Girl mice need friends

Question
Hi Natasha,

My boyfriend save a tiny, white mouse from certain death and a cruel practical joke last week.  He tried to take her (?) back to the pet shop but they refused to have her back so we made a pet out of her.  She is still getting used to us but seems to really enjoy her new home (tubes, wheels and treats).  I keep reading that they really like to have company, but I'm fearful of this mouse having a disease or a new mouse having one that would cause death; likewise if they fight they may hurt each other.  

Do mice really need buddies or can they be happy as singles?

Thanks!

Thera

PS - Mice are so cute, I never realized...big ears and funny little personalities!

Answer
Dear Thera,

Thank you so much for saving the mouse!  How mean, to use a mouse in a prank.  Yes, mice are awesome!

Girl  mice can live together well, and since mice are very social by nature, it's important that they have friends.  I always make sure I have at least three mice, so that when one dies, the other is not alone.  Mice get sick and depressed when their friends die.  Still, three mice isn't for everyone. But at least one companion is important.

The best thing to do is get young mice.  That way they are less of a threat to your mouse.  Certainly your mouse could be sick in some way, just as you or I could, and so could the new mice, but that's not really an issue if you get healthy mice from a decent pet store.  Make sure that they other mice in the cage all look healthy, well-fed, and happy.  They should have smooth coats and look spotlessly clean.  

To introduce the mice, put them in a clean cage that if possible doesn't smell like your first mouse.   Put a dab of REAL vanilla extract at the base of the tails and under their chins, so they all smell alike.  Then let them get to know each other.  There may be lots of chasing and squeaking, but as long as there is no blood, everything is fine.  The chasing and squeaking should lessen over time; within 3-5 days most mice are very happy together (though I just had a new mouse who took two months to stop making the other mice squeak!  That's an extreme).  They will probably sleep together right away, as long as you make sure there is only one nest-like spot in the cage.

The squeaking is NOT pain; it's communication.  If you see the littler mouse being chased and then turning around and standing up on its hind feet and offering its belly to the bigger mouse, that's actually a good sign.  It means she is saying "don't hurt, me I'm a baby," and the bigger mouse will accept that.  The point is, somebody has to be Top Mouse (the 'A-Mouse'), and they are jousting to see who that is.   

Have fun with all your mice!  Perhaps you will be a convert for life...!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha