For many centuries, mice have lived next to humans. The attitude towards the small thieving animal has always been ambivalent. On the one hand - sabotage and spoilage of products, on the other - helping people in laboratory experiments. Today, relatives of the common house mouse are becoming very popular pets. It’s not surprising that mice have taken root here too, just remember the Russians folk tales or domestic cartoons, in which the “little mouse” is a constant participant in the events.

Decorative mice (as well as the rats that our material “Domestic Decorative Rats” tells about) quickly adapt, are unpretentious in their maintenance, have a variety of colors and are very funny. These small animals from the order of rodents are awake mainly at night, do not live long (on average 1.5 years and rarely live up to 2 years), are very fertile and reach sexual maturity early. Decorative varieties easily get used to humans and become tame.

It is better to choose a mouse in a nursery or at an exhibition, where they are guaranteed to be examined by a veterinarian. If you decide to take an animal from someone else’s hands or in a pet store, then there is always the possibility of infection from them with worms or other diseases. By the way, it is better to buy several females at once, because... They prefer to be in company, but it is better to keep males alone to avoid fights, sometimes with fatal consequences. After purchase, we recommend transporting the mice home in a ventilated box or box with holes.

Pet - mouse

Colors of decorative mice

Breeders have developed interesting varieties of mice, differing in hair type (standard, long-haired, satin, curly) and great variety colors

The colors are “tan” (red tan on the main background) and “fox” (white tan).

The marked colors take into account the location of spots and color zones. These are tape, Dutch, broken marked, etc.

Variegated - colored specks are located on a main white background.

There are many more options, in particular wild color agouti, sable, chinchilla, Siamese and many others. You can find short-tailed and naked mice, so anyone who decides to have this curious animal at home will definitely find a pet to suit their taste.

Keeping and caring for decorative mice

House mice

Mice are usually kept in a metal cage, the volume of which must be selected so that each individual has a “living space” of at least 20x30 cm. When choosing a cage, remember that the mouse is capable of chewing through wood and many other materials, as well as squeezing into narrow crevices. It is better to choose a spacious room; animals are very active and need movement.

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? About the features of the content decorative rats We have already written on our website - read about it. Now, it’s our turn to talk about decorative mice.

What are the features 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, like this house mouse – great option contender for the role pet, if you are limited in living space and free time. But who should not start decorative mice, so this is for 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 hang in the air), as well as for those who are allergic 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 very funny. Mostly their period of wakefulness occurs at night - this means that your biorhythms coincide, and when good care these creatures can live 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 the 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, then you are wrong. 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 against the main background white there will be colored specks.

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, potty, feeder, 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.

Decorative mice - care and maintenance, diseases, photos of mice. - 4.6 out of 5 based on 35 votes

Decorative mice - care and maintenance

Decorative mice adapt quickly, are unpretentious in maintenance, do not require much space, come in a variety of colors and are very funny. These small animals from the order of rodents are awake mainly at night, are very fertile and reach sexual maturity early. Decorative varieties easily get used to humans and become tame.

Colors of decorative mice

Breeders have developed interesting varieties of mice, differing in the type of coat (standard, long-haired, satin, curly) and a wide variety of colors.

Solid colors - animals are painted in one color - white, black, blue, red, silver, etc. Source: decorative mice

The colors are “tan” (red tan on the main background) and “fox” (white tan).

The marked colors take into account the location of spots and color zones. These are tape, Dutch, broken marked, etc.

Variegated - colored specks are located on a main white background.

There are many more options, in particular the wild color agouti, sable, chinchilla, Siamese and many others. You can find short-tailed and naked mice, so anyone who decides to have this curious animal at home will definitely find a pet to suit their taste.

You can keep the mouse in a metal cage or in a glass terrarium with a wide bottom and low sides (the top is covered with a mesh). When choosing an enclosure, remember that the mouse is capable of chewing through wood and many other materials, as well as squeezing into narrow crevices. It is better to choose a spacious room; animals are very active and need movement.

The bottom is lined with shavings or strips of unpainted paper. A house (box, jar, pot, etc.), a stable feeder, a drinking bowl and all kinds of devices for games are placed in the cage. Levels, ladders, branches, shelters are suitable, you can buy a running wheel.

