger and even high humidity. They build warm nests for themselves and store food for future use, and having sharp eyesight helps them avoid danger in time. In search of food they move over considerable distances.

Signs of the presence of mice in the house

The fact that mice have appeared in the house can be determined by the following elements:

• Small holes appear in the area of ​​the baseboards, which these pests could chew through.
• Mouse droppings can be found in various places, as well as in the area of ​​holes.
• The room smells like mice. This smell cannot be confused with any other smell.
• Rustles and squeaks are heard not only at night, but also during the day.
• If a cat lives in the house, then it begins to behave aggressively and runs from one place to another.

There are many ways to control mice in a private home. Each of them has both its pros and cons. It is important to choose it for specific conditions.

As far as we know, cats are natural enemies of mice. Unfortunately, not all of them have a developed hunter instinct. Those cats that live in the house and are considered pets are unlikely to be able to protect the home from rodent infestation. Those cats that spend most of their lives outside hunt mice from time to time. To protect your home from rodents, you need to get just such a cat. But he will not sit in the house, as he will need to realize his instincts. As practice shows, even real hunting cats are great at hunting in the garden or walking in the field, several kilometers away, but in their home they may not pay attention to mice, mistaking them for the same family members. Therefore, you need to prepare for other methods of struggle.

Traditional methods

During the period of confrontation with rodents, man came up with many simple, affordable and effective ways to get rid of rodents in the house. Many pests, including mice, cannot tolerate the pungent odors of some plants, such as mint, citrus fruits, lemon balm, wormwood, tansy, etc. If you take small bouquets of these plants and place them in places where mice may appear, this will scare them away, and they will look for other, more comfortable conditions for their living. To do this, use such means as tar or turpentine. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly update bouquets of plants or traps based on special substances, since over time they lose their properties.

Some owners do not destroy mice, but only scare them away or catch them, and then take them out into the field and release them there. This is one of the humane methods that many owners of private houses use. Recently, ultrasonic repellers have been increasingly used, which do not affect humans, but act on rodents, causing them a feeling of anxiety. As a result of this action, mice eventually leave the human home.

At the same time, on the market or in a store you can purchase a device for protecting large areas (up to 200 square meters) or devices for protecting smaller rooms.

Interesting to know! Mice have very interesting abilities. They can quickly adapt to certain conditions, including the action of ultrasonic repellers. In this regard, you should consider using the full range of measures.

To combat rodents, people use simple-to-make but effective traps. For example:

• Simple trap. To do this, you need to take a coin, a small bowl and some chocolate. The bowl needs to be turned upside down and supported on one side with a coin. A piece of chocolate is placed deeper inside the trap. This results in a very unstable structure. When the mouse tries to get inside to try the chocolate, the balance of the bowl is disturbed and the mouse will end up inside the trap.
• Aquarium Application. As you know, a mouse can climb everywhere, but cannot climb on glass or other smooth surfaces. A 40 liter aquarium is suitable for catching rodents. Food is placed at the bottom of the aquarium, and a stack of books can be placed in front of the aquarium so that mice can easily climb to the top of the aquarium. When the mouse falls into the trap, and it will do this, since there is food at the bottom, it will no longer be able to get out of the aquarium. You can use not only an aquarium, but also another container, for example, a 5 liter plastic bottle, cutting off its top in the form of a cone.

If there are so many mice that simple and accessible methods can no longer cope with them, then you can use the help of professionals. As a rule, they have many resources to solve such problems.

Specialists operate according to the following scheme:

• First of all, professionals inspect the home to identify the accumulation of pests and determine their numbers.
• Analyze the ways pests enter the home.
• Based on the analysis, professionals select effective methods and means of control.
• Carry out quality control of work performed.
• If necessary, they will adjust the necessary measures.
• If necessary, owners are advised to take effective preventive measures to avoid repeated rodent infestations.

As a rule, professionals use chemical control agents based on several components, which increases the effectiveness of treatment. This approach allows you to destroy not only rodents, but also other pests in a short time. Unfortunately, this method of control requires the use of special safety measures, especially for children, the elderly, sick people and pets.

Specialists can complete the task in half an hour or an hour and a half, depending on the area of ​​the room and the number of rodents. Naturally, you will have to pay a lot for such work: you will have to pay 1,500 rubles for processing a one-room apartment, and 2,000 rubles for processing a private house.

As a rule, residents of private houses suffer more from rodent infestations, and they appear in apartments very rarely, although similar facts do exist. Quite often, mice settle on balconies if there is something to eat there. If the balcony is insulated with foam plastic, then you can safely expect rodents to appear on it. In addition, they love to travel through ventilation ducts, garbage chutes, etc.

To protect your home from mice, you need:

• Seal all the cracks in the floor, in the walls and, especially in places where various utilities pass.
• In a private home, after dark you need to close windows and doors tightly.
• It is better to cover all air ducts with a metal mesh.
• Store all products in the refrigerator or in tightly closed containers. Do not leave any leftover food on the floor or kitchen counter. Pet food also needs to be put away from feeding to feeding. Where there is easy access to food, not only mice, but also cockroaches, for example, can live there.

General characteristics

The first thing you need to know about these rodents is that they live in families. Therefore, estimate in advance the amount of time you can devote to your pet. If you spend most of your time at work, then it is wiser to have several individuals at once so that they can entertain each other in your absence. If you decide to settle on one representative of the mouse family, you need to often pick it up and talk to it, otherwise it can quickly go wild. In addition, if you choose one rodent, it is better to choose a female - she does not have such an urgent need to mark her territory as a male, which will undoubtedly affect the smell in your apartment.

