When you buy through my referral links, I my get a commission. The wild mice will possibly eat all of the food that is intended for the pet mice. Below, we will run through some of the common themes and comments from individuals who have tried; both successfully and unsuccessfully, take in a wild mouse. Pet Mice and Hamsters – Can They Live Together. You can give your mouse rodent pellets as it is a complete diet. The life expectancy of wild mice is often less than one year. Never attempt to keep wild mice as pets. Ultimately, the decision is down to you. There are several reasons for it. Refill food and water when they start to run low. This disease is usually treated with antibiotics. Pet Mouse Care Tips General Pet Mice Behavior. In the wild, mice turn cannibalistic if there is a shortage of food, so you can feed your mouse meat. Reasons for wanting to take in a wild mouse can vary, and lets be honest – mice are cute! Sanitize your mouse’s tank at least once a week. If you did decide to take one in, getting them inspected by a veterinarian is advised. Wild mice often harbor fleas, and fleas are vectors of murine typhus – a bacterial infection. Keeping more mice together is intriguing, as you can breed them as you want, …, If you want your mouse to live a happy and healthy life, then the key thing you should do is to keep his cage clean. Mice are tamed pets. If you have small children, a wild mouse is not likely to be an appropriate pet. You must get suitable bedding for your new rodent; they will also need sticks to chew on as their teeth grow continuously – this is true of all rodents – whether wild or domestically kept. This site is dedicated to providing information about keeping deer mice, white footed mice and other wild species as pets. It can be fatal if salmonellosis spreads to the bloodstream and internal organs unchecked. Saw a new baby tonight on my counter and can't do it again, so buying a Habitrail. Mice as pets need to be kept with one or more other mice, as they are very social animals. An aquarium would be ideal for your mouse as it has lots of room for exercise and running around. It can also be passed through eating or drinking contaminated food or water. It should be perfectly safe to keep a wild mouse as a pet, as long as you captured them when young. Female mice reach sexual maturity at … Another big problem. So, if you have considered trying to catch a wild mouse, or have recently taken one in, consider the factors mentioned above to keep you, your family and your new pet safe. Mice can be handled and touched, but you should be wearing thick gloves in the case of a wild mouse and you need to be very gentle as they can nip. Only true, wild mice should be released back to the wild. While you can still keep the wild mice as pets, you should avoid keeping them together with pet mice. It is inconceivable to tame an adult mouse, and they will likely be aggressive and bite if you try to touch them. You therefore need to consider getting them examined by a vet and ensuring safe hygienic practices – such as only handling them with gloves. First of all, you should vet the wild mice and inspect them for diseases. Tend to smell worse than mice purchased from pet stores. Wild mice have a shorter life span of about 3 months. Simply put on your gloves and hold the goodies in between your fingers. Some may even be in need of some support and assistance; especially if injured. Wild mice and pet mice can both be gray. !---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Captured mice in found aquarium. When francisella tularenisis enters the body of an individual, it becomes the disease known as tularemia. A pet mouse can live for about 2 – 3 years. Older children, on the other hand, can better understand to be considerate when handling a mouse. This is why its considered the best time to try and house them. This is a microscopic bacterium that can be transmitted to humans through contact with mouse or rodent feces. This resembles contrasting domesticated pets with their wild equivalent which is wolves. You can also feed fresh fruits and vegetables to your mouse as you long as you cut them up into cubes. But is it safe to add wild mice to the collection of pet mice you already have? Feeding Your Mouse Provide commercial food. Mice need the company of their own kind and, to avoid unwanted babies, it is best to keep pairs or groups of females. 