Rodents are more timid than other pets and do not get used to humans very quickly. At first, be prepared for the fact that the animal you purchase will avoid contact with humans. Try to equip the cage in such a way that the mouse has the opportunity to hide in cover if necessary.

At first, when a mouse just begins to settle in a new place, it, as a rule, spends all its time inside the shelter house, leaving it only to eat the food offered.

The mouse is a herd animal. If one rodent lives in a cage, it needs to be given much more attention than two or more individuals. Otherwise, the animal will gradually withdraw into itself and will constantly sit in the house. To prevent this from happening, you can offer the mouse to play with a small ball, wooden cubes or figures.

After giving wooden toys to a rodent, you need to make sure that there is no paint or varnish left on them, which, if they get into the animal’s stomach, can cause some harm to its health.

When feeding and caring for the animal, you should avoid sudden movements that may frighten it. Gradually accustom the mouse to the sound of your voice, try to speak quietly and in a gentle tone. After some time, the pet will willingly respond to the nickname that is given to it. Since mice have a well-developed sense of smell, they quickly get used to the smell of the person bringing food. Every time the owner approaches the mouse, it will greet him with a joyful squeak.

Diet of mice

Mice are unpretentious when it comes to food. They enjoy eating grains - oats, millet, wheat, barley, corn. Sometimes you can feed the seeds small quantities. They eat cottage cheese, cheese, and boiled egg whites well. Vegetables, fruits, berries, and bread are suitable as treats. From time to time it is necessary to add vitamins and mineral supplements to the diet. Pet stores sell special food for mice and treats for rodents. Due to high speed metabolic processes, food should always be in the feeder. Branches of fruit trees or birch are also needed for grinding down the incisors.

Plants that are poisonous to ornamental mice include: cory, hemlock, celandine, foxglove, purple or red foxglove, borer, lily of the valley, white hellebore, henbane, crow's eye, nightshade, datura, anemone, poisonous sow thistle, wolf berries, night blindness, marsh marigold, meadow lumbago, self-seeded poppy, bracken fern, marsh wild rosemary.

Like all small rodents, mice are very fertile. Mice at favorable conditions keeping and feeding are able to reproduce throughout the year. Puberty in mice it occurs at the age of 30-35 days after birth, i.e. long before the end of growth. Males tend to mature at more late dates and are capable of fertilizing females throughout their lives. It is believed that the working qualities of a male are the highest until one to one and a half years of age. Fluctuations in the degree of sexual activity depend on the adequacy of feeding and physical health animal.

Babies are born in a shelter house, where the mother mouse builds a nest from hay, paper and rags. Childbirth usually occurs at night, and there are no complications. There are from 5 to 9 mice in one litter. The mice are born naked. Their eyes and ears are closed. The weight of newborn mice is 1-2 g, body length is 3 cm. At birth, the sex is practically indistinguishable. At a later age, males become larger than females and can be distinguished from each other. Mice are helpless at birth and practically do not move.

During this period, it is necessary to maintain high milk production of the female. There must always be milk in the cage good quality and fresh water. Newborns grow quickly. Their mass doubles on days 4-5, and the linear dimensions of the body increase. On the third to fifth day after birth, the baby mice's ears open and their bodies begin to become covered with hair. At two weeks of age, their eyes open. At the third week of life, the pups crawl out of the nest and begin to consume food on their own. Young animals are weaned from females 20–25 days after birth. 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.

House mice are rodents that live in people's homes. In the photo, the house mouse looks like ordinary mice. Is there a difference between them?

Because house mice were so well adapted to living with people, they were able to spread throughout the world, thus becoming one of the most widespread mammals. Mice are also pets and model organisms for laboratory research.

Appearance of a house mouse

House mouse is a long-tailed small rodent with a body length of 6.5 to 9.5 cm. In relation to the body length, the tail is less than 60%.

The top of the tail is covered with ring-shaped horny scales and short sparse hairs. Weight adult– from 12 to 30 grams. The ears are small and rounded. The skin has a brownish-gray or dark color. The color of the abdomen ranges from white to ash-gray. Desert mice have a light yellowish-sandy color and a white belly.

