How are mice as pets?

I'm more of a rat expert and I don't know much about mice. I've been considering getting some as pets.


So I need to know-


How big of a cage do they need?


Do they need any toys?


Do they do best when they're with other mice?


How often do their cages need to be cleaned usually?


Are they easy to handle?


Are they as affectionate and smart as rats?





That's about it... but anything else would be great!How are mice as pets?
I've had 5 since i was in grade 8 , and I'm in grade 10 now.


Definitely rewarding, they are extremely cute, quiet, and not too costly.


I work at petcetera , and the first pets i feed are the mice because they don't rush up to your hand as soon as the food comes, so I''d say theyre more calm ( more than other rodents I've had experiences with).


I took a REALLY BADLY injured one home from work about 5 days ago, and it has been very close to me , so in that way mice are pets that can be very loveable :)





And to prevent what happened to my injured mouse, mice cannot be put with other rodents, ESPECIALLY RATS.





Okay, so for your questions:





How big of a cage do they need: A 10 gallon tank is ideal for a few mice, maybe 3 or 4 ? But in testing labs, they keep their mice 15+ in a tank that size, so that shows how little space a mouse needs to survive. My first mouse, i kept in plastic storage container which was pretty big, probably 3 feet high, and four feet long, and 1 1/2 feet wide. Good ventilation is important for whatever you use, they get pretty stinky.





Do they need any toys: wood chew toys :) or special treats on a stick that make it kind of a game to eat.





Do they do best when they're with other mice : 3 of my mice had to share a 10 gallon tank, and they did pretty well together. They were bought atleast a month apart each. All around the same age though, and same place.





How often do their cages need to be cleaned usually: Depends on bedding, if your using wood shavings, you;re going to have to replace the bedding more. ( whenever its noticably soiled %26amp; smells bad, so it varies depending on how many mice you have in one cage/tank ) My favourite is this recycled paper brand which now comes in many diferent colours. Not too sure of the name , but it uses colour-fast natural colour dye which isnt at all poisonous to mice / other rodents.








Are they easy to handle: It's advised not to pick a mouse up our of its cage, but instead lay your hand flat and wait for it to crawl into your hand ( you can always bribe it with a treat ) In petcetera, when someone wants to buy a pet mouse, we just lift the mice near the base of its tail and put it into the box, but i dont like that method very much, but supposedly its perfectly fine as long as your not grabbing the tip of the tail.





Are they as affectionate and smart as rats : Maybe not as smart as rats, or as affectionate, because it's harder to handle mice more than rats because of the size. Mice are still affectionate, they crawl to your hand when you lay it flat, they can lay in your hand without biting.





Really good / cute pets when taken care of properly :)How are mice as pets?
The cage requirement depends on how many mice you plan on getting.I have not got my mice any toys and they seem fine.Yes either females with females you can place male and female together but only if you want lots of babies.You could clean the cage couple times a week depending on how many mice are in the cage.Spraying the cage with a deodorizer for mice cages is also helpful.Yes they are easy to handle.They love to be rubbed softly behind the ear.They will fall asleep in your hand.They are scared of high heights.Males are stinkier then females.They love toilet paper tubes,peanut butter,sunflower seeds.If you give them sunflower seeds or peanut butter only give them a little bit because sunflower seeds is high in fat.Albino mice are usually breeders.Aspen bedding is appropriate.Block food is best but some mice don't eat block food
Well i bought 4 sisters together as i didnt want to seperate them. They inherit a lot of diseases due to inbreeding, 2 of mine died of tumours and the other just completely randomly died of an unknown cause and i now have one left. Its actually really upsetting. I'm not going to buy any more because of this.





They also smell real bad and need cleaning very often. They can also be very timid and not as interactive as rats are. On the good side, they are adorable and used to cuddle up together in a big pile. And yes they do better with other mice. They're completely innocent and have great personalities, and if it wasnt for the risk of disorders and diseases then i would buy them time and time again!





Yes they need a lot of tunnels, tubes, hiding spots and basically anything they can climb as they are very agile. But cleaning is a nightmare! Especially as they have to be cleaned so regularly. They also need a lot of wooden chew blocks to keep their teeth trim, as do rats but you already knew that :P





They're okay with handling, not as easy as rats but easier than gerbils, if that makes sense? lol They are also extremely good jumpers and climbers so be careful when handling as mine used to jump everywhere!


I hope this helps a bit :)
Mice make pretty good pets because it almost impossible for them to bit you. All the really do is eat, sleep, and clean themselves. the love the toilet roll tubs though to run through. You shouldn't by one you should by two or more at a time by themselves they are more prone to sickness. it depends on thye type of mouse on when to clean it i clean mine two times a week because then my room starts to smell like pee, don't keep it to clean or they'll go crazy so i've heared. Whether their affectionate or not depends on the type i have three albino lab rats and they are very skiddish no matter what i do but when i have them their okay, but they like to keep moving. Rats need about a 20 gallon tank per two rats but mice are tinier and three can do well in a 10 gallon cages work better because the cage can be aired out
If you get more then one MAKE sure the mice already know each other, otherwise they will fight in the same cage until one or both dies.





The cage doesn't have to be big and you should at least have a wheel so they can run and stay in shape.





You should clean the cage as often as you like try cleaning it before it starts to smell like piss.
i like rats more too .





but for the cage , it should be smaller than the rat's usual size


kinda like this :





http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js鈥?/a>





for the toys, just buy a wheel %26amp; maybe some twig things and it would be super happy (:





they are usually pretty decent with other mice. like the ones that are in the same litter , just avoid buying mice from different litters because they tend to fight a little.





you could clean the cage about once or twice a week . it doesnt matter . just make sure there is food and water for it !





mice are okay to handle . sometimes i'm afraid to hold them because of their size . i mean , there SO TINY compared to rats !





i like rats better , because they are easier to hold . and they are smarter. you could actually teach rats tricks too .





but i think mice are just too small and a little dumber than rats. mice could be fun , only if you can be gentle with them .
if you not good with mice i would get a 20 cage thats like plastic i got it for 25$ then get a cheap 2$! feeder mice not pinkies!!!!!! the ones with hait they r white and have red eyes
like you i know more about rats than mice, i think mice would need a regular rat cage, a running wheel, maybe a few mice buddies, and they probably are like mini rats as clean up goes
cute, little, pretty dumb, smelly and nowhere as affectionate or as smart as rats





they will usually run on a wheel and like to gnaw so chew toys are good
No no no, mice are definitely NOT as smart, cuddly, and affectionate as rats. They are not easy to handle. Rats make much much much better pets!!!
mice r definatly not as smart as rats or as clean or as fun to play with i have had pet mice but now i have rats and th rats are a much better pet
after a while they start to smell very bad.