Sure! When a person usually thinks of mice, the first thought that may occur
is of the mouse as vermin. However, the humble mouse also has a long and
venerable reputation as a fun and fascinating pet. Mice have been kept as pets
for as long as there have been curious youngsters and understanding parents.
Countless mice have been carried home from nearby fields in a happy child’s
pocket, rescued from high school labs, or most commonly; bought from a pet shop.
Mice bought from a pet shop are very tame; in fact mice are considered the
smallest mammal to ever be domesticated.
Housing
There are basically two types of cages that are popular among pet mice
enthusiasts—the basic galvanized wire cage and the plastic modular enclosure.
The galvanized wire cage is exactly as the name implies, it’s a square or
rectangular box made of heavy gauge galvanized wire with a metal bottom.
Sometimes the bottom is made to slide in and out like a bird cage’s bottom in
order to facilitate cleaning. Water and food receptacles can easily be clipped
onto the sides.
The other type of housing is the same
type often used for pet gerbils or hamsters. It consists of a central enclosure
to which several “tunnels” can then be added simply by snapping these
additional modules on. These in turn can then be connected to other tunnels or
central modules until the whole thing resembles some sort of futuristic
moon-base. This type of set-up is made of colorful, durable plastic. Whichever
type of housing you decide to choose is dependent solely on your needs and the
amount of space in your home that you wish to dedicate to your pets, although I
find the plastic modular type harder to clean and keep clean.
The flooring material can be newspaper, coarse sawdust, or any commercial
material sold specifically for that purpose. Mice prefer their environment nice
and dry, humidity and wetness can lead to lung problems.