Domesticated mice are variegated, blue-gray, yellow, black or white. Females have five pairs of nipples. In the house mouse, sexual dimorphism is not pronounced.

Distribution of the house mouse and its subspecies

The house mouse is a cosmopolitan species and lives almost everywhere. It is only absent high in the mountains, Antarctica and the Far North. The main factors that limit the spread of house mice are high humidity and low temperatures. On the territory of Russia, the house mouse is not found in the mountain tundras, in the area between the Lena and Yenisei rivers, in Taimyr, and in most of northeastern Siberia.

Presumably the home of the house mouse is North Africa, Western Asia or Northern India. In Western Asia, the house mouse is known in fossil form. The house mouse has spread throughout the world along with humans.

Currently, about one hundred and thirty subspecies of the house mouse have been described. They are grouped into four main subspecies.
1. M.m. castaneus – lives in Southeast Asia;
2. M.m. bactrianus – lives in Asia with the exception of the Southeast region;
3. M.m. domestic - distributed in Australia, America, Europe and most of Africa;
4. M.m. musculus - lives in Eastern Europe starting from the territory of Poland and further eastward occupying most of Russia.

It was long believed that the Japanese subspecies M.m. molossinus is the fifth "major" subspecies, but according to latest research it is a hybrid between M.m. castaneus and M. m musculus.
It's interesting that in Ancient Rome mice and rats were considered the same species, so rats were simply called the big mouse.

Lifestyle of a house mouse

House mice live in a wide variety of biotopes and landscapes, including anthropogenic ones. In general, it can be argued that house mice are very closely related to humans and are a synanthropic species. The house mouse often lives in outbuildings and residential buildings. In the north of their range, mice migrate seasonally. At the end of the summer or at the beginning of autumn, animals begin to migrate en masse to the so-called “feeding places”, which include warehouses, grain and vegetable storage facilities, as well as residential buildings. In autumn, the migration range can reach up to five kilometers. House mice often spend the winter in stacks, haystacks and forest belts.

In the spring, house mice leave their wintering grounds and return to natural environment habitats, in gardens, orchards and fields. In the south of the range, in semi-deserts and deserts, they often live outside human habitation throughout the year. In such conditions, house mice gravitate towards various bodies of water and oases.

IN natural conditions habitat, the house mouse prefers soft, not too dry soils. In them they dig small holes with simple device. The length of the hole reaches one meter, and the nesting chamber is located at a depth of 20-30 centimeters and has from one to three entrances. IN winter period mice often deepen their holes to 50-60 centimeters. The diameter of the nesting chamber ranges from ten to twenty-five centimeters. Inside the chamber, the animals arrange bedding using soft plant rags. House mice often occupy burrows belonging to other rodents: gerbils, mole rats, voles. Cracks in the ground and natural voids are also used for housing.

House mice that settle near people set up their homes in the most protected and secluded places. They most often live in attics, in household waste, trash heaps and under floors. To make nests, house mice use any available material: artificial fibers, feathers, scraps of fabric, paper.

Under natural conditions, house mice lead a nocturnal and crepuscular lifestyle. But living next to a person, they adjust the daily routine depending on the nature of the person’s activity. At artificial lighting The house mouse can remain active around the clock, reducing it only during those periods when people themselves are active. The activity of a house mouse in this case is polyphasic: during one day there may be fifteen to twenty periods of wakefulness lasting from twenty-five minutes to one and a half hours. Like many other members of the mouse family, house mice tend to follow regular routes when moving.

Such routes are easy to follow thanks to noticeable piles of dust and droppings, which are held together by urine.

The house mouse is a very nimble, agile animal. They run quite fast, reaching speeds of up to 13 km/h, jump well, climb well and are good swimmers. However, they rarely move away from their nest. Under natural conditions, each mouse has its own individual area. In males it reaches 1200 sq.m, and in females – up to 900 sq.m. However, if the population is dense enough, mice prefer to settle in family groups, which consist of one dominant male, as well as several females with their offspring or small colonies.

