Pet Mice Are Nice! (tips for Mom & Dad)

I love fish. I love pet fish. Fish are great. They are fun to look at, interesting to learn about, and exciting to show your friends. However, they are just not very cuddly, are they? A pet mouse can be hand-tamed and will learn to sit in your hand, crawl along your sleeve, and hang out in your pocket. Adult mice are in general afraid of heights, which means they are not likely to try to jump off your hand or try to get away from you, as long as they are used to you and are not scared by something.

Even the youngest children can learn to scoop up wood shavings from a glass tank and dump them in the trash can. The water bottle is easy to fill, the food is easy to scoop, and the wheel is easy to wash. Everything about mice is fun and easy, even for little kids. We got our first mice when the kids were about 3 years old and it worked out great. Fast forward to 15 years later - we still have mice!

Pet mice are short-lived, which can be a great benefit. Not to sound harsh, but many parents don't want to take on a dog or cat that could easily live 20 years, and I think that is a very reasonable concern. A mouse, however, will not live that long, so you can have the full cycle of enjoying the pet, and then coming to a natural conclusion of that experience, within a manageable amount of time. For example, if you get a pet mouse in 4th or 5th grade, chances are high you will no longer have a pet mouse by the time you get heavily involved with school activities in junior high and high school - it works out well for everyone.

Mice are cheap to buy if you are just getting started. Prices range from $1-$3 for plain white "feeder mice" or $5 and higher for "fancy mice" that come in many pretty colors. Face facts - they are all the same mice, basically, but some are all white and others have different colors. The feeder mice are just as personable and friendly and can be hand-tamed just as well as fancy mice, so if you want cheap, just go with a feeder mouse, and that's fine, too.

Mice are affordable for ongoing maintenance costs. They don't eat much and you can supplement their diet with almost any regular "people food" that you would be buying anyway. They don't use much bedding and it does not need to be changed very often, especially if you only have a couple of mice.

Many people used to have mice. Most likely if you ask around a little bit, you can find someone who still has a tank and equipment in their garage and they will give it to you for free!

I would recommend purchasing your pet mice from a local source, either a reputable pet store chain in your local town, or a local friend who has a mousery for breeding or who has an accidental litter. By purchasing locally, you are supporting your local economy and you can see the quality of the breeding place in person and be sure you are getting healthy, lively, friendly mice. It is nice to be able to see them in person and pick out the exact ones you want.

Please don't get just one mouse. How sad. They are very sociable little creatures and they really want a friend, so get at least two.

Ask your pet supplier to check their status of girl or boy, and be sure you get two the same, or else you are going to have wayyyyyyyyy more baby mice than you every imagined.

Trust me on this one!

You will need several items for pet mice and it is important to have your habitat ready to go, before the mice ever come to your home. I would recommend purchasing your main tank from a local supplier, because who wants to pay for shipping on something heavy like glass? Plus, it might get broken during shipping. For everything else, though, mail order is the way to go!