mouse Care • • • Behavior &Handling • • • • • Cage &Environment • • • Food flower potorbox. flower Your forsleepingandresting, petswillneedacave suchasasmall cover, butit’s recommendedtogetthelargeststyleyou canafford. always You cankeep1to4micein 10-gallonaquarium(minimum)withawire oils that are very dangeroustoyourmice. arevery oils that list forrecommendations). Donotusecedarorpinechips, whichcontain bottomwithseveralinchesofbedding(seeSupplyCheck- Line thecage get themusedtoyour voice. Graduallyincreasethelength of thesesessions. comfortable with that, gently pick themup. Talk softlytoyour miceto inthecage.your shoulder?Start byfeedingthemtreats When they’re youcantameyourmiceto sitinyourhandoron that Did youknow 65to80degreesFahrenheit.an environmentmaintainedat indoors,Keep thecage fromdraftsandextremetemperatures, away in through thebars, ayoungmousecouldlikelysneakout. ed—the barsmaybespacedtoofarapart. Ifyoucanstickyourfingers climb upanddown. madeforhamstersarenotrecommend- Wire cages mice, but youmayneedtoputsmallbranchesinthetubessomicecan Plastic habitats—the kind designed for hamsters—also work well for and femalestogetherisnotrecommended. Since micebreedquickly—andoften—withlargelitters, keepingmales room;adultmaleswillfight. andprovidedwithadequate a youngage especially wellinagroup. Malescanbekepttogetherifintroducedat kind, socialwithmembersoftheirown Mice arevery andfemalesdo isthebestwaytogo. tothecage attaches bottle withadrinkingtubethat Fresh, clean water should also be available to your mice 24/7. A water and 18%fiber, andnomorethan4%fat. least16%protein containsat stores—just besuretoselectaformulathat alltimes.able toyourpetat You at petsupplystoresandfeed canfindthis Commercial rodentchow, eitherinblockorpelletform,- shouldbeavail it—mice have tiny tummies! tiny it—mice have Offer small, bite-sized bits of fresh fruits and veggies daily. Don’t overdo >> >> loving homes. shelter andvisitwebsiteslikewww.petfinder.com formiceinneedof animalsheltersandsmall-animalrescuegroups.at Callyourlocal Where some mice, yoursmayliketobuildnests! Fun fact can clean cage, measurefood, etc. withadultsupervision. anything that’sanything oldorspoiled Avoid: cabbage, corn, candy, peanuts, uncookedbeans, onions, zucchini, cucumber Recommended: peas, bananas, carrots, apples, broccoli, to Get : Offer your pets some straw or shredded paper towels—like a mouse: There are many pet mice available foradoption petmiceavailable There aremany families with children 5 & up, who Good Cost per Lifespan: 1-3 years including tail Length: Weight attic) you’d findinafieldor (not to be confused with species Also know BACKGROUND with kids?: :
1 3 / 2 year: to1ounce 1 / 2 inches, not as:
$300
Domestic mouse Domestic mouse
Great for
• • • • Daily Care • • • Exercise &Toys mouse Supply Checklist • • Signs ofIllness
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Children should always be supervised byanadultwhenhandlingmice. besupervised Children shouldalways Your petsarecuriousandcharming, butremember, they’refragile, too. pets areinfested, consultaveterinarian. Mice are susceptible to external parasites such as lice. If you think yourand lethargy. coughing, chattering,loss excessivescratching, difficultybreathing,weight immediately. somethingisn’trightinclude Commonsignsthat sneezing, ifyouthinkoneofyourmiceissick—seekhelp your yearlyappointment Bring yourmicetotheveterinarianannuallyforcheck-ups. Don’twaitfor cup himinyourhand. mouse quickly, thebaseoftailandlifthimupasyou grasphimat Never grabmicebythemiddleorendoftail. a Ifyouneedtocatch cage. cuptotransportthem. Scooptheminyourhandorapaper jumpers,Mice aregreat sobecarefulwhenyoutakeyoursoutofthe more odorthanfemales, mayneedmorefrequentcleaning. sotheircages therestofcage.wiping down malemicetendtoproduce Notethat completelyonceaweekbyreplacingdirtybeddingand Clean cage daily.cage day. bottleevery Cleanandrefillthewater Remove soiledbedding, foodfromthe droppingsandstale/uneaten continuously.which grow theirteeth, tohelpweardown chewtoys Give yourpetsappropriate rungs, soyourpets’tailscannotgetcaughtwhilerunning. Mice loveexercisewheels!Getonewithasolidsurfacewithoutwire climbing. tunnels. PVCpipesmakegreat your mice to chew and run through, and ladders and tree branches for Keep your bright, active pets entertained! Provide cardboard tubes for >> SUBSTANCE, CALL ANIMAL POISOCOTROLCENTER THE ATASPCA (888)426-4435 pots Small boxesorflower Cage bedding (aspen or hardwood shavings or processed paper products) Unpainted, pieceofwoodorsafechewtoy untreated bottlewithdrinkingtube Attachable water Rodent chow, block or pellet form Cardboard tubes (recycle from paper towel and toilet paper rolls) E rodent habitat rodent habitat 10-gallon aquarium(minimumfor1-4mice)withwirecoverorplastic biscuits,safe chew toys frompetsupplystore biscuits,safe chewtoys with pesticides, smallpiecesofunpainted, wood, untreated dog notbeensprayed have Recommended: twigsfromtreesthat The American Societyforthe Prevention ofCrueltyto Animals IF YOU T xercise wheel (solid, no rungs) A $65consultationfeemaybeappliedtoyourcredit card 1 COLORLOGO 2 COLORLOGO LOGO USAGE Logo files will be supplied upon request by ASPCA used without the tagline. Creative advertisingServices consentwhere the copyrequired does not mentionfor usagethe URL. thewithoutcopy Toor as astand-alone maintain tagline. readability elsewhere forin thesmall piece. space Logosuses, to beused numbered inallthe marketing,logo 2,may 4,be 6&8are advertising,to be used in all outdoor internal and communications and signage where the URL iseither mentioned in H 424 East92ndStreet, New York, NY10128-6804 I N K T H AT YOUR P 212-876-7700 • www.aspca.org 3 1 Natio nal Headqur © 2010 ASPCA E T MAY H ® . AV
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