i made the mistake of going to another pet shop today because my OH has gone from saying 'No your not having anymore!' to ' I'm not saying yes but i'm not saying no...its up to you'

and i have fallen in love with some little mice so i thought before i went out and got them i'd get a bit of info

Can they live on their own or are they better in pairs/groups?
Do they smell? my OH is convinced they do and thats the only thing putting him off mice...
What kind of size cage would they need? The guy in the shop said for one on its own a junior thing would be okay but it was TINY

Sorry for all the questions. I want to be prepared for them before i get them

thanks in advance

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I know my parents kept them in a pair...but thats about all i can answer for you sorry!

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8 Ratties - Winnie, Nelly, Doola, Spot, Crumble, Sherbert, Fizz and Dolly. R.I.P Possum, Dini and Custard.
2 Rabbits - Alfie and Floss
Syrian Hamster - Toffee R.I.P, Bubbles R.I.P

All i can tell you is male mice do Smell !! we have 3 large males they were free from a garden centre we visited my lovely daughter talked me into them not sure about females though x

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Always get more than one but I wouldn't recommend a group any larger than 5. If you get males they are slightly smelly but not if you clean them properly - which involves cleaning out the cage once a week and only cleaning some of their toys. If you thoroughly clean all their toys everytime they will smell more because you have removed all trace of their territory so they will continue to scent mark all the time. Males are best bought in pairs only from the same litter as they will try to kill any male that they haven't grown up with and can be prone to fighting even with their own family - a spray water bottle helps with this.
As for females, they are quite happy to live together and won't fight as much as males although they can be difficult to introduce to other mice after 6 months of age. Minimum cage size for a pair of mice is a one square foot (height doesn't matter as they will play on the other levels but they cannot be counted as living space.) The man at your pet shop is talking pants!!
Avoid any food with peanuts as mice are prone to peanut allergies and make sure that you buy food desiged just for mice.
Avoid wood shavings as soft wood can cause respiratoryy infections and do not under any circumstances use any bedding that looks like cotton wool as they can get their legs and tails tangled in it and it can lead to amputation.

If you need any help at all please PM me!! I'm learning from experience as I only got mice at the start of the year but have 14 mice now and several groups of brothers living together (which no one seems to think should happen) and they all seem happy!

P.S. sorry if I rambled on!!

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Run free my beautiful rainbow babies. I love you.

Oh, when you do get your mice make sure that you check them out. Ears should be warm and clean, eyes should be glossy and clear. Their coat should be smooth and their skin should be free from any redness. Tails should be long and they should be waving it around trying to use it for holding on! Also check for any lumps if you can get them to sit still long enough. Make sure that you check the sex of your mice yourself before buying as hardly any one seems to be able to sex them properly if they are young.

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Zany toon i am giving you rep thank you very much

i asumed they guy in the shop was talking cack hence why i asked here

i'd much prefer to get my mice from a breeder but im not sure of any in my area...im not even meant to be getting them so when mum see's them i'm dead

My OH is coming with me to have a look at some and to look at a cage so we should hopefully be okay.

Is sexing a mouse similar to sexing gerbils?

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'Sammy' Always Smiling Always Happy...You Will Be Dearly Missed, But Never Forgotten. Sleep Well Sweetie xxxx

You’re just too good to lose, and I can’t refuse, so don’t make me choose, between the two, I’m fed up in here, in my atmosphere, Don’t you know who you are, You’re my shooting star ♥

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Thank you for the rep!!

Afraid I haven't ever had gerbils so i'm not sure if the sexing is similar. This website has some great images to help with sexing mice of various images and also has some good tips and resource material:
Sexing Mice with Pictures! ~ How to Tell a Female (girl) Mouse from a Male (boy) Mouse

Anything else you need just let me know or PM me!

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Run free my beautiful rainbow babies. I love you.

Okay well I went back to the shop today and looked at the mice again and they all looked wet =\ then I saw the rats and they appeared to be in alot better condition. So what are the pros and cons for mice and rats because im stuck with a choice

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'Sammy' Always Smiling Always Happy...You Will Be Dearly Missed, But Never Forgotten. Sleep Well Sweetie xxxx

You’re just too good to lose, and I can’t refuse, so don’t make me choose, between the two, I’m fed up in here, in my atmosphere, Don’t you know who you are, You’re my shooting star ♥

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Hi Bexy. I just bought 4 mice last week....4 females. All different colours and all in very good condition. They are very very friendly. I weighed up the pro's and cons of mice and rats. Mice are smaller and faster than rats so it depends on who will be handling...ie kids. Although, my mice are fine with the oh's children. Then, depends on what sort of cage you have. Rats will need a bigger cage. My housemate has 2 rats in a Freddy 2...which is a good size....but now her ratties are fully grown, she has decided they need a BIGGER space. My 4 mice live in a 3 tier Imac and they have plenty of room.

I will say....I love rats....but I prefer mice. They are both very cute!!!!!!!!!! x

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The one big downside of owning mice for me is that they don't live as long as some other pets, you love them just as much and they are every bit as playful and intelligent but unfortuately 2 is a good age for a mouse. I can deffinately say they are amazing pets though and really enjoy human company. I have a big ferret/rat cage for my mice but there were 6 of them so they need quite a lot of space. As for the decision which to get, I am obviously not the right person to ask as I would probably get both.

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