Decorative mice: breeds, maintenance and care

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Today you can often see different animals in apartments. Some people get cats, some people get dogs. There are people who opt for rodents. Some houses have chinchillas, guinea pigs and decorative mice.

The latter will be discussed in our article. There is a white and gray mouse. You can also find rodents with more original colors, such as spotted.

Japanese mouse: species description

These mice were first bred in Japan as food for small snakes. But thanks to their friendly disposition, interesting color and unpretentiousness in keeping, they were soon made another kind of pets. The Japanese decorative mouse has become popular not only in its own country, but also in many other countries.

What is this animal? A small mouse measuring four centimeters. The weight of the animal is 6 grams. The coat is white, randomly decorated with black spots that make the rodent look like a Dalmatian. Markings in animals are all different, they are usually bizarre shapes. The peculiarity of these mice is that they do not smell.

Keeping and feeding Japanese mice

You can keep such mice according toalone and in groups. Just remember that you can’t keep two males in a cage, because they will arrange a “war” for territory. For those who want to have a mouse to play with and watch, it is better to opt for a boy.

Mice should be kept in a plastic terrarium covered with a grate on top. Equip it with various leisure items: ladders, ropes, wheels, snags and other elements. Put a mouse house in the terrarium.

It is necessary to line the bottom with sawdust. They should be changed twice a week. The optimum temperature for keeping these rodents is 21 degrees.

Feed mice should be pumpkin seeds, fruits, corn, oats, millet, burdock leaves, cilantro, fruits, plantain, parsley and others.

Once a week you need to give protein food. It can be low-fat cottage cheese, a piece of boiled meat or an egg (hard boiled). Hang the mineral stone in the cage.

Baby Mice

This is not only the smallest rodent, but also the smallest mammal on Earth. The weight of the beast is eight grams. The body length of the rodent does not exceed seven centimeters.

These mice are great for keeping in a cage with small cells (no more than five millimeters). These rodents practically do not emit a specific smell. Mice should put clay or glass plates in the cage. Rodents feed on grain and cereal feed.

Also add greens, vegetables and fruits to your diet. Let's sometimesmealworm rodents, lean meat ground into minced meat.

Cottage cheese and white bread should occasionally be added to the diet of mice.

Gerbil

These rodents are well suited for keeping in an apartment. Gerbils are more active during daylight hours. They are easy to train, they are not aggressive towards people.

Habitats in nature are deserts and semi-deserts. In appearance, the rodent resembles a jerboa, thanks to elongated hind limbs and a tail with a tassel at the end.

Rodents breed very well, they are picky in food.

The gerbil cage must be metal, 40x50 cm or larger.

Feed the rodent should be legumes, herbs, cereals. They also consume hay, branches of soft trees (poplars, willows, and others). Sprouted cereals are useful for gerbils. The rodent also loves vegetables, berries and fruits, not only fresh, but also dry. Sometimes give the gerbil fermented milk products, cottage cheese, mealworms, dry gammarus and more. Gray bread is readily eaten by rodents.

Tubular bones of farm animals and chalk should be used for mineral feeding of pets. There must be water in the cage at all times.

Gerbils have movable front legs, so they often use them in the process of eating food for convenience.

From the end of winter until late autumn, these rodents breed. There are up to five cubs in one litter. But, unfortunately, not everyone survives. The duration of pregnancy of such an animal is 23 days. After the birth of babiesit is not necessary to remove the male.

At the age of twelve days, babies begin to feed on their own. During this period, they also continue to feed on mother's milk.

Spiny Mouse

Spiny decorative mice as pets have become popular relatively recently. These rodents have conquered the hearts of people. They are sociable, quickly get used to people, especially to those who care for them. They are unpretentious in captivity and care. What is such an animal? The spiny mouse is a cross between a gerbil, a hedgehog, and a jerboa. The eyes of these animals are large, beautiful. The whole body is covered with fluffy fur, there are real needles on the back.

This feature was the reason that these decorative mice were called spiny. The body length is on average 10 cm, and the tail is 9 cm. The muzzle of this rodent is very pretty. The lower part of the body of the mouse is covered with a white pile, while the needles are yellow, dark gray or reddish-brown on top.

You need to keep in a cage, at the bottom of which sawdust should be laid. They need to be changed as they become dirty.

It is worth putting a house in a cage, mice will rest in it. You should also place shelves for climbing and ladders in the cage.

These rodents need to be given deciduous tree branches. As for nutrition, there are no special features. They eat everything that other decorative mice.

White domestic (laboratory) mouse

These rodents have long since lost their wild life. Recently, they are very often found in people as pets. Mass contentstarted about 125 years ago. These rodents are sociable, easy to care for.

The best way for a white mouse to get used to a person is to buy a monthly rodent. After buying it, you need to pick it up more often, play with it. These rodents are highly trainable.

Feeding is easy, they eat a variety of rodent foods. The white mouse eats greens, vegetables, cereals. In no case do not give rodents fried and fatty foods. It is useful to supplement the diet with mealworms or other invertebrates.

For growing incisors, you need to add sprigs of shrubs or stone fruits, croutons to the food of young animals.

The duration of pregnancy in a rodent of this species is approximately twenty days. The female brings about seven babies, although sometimes more. A mouse can produce about ten litters a year.

Rodents should live in a cage. It must have a house. It is also advisable to put a wheel or additional accessories for games. The optimum temperature for keeping is twenty degrees.

Domestic gray mouse

Besides white mice, there are also gray mice. They are also a subspecies of domestic. The gray mouse weighs an average of thirty grams, the body length is about ten centimeters. The tail length of this mouse is 10 cm. The rodent has a hard coat. Coloring is monophonic.

Lifespan

And how long do decorative mice live? It is impossible to answer this question exactly. Since the lifespan of animals depends onmany factors. On average, it is two to three years.

Conclusion

Now you know what decorative mice are. We looked at different breeds. We also touched on the topic of keeping and feeding these small rodents. We hope that our article was useful to you.