6) And because wild (and pet) mice can have fleas, lice, mites and parasites. As you can see, a lot of the diseases range in order of their danger to humans. While wild mice may not carry all of the diseases below, it is important to be aware of them. Pet mice are a great choice for kids and adults alike. Feeding them wild mice could get your pet snake infected with the diseases. I’m Peter King, writer and editor of this blog. Keeping wild mice and pet mice together might not be the best thing to do. Made me feel awful to turn them outside (vacant lot that neighbors have turned into a garden). Consider the following list of items you will need to care for your new, formally wild, pet mouse: A large aquarium 10-20 gallon size Wood shavings for bedding Mouse food and treats Exercise wheel Water jug with a dropper tube A feeding bowl But mostly, because mice can make good pets, you have to really want them - not … We will help answer any questions that you may have and provide as much information and research that we can to help you take the best care of your pet. Illnesses related to LCM are rarely fatal, but hospitalization is always required. Not only can wild mice cause a threat to your pet mice’s health, they will also be slightly more territorial and the mice probably won’t go along well. Consider the following list of items you will need to care for your new, formally wild, pet mouse: Mice love peanut butter; they also love cheese and chocolate but will eat anything you put in front of them that includes meat. Is it recommended to keep a wild mouse as a pet and is this another approach to visiting your local pet store and getting one there? Mice living in the wild face many more dangers than mice in captivity. Take your mouse out of the cage and place them in a different plastic container as you clean out their tank, keep in mind that mice can jump out their enclosure if it’s not high enough. This is another huge reason as to why not to keep wild mice and pet mice together. Pet Educate is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Hides provide a safe place for your mouse; you can use a cardboard box and place it in the corner of the tank. Wild mice often carry deer ticks – known vectors of the bacterium Borrelia burgdoferi, which causes Lyme disease. If you put them together, there is no guarantee that they will not breed. In this instance, letting them go is probably going to be best. Your pet mice will suffer greatly, possibly. All wild mice carry diseases, they scamper about in woodlands, parks, fields, backyards, and they live around dirt. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In addition, the pet mice are not as resistant to these diseases as the wild mice. While the wild mice will be capable of domestication and will adapt to the new living conditions, it’s still not the best idea to mix them with your pet mice. If you want to keep the wild mice in cages, you might not have any success at all with that. So why is it that this practice is not encouraged and recommended? Two females in one container get along very well as they are social creatures. Unlike guinea pigs who are unable to make their own vitamin C, mice have the ability to do just that so they do not need a vitamon C supplement as guniea pigs do. Being wild, I never expect to handle or pet them. Humans, wild mice and pet-shop mice are swarming with these tissue-resident memory T cells. Wild Baby Mice as Pets. Further considerations include ensuring you have a sufficient container with enough room for your new mouse to run around inside. So far I have no-kill trapped and relocated 5 mice from my kitchen counters. You should avoid giving your mouse cabbage, onion, corn, chocolate, and junk food. They are less likely to carry, and have been exposed to harmful bacteria and disease; although of course it is still possible. Mice eat grains and fruits for a regular diet, which is the main reason wild mice damage crops. Fancy mice were popular pets in Japan during the 18th century, due in large part to the abundance of color mutations in wild mice. Allow the mouse to come near the treat and take to them out of your hands. This is why proper hygienic practices are so important when holding any mouse. This disease can be life-threatening, but it can be successfully treated in most cases. The wild mice are much more vicious than the pet mice, and as they are not domesticated, they might not get along well together. This viral infection manifests as aseptic meningitis or encephalitis. The bedding can get soiled, …, If you’re a rodent enthusiast, then you might already own mice or hamsters in your home. It’s generally inadvisable to try keeping wild animals as pets. If you want to prevent that, then just don’t put the wild mice next to your fancy mice. Anything available at the pet store for hamsters will be appropriate for the mouse. Your mouse will need food and water every day. Borrelia burgdoferi can lead to joint disease, heart rhythm irregularities, cognitive dysfunction, and neurological disorders. This means that if wild mice happen to infest your house, they will automatically be attracted to your pet mice. You will want to avoid that at any cost, and it can easily be prevented by keeping the mice separate or by preventing keeping the wild mice in your care altogether. [Typical Temperament Of This Breed], Are Puggles Aggressive? That is crucial for later on when you’ll want to keep the wild mice with the pet mice. You will need a container large enough for your mouse to be able to comfortably run around. It is possible to keep a wild mouse as a pet, but only if certain conditions are met. We are pet enthusiasts and love sharing everything that we learn about them! If you want to breed them, you can easily do that, although it might not be the best idea. Keep them in a separate space where they will get accustomed to being a pet mouse. There would be a plus to it, though. Are Poodles Aggressive?