Relations within the colony are hierarchical. Adult males are quite aggressive towards each other. In contrast, females show aggression much less frequently. Inside family group skirmishes occur rarely and, as a rule, they boil down to expelling the grown-up offspring.

House mouse nutrition

In natural habitats, the house mouse is a typical seed eater. The seeds of cultivated and wild plants serve as food. Preference is given to seeds of Asteraceae, legumes and cereals.

The house mouse's diet also includes carrion, insects and their larvae. Green parts of plants are also eaten, which, depending on how accessible it is drinking water can account for up to a third of food intake. Every day a house mouse consumes up to three milliliters of water. If the relative air humidity was about thirty percent, and the food was exclusively dry, then during the experiment, laboratory mice died from dehydration on days 15-16.

Mice readily eat dairy products, chocolate, meat or grain. Under natural conditions, if there is an excess of food, reserves are made.

House Mouse Reproduction

The house mouse is extremely fertile. If conditions are favorable (for example, in stacks and heated rooms), then it can reproduce throughout the year. Under natural conditions, the breeding season lasts from March to November. Re-entry into estrus is observed in females 12-18 hours after the birth of offspring. Over the course of a year, a house mouse can bear from five to fourteen litters. Each litter contains from three to twelve cubs.

The duration of pregnancy is about twenty days (19-21). The cubs are born naked and blind. After about ten days, their bodies are completely covered with fur. After two weeks of life, their eyes open, and at the age of three weeks they become independent and capable of settling. The house mouse reaches sexual maturity in the fifth to seventh week of life.

It should be noted that males, trying to attract a female, emit ultrasonic calls of 30 - 110 kHz. In their complexity, these calls are comparable to the singing of birds. The house mouse easily interbreeds with the Kurganchik mouse, which lives, for example, in the Black Sea region.

The offspring from such crosses are quite normal and viable. A number of zoologists consider the Kurganchik mouse to be a subspecies of the house mouse.

Enemies of the house mouse

The house mouse has many enemies, primarily predators. This birds of prey, snakes, large lizards, mongooses, small representatives of the mustelid family, foxes, cats, crows and even.

House mice are serious competition for house mice, which often kill and even partially eat their small relatives.

At the same time, mice themselves can act as predators, which is generally unusual for them.

Once upon a time, mice were accidentally brought to Gough Island in the South Atlantic and took root there. Since they had no natural enemies on the island, they multiplied very quickly and now their population is estimated at 0.7 million individuals. It should also be noted that these island mice are three times larger in size than their mainland counterparts. They form groups and attack bird nests with them, eating the chicks.

It must be said that Gough Island is the most important colony of sea birds, among which we can mention such birds as Schlegel's typhoon and. These birds do not nest anywhere else. However, despite the fact that albatross chicks can reach a height of one meter and weigh 250 times more than the mice of this island, they practically do not move and are unable to defend themselves.

As a result, mice literally gnaw through the bodies of the chicks and damage them. deep wounds. According to scientists, mice destroy over a million chicks on this island every year.

Lifespan of a house mouse

Under natural conditions, the life expectancy of these rodents is one to one and a half years. However, in captivity they can live up to three years. The life expectancy record is almost five years (1819 days).

Sense organs of a house mouse

The sense organs of these rodents are very well developed. True, the house mouse's vision is quite weak.

Like most other rodents, they are characterized by farsightedness. At the same time, they have very acute hearing. The range of frequencies they perceive is very wide - up to 100 kHz. For comparison, the upper threshold for humans is 20 kHz. In low light conditions, the house mouse can navigate perfectly using its whiskers. The role of smell is extremely important in the life of mice, necessary both for searching for food and for recognizing relatives.

Each mouse has on its paws sweat glands, with which they automatically mark the territory. If the mouse is very frightened, then a substance is released into the urine, causing fear and flight in other animals. Moreover, the smell is quite stable and persists for up to a quarter of a day, informing other mice that the given place is unsafe.

Moreover, if signal substance was left by a male, then all individuals react to it, while only females react to a female’s mark, while males ignore it.

