Kids like pets: dogs, cats, birds, snakes, horses, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, pigs, and cows. Almost any animal can be a pet. Even alligators, but I wouldn’t want one.
According to the Spruce Pets, (www.thesprucepets.com) mice are cute, small, inexpensive, and quite popular with children. The Mouse in the House books show a mouse with attitude. There are also many animated movies where kids are exposed to mice like Mickey Mouse and Ratatouille.
That being said, mice are small, from 2 inches to 6 inches in length and they are very light in weight. Kids must be old enough to handle this small creature without crushing them. They need a gentle touch. Kids need to be calm and patient.
Just watching mice play can be entertaining. The same can’t be said of a tortoise or snake. Mice can be held, with hand washing afterwards, and mice are inquisitive about their surroundings.
Mice only live for 1 to 2 years so children need to understand that life does end for pets.
A pair of female mice work best for children. Female mice tend not to fight like male mice, and they smell better. Having a male and female mouse may sound like fun but mice multiply rapidly, so having huge numbers of mice in a short period of time is not a good thing for a household for many reasons.
Safety precaution with mice are necessary. Hand washing is necessary after handing the mouse, its cage, food, or anything in their cage. Mice can carry diseases but with hand washing, prevent it being transferred to people.
Mice can chew through wood, paper, and even plastic says the SprucePets, so make sure the cage is secured and there are no holes that the mouse can squeeze through.
Children should sit on the floor when holding mice. If kids are standing and drop the mouse it may not survive the fall.
Mice can be trained too! Why train a mouse? So the mouse doesn’t bite you for one. Training has to be slow, so trust can be built between mouse and human, and plenty of treats are needed. Gaining trust of the mouse is just moving slowly so the mouse learns you won’t harm it. Even though this can be a long process, the end result is worth it.
Never hold a mouse by its tail. It will hurt the mouse.
For more information on training a mouse please visit https://www.thesprucepets.com/taming-and-handling-pet-mice-1238481.
Leave A Comment