Where to buy your mice?

 There are a few different options when it comes to where you should buy your mouse. The most common options are:

- Animal shelters
- Breeders
- Pet shops

Now, a lot will do it the “easy” way, and just buy mice from pet shops. I strongly advice against this. Mice are very often not divided into sex, which means that males and females are living together. And since females are sexually mature when they are one month old, many of them end up being pregnant way too early, and you risk ending up with one or several pregnant females! The next problem I’ve heard a lot about is, when people come home with the wrong gender! They might have bought mice, thinking it’s females, and they end up with males. And because males can’t live together, they have to be separated and you need to buy new cages. Another problem is if you come home with both males and females, thinking they should all be female. Unfortunately, this happens very often. On top of that, there is a big chance that some of the mice are sick. So if you can, stay away from pet shops.
If you have no other option than to buy from a pet shop, make sure it’s a good pet shop. Make sure they divide them in males and females, make sure the animals are living on fine conditions and that they are healthy.

I recommend to research if some animal shelters in your area have mice, or if they do take mice in. I always recommend adopting from a good animal shelter – if you can. But do remember that females have to live in groups, so if you adopt just one from a shelter, you need to find two other females. When you buy mice from shelters you can be sure that they won’t be pregnant, and hopefully you won’t end up with three boys instead of three females. Plus, you can always ask for help if you have any questions.

The last option is a good breeder. And I really mean a good breeder! Do your research, find a mouse forum and ask if there is a good breeder in your area. Or if you can find a mouse association, then ask them. I buy my mice from acknowledged breeders who are members of the Danish Mouse and Gerbil association. They have to follow a strict line of rules of how to care for their mice, how old a mouse has to be before they can sell their mice etc. They also have to pass a test to be a member of this association. This way you, as a buyer, can be sure that they will have good and healthy mice. Most good breeders don’t breed for the profit of money, since there is no profit in breeding mice. They breed because they are passionate about it, and they want to breed healthy and friendly mice! These mice mean a lot to them, so they will also be critical when it comes to “choosing a buyer”, meaning that they will make sure you are prepared to own mice.

When I bought Pippin, I recieved pictures and updates from his breeder, while he was growing.

I know many people have different opinions of breeders, but if you buy from a good one, I don’t see any problem with it at all. You get help from qualified people, their mice are used to being handled, you will come home with the right gender and they will always be willing to answer any questions you might have. But be critical and take your time to find the right breeder for you. A good breeder should allow you to come and see the mice, and even see the parents and maybe other mice. This way you can also make sure that the other mice are well cared for, and that they are all healthy.

A healthy mouse

I’ve mentioned that it’s important to buy a healthy mouse, so what signs should

you be looking for? A healthy mouse is:

- Active
- Curious
- Clean
- Has clear and clean eyes
- Clear and clean nose
- A beautiful fur that is well groomed
- Has no labored breathing
- You shouldn’t be able to hear it breathe at all
- A clean butt, with no feces stuck to it
- No bald patches caused by scratching, allergies or mites/lice

A healthy mouse is curious, and comes out when you start moving things around in the cage or near the cage

- The Mouselife

-