House mouse and man

House mice are pests and carriers of a number of dangerous infections, such as plague, etc. At the same time, mice perform very important role as laboratory animals. On July 1, 2013, a monument to a laboratory mouse was even erected in Novosibirsk for its contribution to experimental medicine and genetics.

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Almost every person has acquired a pet at least once in their life. Some prefer common types of pets such as cats and dogs. Some people like exotic reptile species. Well, some owners keep a white mouse as a pet.

It is worth noting that white mouse for many years now considered a pet. The origin of these cute animals is controversial. Some sources indicate that the decorative mouse existed before our era. But the more familiar description of the origin of these mice points to the breeding decorative species rodents in laboratories for experiments.

Previously, in many countries there was a belief that if there is a white mouse in the house, it will protect the house from other rodents that can kill short time leave the owners without food supplies. Our ancestors also associated these cute animals with joy. To this day, many people have a favorable attitude towards this decorative animal.

Character and size

According to its size white mouse similar to its brothers. Their weight is about 30 grams. The length of the body and tail is no more than 11 centimeters.

Absolutely all mice of this species are active. Despite their excessive activity, they are absolutely harmless both to their owners and to other decorative rodents in the house. To have several individuals of this species, the owner does not have to acquire several cells. Mice will live in harmony and harmony even in the same territory, provided that they were placed in a cage of the same age. When a newcomer moves in, the mice will show him with all their appearance that this is their territory and he is clearly a stranger here. Often such settlements end in tears for a new mouse. But this case may be the only act of aggression on the part of ornamental rodents.

In addition to its activity and kindness, the white mouse differs from its relatives in its strong parental love. In addition to the female, the male also takes care of the newborn mouse. This phenomenon is rarely seen among animals.

How to breed decorative mice

Pregnancy in a female lasts no more than 21 days. One litter can have up to 7 mice, weighing about 1.5 grams. Like many newborn animals, children of the decorative rodent are born not only blind and deaf, but also completely bald. After a few days of age, little mice develop a small fluff on their backs. After a week after birth, their bodies are completely covered with hair.

The female feeds the offspring for 4 weeks. But, despite this, already two hours after the female has given birth, she is ready for another fertilization.

Upon reaching one month old , decorative mice can take care of themselves without the intervention of their parents. Three months after birth, rodents are able to have offspring themselves.

The average lifespan of rodents is 2-3 years. There have been cases where a white mouse has crossed the threshold at 5 years.

This decorative rodent from the white mouse family is very easy to train. Once the mouse gets used to its owner, it will not hesitate to come to its owner's arms. When letting a mouse go for a walk from its cage, it is better to keep an eye on it with both eyes. Because if she hides somewhere, then finding her will be a difficult task.

House for a decorative mouse

Although these pets are not particularly picky in terms of their maintenance , it is worth knowing some mandatory things regarding housing:

Some owners believe that decorative pet Can be placed in an aquarium. This idea is not the best, since glass walls tend to fog up quickly. And cleaning such a home will take much longer than a cage. Even if the owner decides to place his pet in such housing, then he should purchase a metal mesh with small holes. This will allow the pet to breathe full breasts and will protect the owner from escaping his little friend.

What must be present in the cell?

• Small pieces of chalk. If there is a shortage of chalk, then you can place parts from branches in the cage. A rusty piece of bread also works well. These things are necessary for the rodent to sharpen its teeth and to prevent further growth of the incisors and add the necessary food to the diet. minerals For healthy growth mice.
• Litter. The most common bedding materials for rodents are paper and sawdust. A good alternative to these materials is hay.
• Wheel. This is perhaps one of the important attributes for the health of a rodent. Due to their activity, mice will not be able to sit still. And it is the running wheel that will remove all the accumulated energy from it.

White mouse food

To keep your pet healthy, the owner should remember that the diet must be balanced. Daily norm consumption is 50 grams of food feed. For food you can use:

To summarize, we can say that these peaceful and active animals do not require excessive care when living as a pet. Periodic change of bedding, arrangement of the house and balanced diet, this is all you need for the healthy growth of a decorative mouse. If you do not neglect these rules, then a happy animal will, without a doubt, thank its owner with love and curiosity, and will become best friend, which will not be easy for a pet, but also part of the family.