DD4 wants pet mice. Is it possible/reasonable to have them neutered?

[peg2001]

DD4 is asking for pet mice and I'm considering it. I'm not prepared to care for the potential hundreds/thousands of offspring. However, I can't/won't destroy them or give them away as "feeders."

Is it possible and financially reasonable to have mice neutered so that you keep them as pets without the potential for offspring?

Alternatively, will all females OR all males get along socially?

Thanks
Peggy

 

[olena]

Your DD wants one of each gender?

 

[Melora]

I had 22 mice at one time when I was a kid..my parents thought they were getting 2 girls but WHOOPS! I knew how to tell them a part and seperated them after the second litter was born.

You can get girls and they will live in harmony. Do not get boys as they will fight with each other. I had one mouse that was a runt and he was picked on and the other boys chewed off his.. well his boys parts..YUCK!

It would never really be feasible to have a mouse neutered.

 

[CBRorBust]

I'd talk her into a fish if I were you!

 

[katerkat]

It's not really feasible. Plus, um, on mice, it's kind of hard to tell which they are. Too small! Why not hamsters or gerbils? They're a bit bigger, so it's easier to tell if you're getting two males or two females. Oh, and definitely two females over two males!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No, I have never heard of neutering a mouse.

Hamsters cannot live together they are solitary. But I do think you can have a pair of gerbils of the same gender & litter that will get along.

 

[FINFAN]

We have 2 female Dumbo Rats...GREAT pets! They have ears that are larger than a normal rat, and are fairly big, the size of a small guinea pig. I agree w/males being aggressive. I do recomment 2 of whatever (same sex) as they are communal animals. Our rats were raised by a breeder--for real---and they do not scurry about, are not mean, very gentle actually, just hang out on the kids shoulders, in their sweatshirt pockets, I highly reccommend them. If you can get past the tail thing, you will like them. They are also quiet and inexpensive to purchase and maintain. A typical life span is 3 years.
The Dumbo name was an added Disney bonus too!

 

[year2late]

Originally posted by The Mystery Machine
No, I have never heard of neutering a mouse.

Ummmm....excuse me......what about Mickey? All those years with Minnie and no pitter patter of little paws?

And what about his voice...........

 

[The Mystery Machine]

 

[BHFan25]

I second the pet rat. We also have a dumbo. We only have 1 though. It is a girl and she is sweet. You may have to work on it to get past that tail (I had to) but she is as sweet and gentle as they come. Please consider it. I know it sounds bad, "a rat", but she never even nibbles, bites or anything. Very clean and easy to care for. Oh heck, I'll buy you one! LOL

 

[peg2001]

Thank you for the great replies. I'll try to answer a few questions and elaborate a bit. DD did not ask for one of each gender, I was thinking that we would need to get one of each since they are social animals and I wasn't sure if all-one-gender would get along. I know now that all females is a possibility if we can differentiate between the genders.

We already have fish, 3 aquariums actually, ranging from 5 gallons to 75 gallons. We also have 3 cats and 1 dog so DD4 is not actually pining for animal interaction.

I've heard that rats make great pets and I'd consider them except for the cats we already have. I was thinking that mice would be happy in a large safe enclosure but I'd want to let rats have more space to live.

Thanks again.
Peggy

 

[year2late]

All kidding aside, I did a search and apparently they do nueter mice.

Mic...see you in the vets office....key....Why because we procreate...m-o-u-s-e.

 

[Dizzy-Disney4]

Another vote for a rat here. We LOVE our Tinkerbell (DD 5 named her). She is THE best pet we have ever owned.

 

[Margie J]

I work in a lab that uses mice and my co-workers do surgery on the male "private parts". Believe me, it's easier just to get all females and not to bother with neutering. It's not a common procedure outside of labs.

Females will get along much better. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the sexes apart though. That's how I ended up with my two pet mice. A male got mixed into a female cage. Even after a couple checks he went undetected until only one mouse wasn't pregnant. The babies were distributed to foster homes.

When I had my mice I also had a cat at home. The cat didn't attempt to bother the mice at all. In fact, he seemed fascinated with them and would lay down next to the cage. That's unusual though. I'd place any mouse/rat cage out of the cat's reach if at all possible.

 

[winniedapooh]

I am on my 2nd pet rat. Big Guy died several yrs ago- I saved him from a lab, he was used for breeding. I got Wendall last year. Both of my guys are/were sweet and love to hang around on kids and my desk. Wendall loves people and all sorts of treats from the kids and handles very well. They only live to between 3 and 4 though.

 

[Sleepy]

If you get more than one rat it is very easy to see which one is male, BUT, understand that a female rat can actually store sperm until she is ready to become pregnant. Separating males and females will not mean you won't have babies in the future. Something to consider when purchasing one at a store.

 

[Freyja]

DH gave me a white mouse when we started dating (weird gift....long story). Well, 5 days later I had 11 white mice! He used to say it was a sign for our future children. We´ve got 3 so far...

 

[Lanshark]

My kitty Meeko would like to assist you

 

[ducklite]

Mice are not particularly good pets for younger kids. You might be better off with a short haired guineau pig. They are very docile (mice will bite) and easy to maintain.

Anne