“I used to have this little mouse. I buy birds from the pet store and I let them go.”

Ziggy Marley, Musician

Pros and Cons of Owning a Mouse

You think about getting a pet mouse but are not entirely sure whether this pet is the right companion for you? Good news!

I show you all the pros and cons of owning a mouse so you can better decide if mice are good pets for you or if you rather want to get a different pet instead.

Advantages of Owning a Mouse

1. Mice are rather quiet pets
2. Pet mice don’t need much space
3. You can keep them in small apartments
4. Pet mice don’t require your attention all day long
5. You can leave them alone for a certain period of time
6. Mice are rather exotic pets
7. Mice cannot hurt you that much
8. Mice are rather cheap pets
9. Pet mice don’t get as old as many other pets
10. You can keep them in a cage
11. You can get help on the internet
12. You may become famous
13. You don’t have to go for a walk with your pet mouse

Mice are rather quiet pets

One advantage of owning a pet mouse is that mice are rather quiet animals.

Sure, they can squeak from time to time.

Yet, compared to other animals that bark or meow all day long, mice will not make those annoying noises and this gives you the opportunity to really focus on other things you have to get done.

For instance, if you work from home, it can be great to have a pet that will not distract you with its noise.

In turn, you will be much more productive and can get much more work done in the same period of time.

Moreover, also your kids can benefit from a quiet pet if they have to do homework since they will be better able to focus on getting their tasks done in time.

Consequently, keeping quiet pets like mice has many advantages in this regard and can just make your life much more productive.

Pet mice don’t need much space

Mice also don’t need as much space as most bigger pets.

Since they stay rather small, mice can be kept in small places and you don’t need to own a big home for it.

As long as you have space for a mice cage, you will be able to keep those little friends in a proper manner.

You can keep them in small apartments

In fact, mice are perfect pets if you live in a small flat right now and just don’t have the space to keep bigger pets.

While other pets like cats and dogs require plenty of space to exercise and to stay healthy in the long run, you will not have these space requirements for mice-keeping.

Consequently, if you don’t have the space to keep bigger pets but still want to have a pet companion at home, getting a mouse can be great for you until you can afford to live in a bigger place and to get additional bigger pets.

Pet mice don’t require your attention all day long

Another benefit of keeping mice at home is that they don’t require your attention all day long.

You can just live your own life and only have to look after your mice from time to time.

This gives you a great level of flexibility since you don’t have to spend many hours a day taking care of your pets.

Hence, getting a pet mouse can also make quite a lot of sense in case you want to have some company but want to be free at the same time and enjoy your life without too many responsibilities.

You can leave them alone for a certain period of time

Mice are also rather independent pets.

Sure, you have to feed them from time to time and also have to make sure that you provide decent living conditions.

Yet, you will still be able to leave your home for an extended period of time.

You may even be able to go on weekend trips and leave your pets at home if you provide them with enough feed and water.

Thus, compared to most other pets, mice will not constrain you as much and you will really be able to have your own life while also having a pet companion at the same time who can help you emotionally during difficult periods of your life.

Mice are rather exotic pets

There are also not that many people out there who want to keep mice at home.

This can be great since you will have the opportunity to keep pets most other people don’t.

In turn, you will have something special and unique at home and you can also make a stand against our current system at the same time.

Hence, getting a mouse as a pet can also make sense if you are the kind of rebellious person who just wants to be different and doesn’t want to fit into society.

Mice cannot hurt you that much

Another upside of pet mice is that they will also not be able to hurt you much.

Since they will stay rather small, they will simply not have the physical power to hurt you in a serious manner.

In contrast, big dogs are much riskier in this regard. In fact, there had been many accidents with dogs and children in the past.

Thus, especially if you have small children at home and want them to be safe, getting a mouse instead of other bigger pets can make quite a lot of sense since your kids will be able to play with your mice without you having to fear any serious issues in this regard.

Mice are rather cheap pets

Compared to most other pets, mice are also rather cheap companions.

They will just not need the same amount of feed as bigger pets and you will usually also not have to get as many vaccinations for them.

In turn, you will have to spend less money on your pet and this means that you will have more money left for other things.

Therefore, getting a pet mouse can also make quite a lot of sense in case you are on a budget right now and simply cannot afford to keep more expensive pets.

Pet mice don’t get as old as many other pets

Another advantage of getting a pet mouse is that those little friends will just not get as old as many other pets.

In fact, most pet mouse species will not get older than 3 years while the average is around 2 years.

While you may think that this is an issue, it can also be a positive thing about pet mice since you will just not make the same long-term commitment as with turtles or other pets that can live for many decades.

Hence, if you are not sure how your life will look like a few years from now and you want to stay flexible, chances are that it will be better for you to get a pet mouse instead of a pet that lives much longer.

You can keep them in a cage

Having pet mouses at home can also be quite convenient since you will be able to keep them in a cage and this means that you will have full control over where they are located and they can also not do something unexpected.

Mice will also not be able to break your stuff while they are in the cage.

Consequently, mice also make great pets for people who just don’t want bigger pets like dogs to run through their homes and can potentially damage or even destroy their furniture.

You can get help on the internet

You may not know much about mice-keeping right now. And this is perfectly fine!

Don’t be discouraged about that. In fact, everyone of us started out as a beginner.

The good thing in our current state of the world is that you can get any information you want on the internet.

You just have to use a search engine for a few seconds and you will find answers to almost every topic.

You can also join forums or social media groups to ask various questions around mice-keeping and chances are that there will be experts who can answer all of your questions.

Hence, thanks to our modern state of the world, you will not have any problems in this regard, at least if you are willing to invest some time to inform yourself about how to keep mice in a proper manner.

You may become famous

Getting a mouse may also give you the opportunity to become famous.

Since not that many people have mice at home, you will already have a feature that lets you stand out from the crowd.

However, to become famous, you will also have to expose yourself to the general public.

Fortunately, this has become quite easy.

You just have to start a social media channel or a blog where you can talk about mice-keeping.

In the long run, you may be able to build a serious audience and people may even recognize you in public.

At this stage, you will also be able to make good money from those channels since there are various ways to monetize such an audience and you may even make more money from those social media channels than from your day job.

Hence, if you are willing to work hard on it, you may also get additional career prospects from keeping pet mice.

You don’t have to go for a walk with your pet mouse

While dog owners often have to go for a walk with their dog even when it rains or snows outdoors, you will be able to stay indoors inside your four walls and can enjoy the cozy atmosphere by keeping a mouse instead.

Hence, mice-keeping is also for the type of person who doesn’t want to leave his home that often but rather wants to stay indoors.

As you can see, there are many advantages to keeping mice as pets.

Yet, it is not all upside and I will also show you all the negative things that come along with it in the following.

Disadvantages of Getting a Pet Mouse

1. Many people don’t like pet mice
2. People may think you are weird
3. You have to spend some money on mouse-keeping
4. You may have to see the vet sooner or later
5. Time to say goodbye rather soon
6. Mice are not the most exciting pets
7. Gerbils may escape
8. You have to clean the mouse cage
9. You may have to clean your home more often in general
10. Not the best pets to cuddle with
11. You may have to cancel your vacation plans
12. Mice will not listen to your commands
13. Your kids may lose interest pretty soon
14. Your mouse may end up in the shelter

Many people don’t like pet mice

One problem with pet mice is that many people simply don’t like them at all.

Similar to rats, many people have an aversion for mice and some of them are even really afraid of them, even though there might be nothing scary from an objective perspective.

Nevertheless, many of your friends may no longer want to come over to your place due to those little intruders.

You may even lose some friends due to mice-keeping and you should really make sure that keeping your little friends is worth it.

People may think you are weird

Since many people out there don’t like mice at all, it would never come to their minds to keep mice as pets. Consequently, people will also think you are weird.

This is especially true for people who don’t know better yet and you may have a really hard time convincing those people that you are actually a nice person who is fun to hang out with.

Thus, also make sure that you are able to deal with this sort of social stigma in an emotionally healthy manner before getting a pet mouse.

You have to spend some money on mouse-keeping

While mice are rather cheap pets compared to most alternatives out there, you will still have to spend some money on them.

Mice have to eat from time to time and you will also have to invest some money in a mouse cage.

Hence, don’t think that mouse-keeping is for free and don’t get a mouse if you barely have any money left right now.

In such a case, you should not get any pets until your financial circumstances improve.

You may have to see the vet sooner or later

Another disadvantage of getting a pet mouse is that you will have to see the veterinarian sooner or later.

We as humans get sick from time to time and so do mice.

If your mouse gets sick and you don’t find help on the internet, you will have to go to the vet and this will cost you additional time and money.

