# Hairless Mouse Good Pet??



## Moley165 (Sep 27, 2010)

Hello All, 

What are your veiws on this guys after some advice would a single mouse make a good pet? I am after something that i can handle a fair amount and easy to keep clean and healthy. 

let me know your views please 

Ricky


----------



## Myth (May 22, 2009)

Moley165 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> What are your veiws on this guys after some advice would a single mouse make a good pet? I am after something that i can handle a fair amount and easy to keep clean and healthy.
> 
> ...


If you're going to get a single mouse then you'd be best off going for a male. Mice are social critters and like company, but Bucks (males) can be aggressive to each other one they hit sexual maturity. Though you do find some brothers will get along fine.

Mice aren't the cleanest of rodents, when compared to say hamsters.
Most of my mice do not toilet in one place - they just go wherever.

Males also have more of a tendancy to mark their territory, which can be really rather stinky. Even if you cleaned them out everyday this would not solve the problem as it encourages them to run around spraying smelly pee on everything again so it smells like home...some males are smellier than others mind you. If there are no girls around they may not 'advertise' their presence so much. Other than that they're great little critters, very entertaining to watch and my lone Bucks tend to enjoy getting attention and being handled more so than my pairs / groups - but then they have each other to run around with - much more fun than a human.

If you can put up with a bit of a whiff and have your heart set on a single mouse then I'd get a Buck - or maybe even a pair of brothers. Otherwise go for a pair or trio of girls as they like to have company.


----------



## Moley165 (Sep 27, 2010)

perhaps you can offer some advice on what you believe to be the best small mammal to have as a pet, enjoying attention and prefferably not that smelly :whistling2: lol 

thank you 

ricky


----------



## Myth (May 22, 2009)

No doubt someone will be along shortly and tell you they're evil...BUT for none-smelly and enjoys being handled I'd go with a Syrian. Yes they are nocturnal BUT they tend to fit in around you and what time you handle them - most of mine get up around tea-time when kiddo comes home from school, and will get up for a nosey if I'm around to see what I'm upto.

Some petshops are better than others but if possible go with a Ham from a good NHC reg. breeder - that way you know where they have come from and that they are healthy and have been well raised (ie: well-balanced and none psychotic)

Rats are good and can be convinced to use a litter tray, intelligent boogers as well - far more so than other pet rodents IMHO. Plus they come in hairless, but again they are social critters.


----------



## Moley165 (Sep 27, 2010)

i hadnt really thought of hairless rats, are there any health implications to these animals being hairless that you knopw of. Are they more genetically weak? 
thanks for your help btw


----------



## Myth (May 22, 2009)

Believe hairless can be more prone to skin complaints and from what have read a shorter life expectancy than 'normal' furry rats. Plus some 'mass-produced' lines more prone to lumps and growths and other unpleasant inherited conditions.

You'll have to wait for some rat peoples to happen this thread for more info really...
but if you search this part of the forum should throw up plenty of rat related threads.


----------



## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

I would go with either syrians or rats depending on how important a lack of smell is.

Syrians are not smelly really unless you leave their cage too long. Rats can be a bit pongy again if they are not cleaned out regularly but your friends will be able to smell them when they come to your house if they are not used to 'pet smells'.
It's not unpleasant though if kept clean.

Rats are more entertaining and have a higher activity level than syrians. They can be taught simple tricks if you have the patience. Boys are more easily trained I've found. They can be very friendly and will seek out your attention. Even been trained to their names. They do need a friend though and I usually advise a trio initially so that one is not left alone if the other dies.

Syrians are not evil at all no matter what people say if bought from a good breeder, who does not have to be registered to be a good breeder, they usually learn what time you are about and will wake up accordingly. Unlike rats syrians are happy to be left to their own devices whereas rats will become bored so it also depends on how much time you will be leaving them really.
All my rodents come to the front of the cages as soon as I enter the rodent room and if they are asleep soon wake up when I start to speak.

I always say that rats are better than hamsters if they are going to be handled by children under 7-8 years old. After this age they are mostly on a par with each other and it then depends on what you like the look of and the activity level you want in your pet.
Both come in many colours/varieties so there are so many factors to help you decide.


----------



## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

is there a particular reason you wanted a hairless critter?


----------



## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Duprasi make fab pets, they arent really nocturnal and dont smell at all:flrt:


----------



## PresqueVu (Jul 27, 2008)

Shell195 said:


> Duprasi make fab pets, they arent really nocturnal and dont smell at all:flrt:


I agree 

Was also going to suggest Mongolian gerbils depending on what you wanted for handling - gerbils tend to see you more as a means to an end, they'll be very friendly and like coming out but expect you to take them out to put them somewhere more interesting! Whereas a Duprasi would probably be more content to sit there and be stroked.

