Care of Mice and Rats

If you bought a healthy rat and keep it indoors as a pet, you can't get anything from it. It's the same as owning a cat or a dog. I was bitten by my pet rats a few times, came into contact with rat feces and urine, and breathed dust with particles in it, and I have suffered zero illness.

Certain species of wild rats and other rodents (muskrats, mice, etc) may transmit different diseases. Please note that these diseases are generally transmitted through breathing in/consuming anything with rat feces or urine in it, or coming into contact with (including being bitten or scratched by) infected animals (including carcasses or fleas and ticks that have been infected). Again, these are wild rodents, not the rodents you see in pet stores or buy from breeders. You cannot spontaneously develop these diseases from animals that are not carrying the bacteria or viruses, as well.

As with all wild animals, just don't touch them or go near them, and you should be fine.

Diseases listed are pertinent to rats, and rats or other rodents. No mouse-specific or other rodent-specific diseases are listed.

Different diseases are: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (virus, most of North and South America), Rat-Bite fever (bacteria, worldwide), Leptospirosis (bacteria, worldwide), Lassa Fever (virus, West Africa -- the only one that can be spread through direct human contact), Plague (bacteria, Western US, South America, Africa, Asia), Salmonellosis (bacteria, worldwide), Tularemia (bacteria, worldwide), South America Arenaviruses (virus, South America), and Hemorraghic Fever with Renal Syndrome (virus, primarily in eastern Asia, Russia, Korea, Scandinavia, western Europe, and the Balkans).

It's not really a question of your mice being afraid of people, but women especially being afraid of your mice! LOL

Mice are squirmy, skittish little critters at the best of times, but if a friend takes an interest in your mice, just let them hold the mouse for a bit as often as possible. Never continue to hold any animal if they struggle to get away. If they know you will let them go they will stay with you longer. Also, give friends a little piece of cheese to put in the palm of their hands. Most animals will do almost anything for a tasty morsel or two.

More input:

• Mice can be cautious about trusting you, so you should be completely unafraid of handling them,in order for them to accept you holding them,you should start by feeding them from your hand until they will crawl into them to take the food.From there you should be able to hold them but make sure never try to force a mouse into accepting you, and if it wants to be released place it back into its enclosure.

Try to get young mice and place them on your chest whilst holding your hand under them. They feel more secure standing on something stable and warm. Do not feed them cheese as (contrary to popular belief) mice do not really like cheese and prefer to eat oats or legumes that have been softened. Start by holding the mouse for 1 minute a day for the first couple of weeks and then slowly increase the time. Also whilst holding the mouse try humming really softly. The mouse gets used to the sound and will eventually connect that sound with the food.

Another way to help mice get used to you is to simply place your hand in the cage and leave it there, without reaching in to grab them. You can read or watch TV while you do this. Eventually the mice will come and sniff your hand, and then put their paws on it. (Mice are very curious, so even with very wild ones this might happen sooner than you think!) Soon enough they'll be walking all over your hand, maybe even nibbling your fingernails. Move your fingers slowly and touch them, and they'll get used to you.

While you're doing this, you could put little treats in the middle of your palm, like millet seeds or sunflower seeds. If you take the food out for an hour or two before this, the mouse will be hungry and come to investigate. At first it will just grab some food and run away to eat it, but eventually it will sit on your hand and be quite comfortable with you.

Remember that it's best not to come at the mouse from above, if you can avoid it. Mice are instinctively afraid of things that come from above, since predators in the wild usually get mice from above. If you lower your hand gently into the cage and then move it sideways toward the mouse, it will probably react more calmly.

By handling. No other way. Start with touching while it is still in the cage then begin puttting it in your hand.

Hold them and be gentle with them for at least 5 min. every day for a month.