# Why are Mice so hard to buy these days



## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

Pet shops for the most part just don't seem to sell pet mice anymore.

When I was in my teens I could always buy pet mice for like 80p lol.

Now they are so hard to find.


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## EllesBelles (May 14, 2010)

Animal husbandry standards have increased, and selling mice for 80p was asking for trouble, in my opinion.

They are animals, like any other, that need suitable habitats and care. 

We could possibly recommend places if you are willing to pay the going rate, and have a set up ready? Although we'd need to know whereabouts you are.


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

EllesBelles said:


> Animal husbandry standards have increased, and selling mice for 80p was asking for trouble, in my opinion.
> 
> They are animals, like any other, that need suitable habitats and care.
> 
> We could possibly recommend places if you are willing to pay the going rate, and have a set up ready? Although we'd need to know whereabouts you are.


Well I paid far more for my current 2 female mice so I know they are much more than 80p these days which is good.

I bought them from Bruno's pet store at Billing garden centre, Northampton and they are fine. They just don't know when they are getting anymore in.

I should just be patient


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## EllesBelles (May 14, 2010)

Ah okay. I apologize for being a bit hasty with my response, then - I work with rescues a lot and it does jade you at times! 

Welcome to the forum, by the way. I don't have mice (My lizards take up every available space at the moment!) but there are lots of mice-owners here.

What colours have you got? I'm very envious


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

Rescues and GOOD breeders don't seem to have a problem.
Buying from a pet shop is unethical IMO due to the fact that they all come from rodent mills


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

EllesBelles said:


> Ah okay. I apologize for being a bit hasty with my response, then - I work with rescues a lot and it does jade you at times!
> 
> Welcome to the forum, by the way. I don't have mice (My lizards take up every available space at the moment!) but there are lots of mice-owners here.
> 
> What colours have you got? I'm very envious


Very light silky brown round the head and white the rest of the body.

I would never have bought them if I thought they didn't look healthy


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

what are mice actually like as pets?? Are they just like teeny rats?


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

chrisd said:


> what are mice actually like as pets?? Are they just like teeny rats?


They are awesome 
My first 3 boy's were just like mini rats, they loved to sit on me for cuddles watching TV 
My last two boys were wildie cross so they were much more skittish, although I hand tamed them, they were never really that happy about it 

I miss having mice


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## Snippet (Apr 14, 2011)

Ratty man said:


> I would never have bought them if I thought they didn't look healthy


They might be healthy now, but the chances of them being ill and dying young are much higher then mice from a good breeder. And then there's the conditions they're bred in.


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## Maltey (Nov 29, 2011)

Have you tried a mouse specific forum like keepers.fancymicebreeders.com ?

They could point you in the direction of a good breeder or rescue.

I saw some mice for sale for the first time in a pet shop the other day and I can't believe how cheap they are - £2.50! Who knows what could happen to them!


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## elmthesofties (Aug 8, 2011)

Snippet said:


> They might be healthy now, but the chances of them being ill and dying young are much higher then mice from a good breeder. And then there's the conditions they're bred in.


Win, win, win, win, WIN.

There are very few problems you can spot in a young mouse. Sure, you can probably spot a few infections. (maybe a tumor, but they're not exactly common in young mice) A 5 minute inspection won't reveal much, especially because mice and other prey animals try and hide any illnesses until it's too late. I remember a while ago my hamster Lucy gradually lost her health, and the vets saw nothing wrong. They kept telling me she looked like a good example of a healthy hamster. Then a few weeks later I woke up and she had lost her coordination and her eyes had fallen out. (I wish I had listened to my gut and had her pts before then, and not the vets) She was under 6 months of age when she passed, although showed very subtle signs of deterioration about a month or two before that.

Anyway, my point is that on the surface, you may think they look fine. Even the vets thought that Lucy looked fine, and they used all of their medical kit to figure out whether anything was wrong. You can't tell what lies in their genes, and you can't tell whether they have other silent health problems.

Sorry for babbling but I've just lost so many feeder breeder leftovers too soon.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

i found it extremely easy to buy mice. i go to porton garden centre to get my pet shop rats, and when my husband said he liked smaller rodents i got him some mice. i just drove to porton, had a look in the sections and found the mice. i had researched them before getting them. so i bought 6 females. i didnt have to ring up and ask what they have like i do with the rats, and i didnt have to reserve any. 
they hated being handled, when my fav girl xhex got a lump i got her out to check her over and she had a heart attack in my hand. a few more got lumps, others had kidney problems. i got them all in febuary last year and on sunday last week the last of the 6 girls, ember, died. i loved watching them play around, but if i couldnt get good breeder bred mice i wouldnt get any again, as i couldnt do anything with them.


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

Well I paid £5.99 each for my two females so whether that's cheap or about right, I don't know.


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

I don't think it matters what you pay I'd pay a nice price if I knew my mice were bred healthy and with care
My rescue mouse died a few weeks ago and all he had in his short life was problems 

I don't think good breeders of nice are easy to find but pet shops ones seem easy


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## Ratty man (Apr 15, 2012)

Well I'd love nothing more than to get my mice from a private breeder but I don't drive so unless it's nearby to me I'm scuppered because I have to rely on someone to take me.

So whether it's private breeder or a pet shop, mice for me (in my experience) are hard to come by either way as most pet shops do NOT sell them anymore.

Once again all in my experience.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2012)

Many rescue will rehome nationally, if you are the right home they will organise a transport run to you


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