If you decide to get two ornamental mice, it is better that they are of the same sex, otherwise you will suddenly have a whole bunch of little babies. The female is able to become pregnant almost monthly and give birth to up to 6 babies at a time.

In general, the animal quickly gets used to the owner, to the smell of the hand that brings food. After completing the taming process, you can teach your pet simple tricks using tasty dishes. After some time, the baby begins to respond to his nickname.

If you already have mice and you want to add another one to them, then do not forget about the laws of the wild: all animals protect their territory. In order for your pets to safely accept a new neighbor, you need to do the following before moving in:

1. Carefully wash the cage.
2. Lay down new bedding.

This will completely destroy the smell of the guests already living there, and will also turn the marked area into an uninhabited one. Thus, all pets find themselves in the same conditions and begin to mark their territory again. If you do not take these measures, then the mice already living with you may not accept the newcomer and kill him.

Where to buy a decorative mouse?

How long do decorative mice live?

This question also worries future owners before purchasing a rodent. On average, these mice live 1.5-2 years, but we cannot ignore the fact that the life expectancy of a pet will depend mainly on how you keep it. With proper maintenance, the life expectancy of the norushka can increase to three years.

Where to keep decorative mice?

Before bringing the animal into the house, you need to equip it with a place to live. It could be:

• cell;
• vivarium (glass or plastic).

Whatever you choose, don't forget to buy a metal lid with lattice inserts at the same time. It is needed so that the pet does not go to explore the world around him without supervision, because mice are masters at jumping and climbing, and it is quite difficult to catch them. In addition, a tame mouse can easily go wild after living for a couple of days outside the cage without the attention of its owners.

When choosing a place for a rodent's future home, take into account the fact that mice have very weak immunity and the correct location of the house will save the baby from many diseases and you from hassle. Here are some guidelines for cage placement:

1. It should stand in a dry place, completely protected from drafts.
2. It is recommended to install the cage near the walls, but it is not advisable to place it on the floor.
3. It is contraindicated to place the cage near heat sources. The proximity of a house to radiators and heaters may not have a very good effect on the pet.
4. The location of the future home should be chosen so that direct rays of the sun do not fall on it.

You need to clean the cage at least a couple of times a week, and from time to time you need to wash everything in it with soap. This, if it does not rid your apartment of the smell of rodents living in it, will at least significantly muffle it.

What should be in a mouse's home?

Comfort in the home is important to all of us, and animals need comfort too. In order for your pet to be comfortable, the home must be arranged in such a way that it contains:

• feeder;
• drinking bowl;
• house;
• wheel;
• mineral salt stone.

Do not forget that the animal is quite active by nature, which means that the more ladders and branches you put there, the more comfortable the animal will be there. The size of the vivarium depends on the size of your apartment and how much space you are willing to share with your baby, but the larger it is, the better the animal will live in it.

What to feed decorative mice?

At their core, mice are omnivorous creatures and, being in their natural habitat, they can even eat what is completely unsuitable for food. But house mice require much more attention and care. When choosing food for your pet, you need to remember the following:

1. Food should be varied and balanced. The main component of the diet of these animals is grain crops.
2. The food should be alternated, alternately giving the baby a dry and a juicy variety.
3. They can be fed food intended for other animals. Your rodent will happily eat not only food for mice, but also food for rats, guinea pigs, birds, cats and dogs.
4. Food and water must be available 24 hours a day.
5. It will be beneficial for the rodent to periodically feed it with different insects.
6. From time to time you can feed fruit, cut into small pieces.
7. You shouldn't feed your mouse anything you haven't eaten yourself. She's not a pig. And almost everything that people eat is harmful to her. Salt, food additives, spices - all this is unsuitable for a rodent.
8. To maintain your baby’s health, do not forget to give him vitamins at least once a month.

Breeds of decorative mice

These representatives of the mouse family differ from each other in both the type of hair and body length. But the easiest way to classify them is by the color of their fur coat. Based on color, they are divided into the following types:

• Self Fawn (solid fawn);
• Broken Marked (broken marked) is a mouse with dark inserts of any color;
• Banded (ribbon) - such a rodent should have white paws and a small area of ​​​​white fur against the background of any other color;
• Black Tan (black tan);
• Rump White (white rump) - the main part of the rodent’s body can have any color, against which a white rump will appear, covering the back of the body along with the paws and tail;
• Dove Tan (dove tan);
• Sable (sable) - distinguished by the absence of pronounced boundaries between two shades: dark brown and golden;
• Rex (rex) - short curly coat of regular color;
• Astrex - long curly coat.
• Argente - the most uniform mixture of light brown and silver shades;
• Pearl (pearl);
• Silver Fox (black and brown fox) - the belly is white, and the upper body is brown, lilac, black or bluish;
• Silver Tan (silver tan);
• Longhaired (mouse with long hair);
• Blue Tan (blue tan);
• Red (red);
• Chinchilla;
• Silver Gray Tan (silver-gray tan);
• Agouti (agouti) - the color of the fur coat is like that of a wild mouse;
• Variegated (variegated);
• Siamese (Siamese) - beige or bluish color;
• Dutch (Dutch).

For a more accurate idea of ​​what was written above, it is worth looking on the Internet or specialized literature for photos of decorative mice, because it is better to see once than to listen endlessly.

Summarizing everything written above, we can conclude that decorative mice are a pretty good option when choosing a pet.

They do not require too much attention, are unpretentious in food and do not take up much space. At the same time, they are quite active, constantly frolic and are able to give a lot of positive emotions to their owners. By taming this little miracle, you will make a friend who will greet you every day with a joyful squeak, and what could be nicer than knowing that your little pet is waiting for you at home?