Lifespan: The average lifespan of a mouse is between 1 and 2 years of age. Most petstore mice live between 12- 18 months while mice can be bred to live up to 3 years and longer. Healthy wild mice in captivity can live up to 5 years although that is rare.

Temperament: Mice in general are very sweet and also extremely curious and intelligent. Compared to other rodents, mice are very outgoing and social. Female mice (called does) are best kept in small groups since they enjoy spending time with each other, grooming each other and taking care of each other. Males (called bucks) are generally best kept alone since they tend to get territorial towards each other as they mature. Several breeders across the country are attempting to breed male mice that can be housed together but it is still a significant risk to do so.

Housing: For housing, almost any of the commercially available mouse cages will suffice. A 5 1/2 gallon tank with a secure lid will also work well for a single buck while a larger tank is good for groups of mice. Feel free to e-mail me or post on the forum for more detailed recommendations based on my experience. For bedding there are several options. Since Cedar and Pine are controversial, I use recycled paper bedding or Aspen bedding. Those can both be found in any pet store that carries small pet supplies. The basic accessories that every mouse should have are a wheel, a house or shelter of some kind to hide in, water and food. Toilet paper rolls or Paper Towel rolls are very popular and cheap toys for them. PVC pipes may seem ideal but are in fact toxic to them! Hemp rope or anything a mouse can safely climb on are always fun but cotton will pose a risk of injury so it should be avoided. A nice soft fabric that can be used safely in the cage is felt.

Food: Mice can develop food allergies if they are fed a high protein diet. Hamster/Gerbil mixed foods tend to be better for mice because they have a lower protein content. It is best to keep protein below 13%. Small dog biscuits, cheerios, or other low-sugar cereals, select vegetables and fruits are also welcome treats for mice but care should be taken to choose appropriate ones that will not cause gas (since mice can not burp). Spicy, or high-sugar diets, as well as salty foods are not recommended.

Handling: Mice are prey animals, therefore care should always be taken not to startle them. It is never a good idea to chase a mouse around a cage or tank. The more often they are chased around the less they will want to be handled. The best thing to do is to let your mouse come to you. If this is not an option because they won't come to you, then try the techniques described below. The only reason to grab the tail of a mouse is to stop them or pick them up just long enough to get the other hand underneath them. Occassionally, a frightened mouse can be kept from jumping by gently but firmly holding the base of the tail as its body is supported otherwise. Territorially aggressive mice can be lifted out of their tank by way of a toilet paper or paper towel roll and then allowed to come out when they feel ready. That way a bite can be prevented and the mouse will also be more relaxed. Before handling your mouse, always make sure your hands are clean and don't smell like food or other animals.

Taming a new mouse: Bringing a new mouse (or new mice) home is always exciting. If you managed to find a young mouse that has just been weaned and separated from it's mother you probably won't have a hard time getting him/her settled. An older mouse, even just 2 months old, might take slightly longer to settle in but will do just as well in the end. The best thing to do when getting a new mouse is to have the tank/cage set up before you bring him/her home and then allow him to settle in for a day or two before you begin to handle him much. Mice don't usually bite but if they are very stressed they might feel they have to defend themselves. A change in environment is always stressful so leaving him alone for a couple of days will help him get used to the new sights, sounds and smells. After that you can begin to both talk to and spend more time with your mouse. It is always best to let your mouse know that you are near before you touch or try to pick him up. Once he knows you are there you can scoop him up from below and let him get used to your smell and feel. Mice are very curious so they will eventually begin to climb around on you. If your mouse should put it's teeth on you, don't pull away, sometimes they test you to see if you'll back off that way. If you pull back, they will do it again, it's just like a puppy. If you can't scoop your mouse up because he won't let you, then you can try placing your hand, palm up, in the bottom of the tank and leaving it there until your mouse has begun to walk up to you, even walk across your hand and maybe climb up your arm. If you spend time in the beginning getting your mouse to trust you, you will have a long happy relationship in the end. Once your mouse trusts you enough to climb on your hand and linger, you might try lifting your hand slightly, maybe petting him and then putting it right back in the tank. When your mouse is no longer nervous about being lifted you can carry him with you a little while before putting him back. If you ever notice your mouse being uncomfortable with the progress you're making, back up to the last thing he was comfortable with. The whole process shouldn't take more than a day or two, but the older the mouse, the longer you may need to give him to adjust. If the mouse has come from a breeder or a petshop that took time to properly tame them beforehand, you will notice faster progress by far. If the mouse is not tamed when it comes to you, it will take significantly more time to get him used to being handled. If you can not pick your mouse up at all because he won't let you scoop him up and he won't come up to you on his own (which can happen with an older mouse in a new environment, or with a mouse in a large tank that has enough space to always find someplace else to go), then you can stop forward movement by grasping the base of the tail (not the tip!) and then lifting with the other hand supporting the body. You may have to hold on to the tail to keep him from jumping off, but after a while he will get used to your touch and smell. In general, any mouse will feel safer in cupped hands than out in the open. Until your mouse is completely comfortable with you, stay close to his tank/cage so if you must let him loose you can put him in his tank and he's not running loose in your house.