Time to say goodbye rather soon

Since mice will also not get that old, it will be time to say goodbye rather soon.

In fact, most mice will not make it more than 3 years and this means that you will have to change your pet rather frequently.

This can be emotionally challenging, especially for small kids who are not able to deal with such a loss in a proper manner yet.

Thus, be prepared that there may be some tears when the time to say goodbye finally has come.

Mice are not the most exciting pets

Another downside of owning a mouse is that mice are just not the most exciting pets.

In fact, they can be quite boring since they will just sit in their cage for the majority of the time and will also not interact with you as much as dogs, cats or other pets.

In turn, many people lose interest in mice-keeping pretty soon and you should really make sure that a pet mouse is what you want to get to avoid any unpleasant surprises in this regard later on.

Gerbils may escape

Mice are also rather quick pets. This means that if you are not careful, your mouse may be gone rather quickly.

For instance, you may just forget to close the mouse cage one day and your mouse may escape in your garden.

This can be quite annoying since you now have to catch it somehow and also your mouse may be caught by a cat.

It may also end up in your neighbor’s place and your neighbor may not be happy about it at all.

Hence, if you really want to get a mouse, make sure that you take safety measures so that it will not be able to escape sooner or later.

You have to clean the mouse cage

One of the most unpleasant things when owning a mouse is to clean the mice cage.

Those cages can smell quite poorly.

Yet, you will have to clean your cage on a regular basis to avoid that your home smells unpleasant as well.

Hence, don’t get a mouse if you are not willing to take on this kind of work since you will just not get happy in the long run.

You may have to clean your home more often in general

While mice will stay inside their cages most of the time, you may also want to give them the opportunity to run freely inside your four walls.

If you do so, you will also have to clean your home more often since mice will lose some fur.

This means that you will also have to invest more time in cleaning your home and this can be really annoying, especially if you already work in a demanding job and barely have any leisure.

Not the best pets to cuddle with

While you could cuddle your mouse, it will just not be the best pet to do so.

In fact, your mouse will often try to escape while other pets like cats or dogs will really love it if you cuddle them.

Hence, if you search for a pet to cuddle with you, there are simply better alternatives than mice out there.

You may have to cancel your vacation plans

You may also get into trouble when it comes to going on vacation if you have a pet mouse at home.

If you only go on short vacations, you may be able to leave your mouse alone.

However, if you want to go on vacation for a few weeks, you will need someone who takes care of your mice.

Since mice are rather exotic pets, it may be hard for you to find someone who is willing to look after your mouse.

Thus, in the worst case, you may even have to cancel your vacation plans if you find nobody who is willing to care for your mouse while you are away and if you are also not able to carry your mouse with you on your trip.

Mice will not listen to your commands

You should also not expect your mouse to listen to any of your commands.

Instead, it will just do what is natural and good for it.

Hence, if you want to have a responsive pet that also learns some tricks, you should rather get a dog instead of a mouse.

Your kids may lose interest pretty soon

Since mice are not the most exciting pets, also your kids may lose interest in your little friends pretty soon and you may be the one who will have to care for your mice without any support from the rest of the family.

Your mouse may end up in the shelter

Many pet mice also end up in the shelter sooner or later since their owners just don’t want to care for them anymore.

Hence, make sure that you are really passionate about those little friends to avoid that your pet mice will experience the same destiny.

Top 10 Pet Mice Pros & Cons – Summary List

Pet Mouse Pros	Pet Mouse Cons
Mice are quiet pets	Mice are not the most popular pets
You can keep a mouse in a small flat	You have to feed your mouse
Mice will not require all your attention	You have to see the vet
Mice are rather cheap pets	Mice are not that exciting
They will not distract you as much	A mouse will not listen to your commands
Mice cannot harm you much	You may get bored of it pretty soon
Mice don’t get as old as other pets	Mice are not the best pets for kids
You can become famous with your mouse	You have to clean the mouse cage
You may be able to make some money	Your home may smell poorly
You can get help on the internet	Your mouse may escape

Should You Get A Gerbil?

As you can see, there are many advantages and disadvantages of pet mice.

In the end, you should take your time and decide for yourself whether mice make good pets for you or if you rather want to get different pets like dogs, cats, rats, turtles, rabbits, fishes, snakes, spiders, hamsters, mini pigs or guinea pigs instead.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/animal/gerbil

https://www.thesprucepets.com/choosing-and-caring-for-pet-mice-1236741

About the Author

My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.

In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.