Gerbils you'd need a tank rather than a cage, because they must have room to burrow and construct tunnels. They don't smell at all. You would need more than one for gerbils, whereas I think Duprasi are better off alone.

Really does depend what you are after and what room you have for a decent cage, tank, or tank+topper!


----------



## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

a tank of gerbils is fab - theres always someone zipping about making tunnels and doing stuff.

being a desert beastie they drink very little and dont smell, dont need cleaning every week, and dont keep you awake at night.

perfect pet imo. i have a few, all different colours and they`re great.


----------



## luvcats22 (Apr 24, 2009)

im gonna stick up for the mice again  i have a lone male mouse (not hairless) and he is the sweetest pet ever. he actively seeks out attention and loves to have face rubs and chin tickles (surprisingly hard on a tiny weeny face) he will roll onto one side so you can tickle his belly and then happily run up to give you a kiss before going to sleep in your pocket/ armpit/ sleeve etc lol i find if i clean out half his cage at a time he doesnt smell at all, and rather than wash his toys i just wipe them with a animal safe cleaning wipe.
my mouse came from myth who gave you some advice earlier in the thread 

hope that doesnt confuse you even more lol
dawn, and King Dexter. xx


----------



## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i do love my mice, i have some tanks of them in the house, a male will smell typically male though,
i`d go for a small group of females - they`re social critters and like company, and as long as you get them from someone thats handled them as babies they get fantastically tame.


----------



## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

we have hairless males (not bald they just dont' have guard hairs so are fluffy) and normally het for hairless females. 
they are all friendly and like to come out and see you. very entertaining to watch them bod about in their cages. 

they do smell, but it's something i'd rather put up with as they tend not to bite. even with my 5 year old they are sweet and nosey. 

for adults i don't think i could recommend rats enough. they are smart, trainable and always on the go. most of my rats knew their names and would come when called. sigh. i miss them.


----------



## FarleyMarley (May 3, 2010)

Over the years this family has probably had most types of little critters, comes with having an animal mad mum and two animal mad sons lol :flrt:

We have had some beautiful mice however as said before they dont tend to have a 'toilet place' and literally drop wee whereever even if its as they are walking up your arm. They are however, gorgeous, have very sweet natures and there is nothing nicer than a mouse in your hands having a tickle. Even though I cleaned out ours everyday, there was always an unmistakeable 'hint of mouse' in the lounge which is where we kept them. It was for this reason that we didnt replace them when they died of old age.

We then had two rats Willow and Bramble, great fun, very clean creatures, eldest son used to play with them for ages on his duvet a hide and seek type game and they came to their names and were awake most of the day. Can be a bit smelly but you do need to keep on top of the cleaning, we didnt use sawdust, we used newspaper type pellets. They are very prone to chest infections and sadly tend to not live as long as you would like. We lost both of ours to old age at nearly 3 years old. They were very bonded and loved playing together.

I had syrians as a child and he got used to coming out for a play when I got home from school, very friendly but didnt have a lot of character really and always seemed to be wide awake when I was asleep.

Youngest son has a couple of winter white dwarf hamsters, we got them from a breeder and they are just wonderful. They are litter brothers and get on so well and sleep all curled up in a bundle, walk about like little teddy bears and are reasonably active when my son comes home from school. Dont mind being handled gently and love having their belly tickled. Would definately recommend them from a breeder who has handled them from birth. They can whiff if not cleaned out, but then any animal has to be cared for properly.

There are always guinea pigs or rabbits as well? A well protected from the elements rabbit run/hutch would also be a good idea, as no smell at all then indoors. Protection over the winter is essential and the provision to bring them indoors if we have another winter like last one.


----------



## luvcats22 (Apr 24, 2009)

i have my two male guineas living indoors and to be honest they smell more than any of my other pets, not a horrible smell just a kind of *boy* smell. 
my syrian hamster was fairly easy to tame, but theres always that risk of being bitten, my two chinese hamsters wouldnt dream of biting but they are timid creatures and dont seek out my attention.
piggies are fabulous and i adore my two, they love giving kisses and having cuddles. and of course my mouse. ( still bigging up the mice lol)


----------



## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

pigs benefit from being bathed every few months, you might find that gets a lot of the grease out of their fur ( you can use swarfega or washing up liquid neat on the grease gland at the back that makes the most smell ) so they dont smell so much, and they`ll have healthier skin.
they come up propper shiny in pantene lol, or dandruff shampoo is good too.

they do small a bit, but not in an offensive was like rats or male mice.
i`m getting earache about the mice :-(


----------



## luvcats22 (Apr 24, 2009)

i do bathe my pigs as they are show piggies, they dont come up shiny lol coz they're swiss but they do enjoy a bath before shows. they're not greasy, the whiff is difficult to describe, its kind of musky-- especially when harry is parading round displaying his manliness to his brother toby!! oh the fun of pets hey. x


----------

