The color mouse represents the domesticated form of the house mouse.

It owes its name to its variety of colors.

Countless colors, which are divided into color groups and exciting sounding color drawings explain the expression “color mouse”.
But it’s not just their looks that are exciting. A look at their nature and their extraordinary senses shows how fascinating the little rodent is.

Color mice are not only characterized by their friendly nature and curiosity. In particular, they are highly social. They live in groups in which they take care of themselves. It is therefore not appropriate to keep a color mouse individually.

In contrast to rats, the cute rodents are not very keen on cuddling with humans.

Color mice can live up to 4 years if kept well.

From the fourth week on the females are sexually mature. Your wearing time is about 21 days. Depending on the age and nutritional status of the mother, a litter of up to 18 young can see the light of day. Immediately after birth, the female again presents herself as ready to conceive.

Mice are often referred to as “beginner pets” for children – but be careful!
They are demanding pets! Keeping these active creatures as pets requires extensive knowledge to avoid improper handling and ensure a long, healthy life.

Color mice are very fragile due to their size – they are not an easy-care entry-level pet for children. There are some animal welfare issues to consider when deciding to keep colored mice as pets.

Agony breeding

Some strains fall under agony breeding. These include:

-Curly and Angora mice
They are highly susceptible to parasites, have a limited sense of touch and are prone to inflamed eyes.
-‘Self’ and ‘Shaded’ color swings
This includes mice with red, yellow and orange fur color. They owe their color to a specific gene that causes obesity despite a strict diet. As a result, there are health problems that severely reduce the life expectancy of the animals.
-Albinos
Due to a metabolic disorder, albinos cannot form melanin, which protects the skin from sunburn.
-Nude mice
They are completely hairless and must be kept in warm rooms to stay healthy. Nude mice also suffer from an immune deficiency.

Children and color mice

Color mice are not suitable for children. The skeleton is delicate and fragile and can be easily crushed if handled improperly.

Color mice are very fragile due to their size – they are not an easy-care entry-level pet for children. There are some animal welfare issues to consider when deciding to keep colored mice as pets.

Color mice have a strong hierarchy within their pack that is, non-group members are carefully introduced into the herd. Otherwise, fighting, stress, and sometimes injuries may result.

The senses of the color mouse are impressive.

Your eyes are attached to the side of your head, which gives you a good all-round view. However, they are hardly able to see three-dimensionally.

The colored mouse can move their ears independently in all directions and they perceive sounds that are no longer audible to human ears. Color mice are said to be able to perceive tones of up to 100,000 Hertz.

This nose of the colored mouse is a very important sensory organ. The animal perceives its environment strongly through smells. So e.g. via scent traces that conspecifics have laid out to mark their territory. They also choose their partners based on the smell inside the pack.

The touch hairs (virbrissen) of the colored mouse represent an additional orientation element. They help the animals to orient themselves well in the dark.

In the inner ear of the colored mouse there is an excellent organ of balance. It enables animals, e.g. to be able to balance safely on ropes.

The small rodents, like almost all animals, should not be kept alone. It is best to keep small groups of mice. These should all be of the same gender. But be careful! Don’t put two strange mice together.

Socialization is not easy and should only be done by experienced people.

https://www.vier-pfoten.de/unseregeschichten/ratgeber-heimtiere/farbmaeuse-als-heimtiere

 

And I mean…You have to adopt mice only from animal shelter.
However, here you should be aware that the “supply” is not determined by the “demand”, but by the taxes and emergencies that arise at animal shelters and foster homes.

Many interested persons decide on the look: agouti, black and albino are not in demand, “exotic” colors and drawings such as siam, blue or merle are much more in demand but end up in a shelter less often.

In addition, the pre-history of animals does not always leave the optics of some emergency mice without a trace.

Missing limbs, scars, eroded ears and the like tell of a difficult past of the animals, which is usually associated with incorrect posture.
As with all animals, these animals can also become lovable, trusting companions if you give them a chance despite their appearance.

Never buy a breeding animal. Adopt one from the animal shelter.

My best regards to all, Venus