Males or females & How Many?

Both male and female mice are great fun to keep, but I would generally recommend females to a first time owner. This is mainly because they are much easier to keep in groups than males, who are territorial by nature and have more of a tendency to fight. You can read more on this subject in the article on Lone Males. Male mice also have quite a distinct ‘musky’ smell which some people may find off putting, whilst females have no real odour to speak of. Both males and females are equally friendly however and how tame a mouse becomes will depend more on the individual than its gender.

Male mice are usually bigger than females and in my experience are more inclined towards sitting and being petted, especially when they get older. Females on the other hand are normally little fidgets and are far to busy running around exploring to sit still, although this can make them more entertaining to watch. There will always be exceptions to this rule however and I have had a cuddly girl and boys that never sat still, so it is probably best not to base your decision on this aspect alone.

Mice need company - a group of boys snuggled up together.

Whether you plan to keep girls or boys it is always best to get more than one as mice are very sociable and will be much happier with company of their own kind. Contrary to popular belief this does not mean that your mice will be less friendly towards you as they will be much more active and confident with a friend and therefore if anything are likely to tame easier. As I said above males are usually more difficult to keep in groups but I would never recommend buying a single male from the outset as it would be a very lonely life for him - see the article ‘Why mice need company’.

I would suggest getting two or three mice to the first time owner as they will be fun to watch and provide company for each other whilst still allowing the opportunity for you to bond with each of them as individuals.


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