New Mice

Question
Hi Natasha,

I'm looking forward to adding some new mice to my family, but I had a couple questions first that I couldn't find an exact answer to within the last few hours I've spent searching the internet. I know I want some new little girls, but I'm not sure where to get them from. I'm from Western New York and I've looked for breeders in the area to no avail. There were a couple rescues, but I just lost my last little girly a couple weeks ago and I think I'd like to ensure the most time possible with my new friends by getting babies (5 weeks), just for my own sanity. I'd go to the pet store (PetSmart, Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, etc.), but I wasn't sure how to tell whether they're really as knowledgeable and credible as they try to appear to be. Also, I was thinking I'd like to get 2 so my girls aren't lonely but I've been reading that groups of 3 are best. I was wondering just what you thought about keeping 2 as I'm not sure that the cage I have (which is pretty nifty otherwise, if I do say so myself) is big enough for more than that. Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer
Hi Mahri

This is the only breeder I can find in NY:

Snowy Peaks Mousery (Rochester, NY)

   http://www.snowypeaksmousery.com/Home.html   
   https://www.facebook.com/snowypeaks.rodentry?fref=ts

Otherwise you have to suss out the mice and the pet store as well. In general, do animals have enough space or are they crowded?  Are the cages clean? Do any of the animal in the store exhibit any signs of illness? In the mouse cage, do all of the mice look healthy? Are they all sleek and bright eyed? Are there any scabs or wounds present? A healthy mouse is smooth, her  back not hunched, her fur immaculate, her eyes bright. There is nothing around her eyes and nose and she is not sneezing. If one mouse is sick, you can expect any mouse to become sick shortly after you get her home.

If your cage isn't big enough for three mice then it isn't big enough for any mice. Mice need room to walk around in their cage. I definitely don't recommend anything less than a 15 gallon aquarium or two level wire bar cage.

If you have two, when one dies you will have a very sad and lonely mouse left. She will be prone to depression, illness, and mites.   However, people do it all the time. Not everyone wants three mice. But you are going to want to act quickly when one dies.

Enjoy your mice :)

Squeaks n giggles,

Natasha