Some of you will turn up your nose at the idea of having a pet mouse in your home , but others will be touched by the idea of such a small creature with bright eyes in your hands and … between your feet. Let’s see how this animal behaves, its strengths and weaknesses, and dangers, trying not to express a biased opinion. Everyone is free to believe that having a pet mouse is a good or a bad idea.
These animals are very intelligent, but also brave and, above all, curious. Without a shadow of a doubt, beyond what we think, we can all confirm that they are truly agile animals, true acrobats. At home they are a very present and not too annoying company, they follow us but without getting in the way, they are interested in what we are doing and tend to want to participate.
On the market we find the so-called “ laboratory mice ” but the name is misleading because they are animals that do not have diseases, they are easily tamed, if you adopt one you save a life: let’s think about it!
House mouse breeds
It is not called breeds but rather varieties, color varieties which is the criterion with which we can divide these creatures. Here are the ones most often purchased and hosted at home. The albino mouse has white fur and red eyes, as per definition, the bone mouse resembles it terribly, the fur is actually pure white but the difference is in the eyes which in this case are not red but black.
The blue house mouse has fur of a color similar to slate, the neige has it dirty white, whitish while the variety called “Dove” has a light gray fur. Another interesting variety is the ” recessive yellow”. This is the name given to mice with a coat that varies from red to dark sand, when young they have spots that then disappear when they become adults and show off a coat of a single color.
House Mouse: Price
These mice are not expensive, let’s also consider that most of the time they save their life. They start from a couple of euros and can even reach a couple of dozen euros. The important thing is to contact specialized centers trying to get the best information possible both by talking to a veterinarian and with someone who has one and can tell us about their experience. Together with the mouse, let’s not forget to buy a minimum of equipment , a cage and containers to feed them which are the same ones we could use for a Russian hamster.
White house rat
White or not white, it is necessary to first clarify the difference between a rat and a house mouse, since they also belong to the same family of Muridae. The main difference is in size, because the mouse can measure from 3 to 10 centimeters, while the rat can reach up to 27 centimeters and it is difficult for it to be smaller than about ten centimeters. In terms of character, there are no colossal differences, they are both easy to tame and pleasant animals, if we do not have a “disgust” for this type of animal. For the category.
The domestic mouse in general is an animal that is busy at night, it is active, it loves to be in a group, in company, and it may also have the instinct to imitate us . It lives about 4 years, on average, it has a developed sense of smell and excellent hearing, but when it comes to seeing, it doesn’t see very well.
Domestic rat: diseases
Strange to say but the domestic mouse is an animal that lives in hygienically impeccable environments, if we keep their cage well they will appreciate it very much. To evaluate every potential dangerous situation let’s look at the 40 diseases that can be transmitted directly or indirectly by mice and rats, through contact with excrement released into the environment, bites or stings from their parasites. Some are very well known, others remain unknown to most of us and this means that they are not so widespread. The most common diseases that can be transmitted are the following: leptospirosis, plague, salmonellosis, murine typhus and rabies.
House Mouse: Diet
If we intend to take a pet mouse with us , it is better to find out what our new friend likes for dinner and lunch. To prevent him from munching on wood, mattresses, carpets, plants and books because he is hungry, let’s provide him with tasty and chewable food. According to him, therefore, sunflower seeds, dog biscuits, fruit, vegetables such as celery, carrots, radishes, courgettes, pumpkin, bones, meat, cheese, walnuts, hazelnuts. In the cage, it is fine to put everything in a bowl available to him, the pet mouse knows how to manage on his own.