Dealing with behavioral problems: Mice don't have many behavioral problems. If you should have a biter on your hands, the first step is to determine why he/she is biting. If he is not breaking the skin you may either smell like food which is easy to fix, or he may be testing you and if you don't move he'll stop. If you are only being bitten when bringing him/her out of the cage it may be a territorial issue. The best thing to do is to make sure you don't smell like another mouse and to have the mouse run into a toilet paper tube and use it to lift him/her out of the cage and then let him/her come out of the tube on her own. That way mouse doesn't feel like he/she has to defend her cage/nest. It is rare for a mouse to bite without any reason so spend time finding the reason and the solution should be simple. Generally, a rattling tail is a good indication that you don't want to put your hand in the tank right then!

Health Issues:

Health Issues are not very common in mice, although some lines can be prone to tumors. If your mouse is having difficulty breathing, has an open wound, or is otherwise in pain it is always recommend to seek out the help of a veterinarian. Due to the fact that not all veterinarians will treat mice, it is best to make sure you have an idea of where to take your little furry friend in case of an emergency, before you actually need help.

Lumps can be abscesses, tumors or any number of things. Abscesses can be very painful and in some cases life-threatening since they are infections, so it is best to take your mouse to the vet, especially if the abscess hasn't drained yet. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary, even if the abscess has already ruptured. In the case of tumors your options are limited. If the growth(s) is cancerous, your mouse's only chance could be surgery, which frequently is very expensive and doesn't always solve the problem since tumors can grow back. If it is a benign tumor you can opt for surgery or hope that it doesn't get any bigger, although chances are that you wouldn't know for sure if it is benign or not without surgery or a biopsy. If you choose not to have surgery performed, or if there is a re-growth after the surgery, you will most likely eventually be confronted with the decision to have your mouse put to sleep. My personal opinion is that if the mouse is no longer running in it's wheel, eating/drinking as normal, appears to be in pain, or is otherwise not as happy as it used to be, then the time has come to help end their suffering. It is always a difficult choice to make, but in some ways easier than watching them suffer needlessly with no chance of recovery.

Upper respiratory problems are somewhat common in mice. Mostly, they are caused by stress, sometimes by contact with other sick rodents or contaminated surfaces (including your hands if you've handled other mice). 99% of the time a visit to the vet is in order to get some sort of treatment started before the problem becomes worse. The symptoms are quite obvious: labored breathing, audible breath sounds (rattling/crackling).

Crusty/runny eyes can be connected to an upper respiratory infection but can also be due to your mouse digging in a dirty cage/tank or even just the corner that he/she usually goes to the bathroom in. A warm, moist cotton ball gently wipes away the crustiness, but if that is all it was, the mouse may groom and take care of it himself. As long as it is not a frequent occurence and the cage is cleaned regularly this is not a concern.

If your mouse's fur looks rough and or dull, he is either sick, lacking proper food or water or getting old. Even an older mouse should have some level of smoothness and shinyness to his coat though, so watch closely for other symptoms of sickness if the coat is dull. Always check the water and food first though to make sure the water bottle isn't empty or blocked up and the food hasn't run out.

There are not very many things that can go wrong with a mouse that can be treated effectively from at home. Thankfully, mice are hardy little creatures, but when it comes to food/water, temperature/airflow, contact with other rodents/animals, and the jams they can get into through their curious nature, they can be ever so sensitive. Please be prepared to contact your vet if you have any concerns, at least, to find out if your little friend needs to be seen.

Euthanasia:  When it comes time to help end the suffering of your pet the decision is always difficult to make. As mentioned in the previous section, when he is no longer enjoying his life, or is obviously in pain without the chance of recovery, the moment has probably come. Even if you have found a veterinarian that will treat a mouse, please do take the one more step of asking how they euthanize a rodent and, if you can stand it, ask to be with him when they do. It has been common practice to euthanise by injecting euthanasia solution directly into the heart, chest cavity or abdominal cavity of a rodent. I urge you to consider, however, that as tiny as a needle may be, for a mouse, most any needle is very large. After having to be transported by car to a strange place, with strange smells and strange people, do you really want your pet to go through the agony of having a needle stuck into his little body to end his life? I just couldn't live with that once I actually thought about it. Today, most every vet uses inhalant anesthetic (usually Isoflurane or Sevoflurane) to anesthetize animals for surgery or painful treatments. If your vet will allow you to suggest it, please urge him or her to use a small amount of this anesthetic to either put your mouse to sleep before the final injection, or better yet, to overdose him so that he goes to sleep and simply doesn't wake up again, therefore making the injection unnecessary. I have been able to do this at home for two of my mice now and have been so very pleased at how quickly and painlessly they fell asleep without any undue stress at all. There are very interesting articles about this on the internet, if you have more questions or are interested in links to them, please let me know and I will e-mail them to you!