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The most popular breed of mice to have as a pet is the domestic mouse; the way that they are breed makes them more attractive as a pet. Mice are fairly easy pets to have as they require little space and are quite tame, they are also good at living with other mice and can be quite fun to watch when interacting with each other. Mice can sometimes be harder to handle than other pets as they are very quick and they can get quite nervous. Mice aren't a long term commitment either as they only tend to live between 1 2 years.
You will find that mice will be active in the night and not in the day, however they are very social animals, this means that they are best kept in groups, if having pairs then it is easier to have two females as males will need more room and they may fight. Males and females will very quickly mate with one another so unless you want a lot of mice its best to keep to same sex groups.
You can tell a mouse is healthy by looking for; pink clean skin on their tail and ears, clean and free of any discharge in their eyes and nose and a clean and dry mouth. You will find that their breathing is quite fast but it shouldn't be particularly loud. You should look for mice that have been separated into male and female groups, pets shops and good breeders should do this, if they don't you may find that you've taken home a pregnant mouse when you get home ad mice can start reproducing from as early as 6 weeks.
Wire and glass cages are the best cages for mice to live in, though if you choose a glass cage you will need to furnish it out with plenty of climbing apparatus; mice are good at escaping so you will need to make sure the lid is firm and secure. When buying a mice cage, its sometimes better you get a hamster or bird cage as these are bigger however you need to look at the wire spacing which should ideally be 1/4 inches. You should keep their cage somewhere they will get a lot of human contact, out of direct sunlight and away from drafty areas. Ideal bedding for a mouse is aspen shavings, a nice deep layer for them is best, along with this you should also add some nesting material in for them, you can buy specific nesting material but tissues and soft paper towels are also fine for use and you'll find your mice will enjoy shredding them. Regular cleaning is needed, however it is advised to leave some old litter in as mice like to make a home for themselves so keeping their smell in there will do this for them.
Pallets for mice to eat are available but that can lead to a very plain diet, so you can add mixed grains and seeds diet, some mice will eat their favourite parts and then leave the rest, but you should encourage them to eat all of the mix to keep their diet balanced. You can also add small amounts of fruit and vegetables with the pallets and mix too. Treats that you can give them include; bread, with a little bit of peanut butter on, cooked pasta and crackers, as well as rat treats you can get from pet shops.
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