Care of Mice and Rats

a mouse COULD, but it isn't a good idea. mice can drown if it isn't shallow, also the water tends to get dirty quickly because mice get their paws in it, the same paws that they walk on their feces in. i suggest just using the water bottle.

they will eat snakes and frogs and soft shelled turtles and insects.

A rat poops for the same reason we do.When he has to go, he goes.

You can buy mice the food specially formulated for them, whether it be pellets or mixed seeds and grains. If you feed them the mixed seeds and grains type food, be careful that they don't only pick out their favorite pieces. You want them to have a balanced nutrition. I've heard they can even eat hamster food, if you really want. You can feed them other seeds, nuts, boiled rice, cereals, uncooked oatmeal, fruits, and vegetables, but take it easy on the salt (it's bad for them in large quantaties - and "large" for them isn't all that much!) and if they start to get diarrea, stop feeding them extra snacks for a few days and try again, more slowly and less extra food this time.

Rats are about 7 months old when they stop growing! ;) WINK! WINK!

Yes! Of course they do! Pretty much every animal eats chocolate. But that doesn't mean all rats will it depends there taste if u know what i mean.

No it doesn't matter if you buy a mouse you should love that mouse or rat with all your heart :)

There are tons of games to play with rats you just need to have some creativity. One of my favorite games is paper snowflake making all you need to do is prepare some paper as if you were going to make one your self then when it comes to the part where you cut holes in it, let your ratties chew the holes and when you think its done just take it away and unfold. One time mine chewed a heart.

Another game it piñata. Take some toilet paper or tissues and layer them, then place a few of their favorite treats inside and string it on the top of the cage.

Hope these help, you can also look of rat games on google

The answer should probably be "No". I researched this online and it is always recommended against. But, I caught a wild mouse and keep her as a pet rather than kill her or release her to the cold Chicago winter. She ran on her wheel and explored her cage for a few weeks, but then quit. I was worried that she was getting lonely so I bought another female from the pet store. They live together fine without issues. They sometimes sleep together and sometimes sleep in separate houses. The only concern is that 90% of wild mice carry diseases and may pass them on to the store bought mice.

My answer is yes, I have had field mice to live over 3 years in with my domestic mice. For 4 years now I have been trying to cross breed field mice with domestic ones. No success with the cross breeding yet, It seems that the male domestic mice are too large and cause the female field mice to hemorrhage when breeding, I have not been able to keep a male field mouse long enough to breed with a domestic female yet.

Rats are very social animals. So, if you keep the rat as a pet, it would love to spend hours with you! So I think if you are going to keep the rat as a pet, it is best to get at least 2. Be cause all in all, rats love to be in groups. Even wild rats! Hope this helped!

Wistar rats appear to be an interesting model to study the changes related to metabolic syndrome. They can have a lifespan of two to three years.

Yes, it is possible and likely that the cat would try to catch, kill and maybe eat the gerbil.

You should keep the gerbil in a cage that isn't accessible by the cat.

It depends on the temperament of the father and if he is neutered.

My female and male had a litter of only two an i separated the father but then he became lonely and wasnt his usual self. he had been neutered and could not get the female pregnant again.

I decided to put them back together after reading that it is a myth that the father will harm the babies. They are now 4 weeks old and unseperable from the father. they spend most of their day sleeping together and he always cleans them and shares his food with them.

Nowim just woried about how im going to take them away from him because he has become very attached and they make such a cute family when they all sleep together.

Female mice will mostly have from 6-12 babies at a time. Some Female might have more or less than that. There really is no right answer to this.

Short answer, no. he's probably either very scared or just resting before he motors on with his life. they can be girls too you know. i have one. and no they do not sleep with their eyes opened.

• This is a myth, not factual.
• One reason that many people felt this myth might be true is because they thought an elephant might fear a mouse creeping into its trunk while asleep - stopping it from breathing. However this logic has a fatal flaw. Apart from the fact that no mouse in his right mind would choose such a crazy place for a snooze, any sleeping elephant would easily smell such a suicidal rodent. And the force that an elephant has for blowing obstructions from their trunks is plenty adequate to shoot a mouse out like a ball from a cannon.
• Mice, per se, do not bother any of them. They are a very natural part of their environments. A mouse walking by is not a problem for any of the larger animals. What DOES bother them is anything that startles them. A mouse that was very still and in the elephant's view is not an issue. If this (very stationary) mouse suddenly moves, the movement that occurs MAY startle the elephant. This depends on many factors. What other noises are around. Are there any predators (perceived or otherwise) nearby? What smells are around? How close is the mouse?
• There are plenty of websites explaining that it depends on the elephants in question. The elephants in the Mythbusters episode were "semi-habituated", likely spending most--if not all--of their time out in a natural environment instead of in a man-made structures with food stores nearby (where mice would happily forage). A stark-white mouse suddenly appearing underfoot would startle them as a curious anomaly in their natural environment... unlike a circus or zoo-kept elephant that was used to seeing mice scurrying around, as part of everyday life. So, it depends on the elephant and how/where it was raised and if it was exposed to mice in everyday life.
• Their reaction may not be related to the mouse as an animal, but rather to its being a moving object near the animal's feet. It can be a question of whether the animal feels it is in any danger of loss of sure footing. It is sometimes difficult for large animals to get up again after fully down ("cast"), they depend on their readiness for flight or running away from danger and they avoid or fear the inability to do this. When large animals, like elephants, see something moving toward or under foot, they worry that they will lose their footing and fall and then be unable to get up again to flee from danger.
• When elephants need to move from a position on their sides on the ground they need a lot of room to get up. They need to be able to roll themselves back first to get momentum to allow them to get partially up on their sides and to get their feet under them to stand. If they do not feel that they will have plenty of room should this become necessary, they will avoid anything that puts their sure footing in jeopardy. A small object moving, like a rock rolling can indicate loose footing. A small moving mouse can trigger this worry about footing and cause the large animal to move to an area that will be more sure under foot and that has large enough space for them to get back up if they go down.

Yes, mice can get into your bed; I'm living proof of that. One night I was sleeping, and woke up to one right by my face.

Rats have eyelids.

It all depends from where you buy it from and where YOU are. If in Australia, it costs around $10-$40. I'm not sure about anywhere else though

Well, mice are individuals as us, and some may well be deaf or hard of hearing. But generally they hear just fine.

You should not leave a mouse unattended outside it's cage; this is dangerous as it could get injured, escape or be attacked by something (like another pet). Inside their cage, a mouse can be left unattended for any length of time as long as the cage is clean and the mouse has enough food and water. A mouse should not be left alone too long if it is by itself (in it's cage) - mice are soical animals and therefore need the company of other mice.

dark areas , sewer ,holes , attics etc.........

Yes. In the wild, mice will sometimes catch and eat bugs. I even heard of a friend's pet mouse pouncing on and devouring a spider that wandered into the cage!

As it is rich in protein you should only feed a mealworm to a mouse as a treat, maybe once a week.

6 feet