African Pygmy Mice Environment

An African Pygmy Mouse cannot have a barred environment since they can easily escape most fine mesh. A good habitat would be a tank of 10-20 gallons since they need a lot of natural enrichment and climbing material to keep them occupied. Minimum tank size is 5.5 gallons for a pair and their environment is best maintained at room temperature and away from drafts or direct sunlight.

Bedding can be pine or aspen shavings, with an addition of a layer of hay for chewing and concealment. Carefresh can also be a good option, since the pieces are a suitable size for the Pygmy Mice to carry around.

They benefit from the addition of thin branches, rocks and pet-safe foilage to make their environment as natural as possible. Care must be taken with commercially bought rodent toys and structures due to their size. They are unable to turn even the smallest available wheel.

Pebbles are also a good addition to allow them to replicate the pebble-stacking behaviour exhibited in the wild.

An important thing to note with African Pygmy Mice is that they can drown in normal sized rodent water bowls. It is important to either purchase a smaller, more shallow dish or to provide a small stack of pebbles or similar to allow them to climb out. African Pygmy Mice do drink a lot of water for their size.

African Pygmy Mice do not have a noticeable odour and generally need cleaning out around once a month, depending on the number of mice you have.

African Pygmy Mice Diet

An African Pygmy Mouse diet should be varied with care taken to ensure good health. They have a very high metabolism and do eat and drink a large amount relative to their size. It is vital that the diet for an African Pygmy Mouse includes animal protein for example, since a lack of this can lead to cannibalism.

Water

Must be available at all times. It is important to either use a more shallow dish than most ceramic rodent dishes, or to leave a stack of pebbles or similar to allow them to climb out as African Pygmy Mice can drown in normal water bowls.

Seeds

A good quality Finch, Canary and parakeet seed mix with additional millet is an essential part of their diet. Some keepers have had success with Linseed. Occasional safflower and sunflower seeds can be added, larger seeds like wheat or rolled seeds don't seem to be popular.

Protein

Mealworms can be offered on occasion or crushed cat food or a good brand of dog kibble.

Egg Food and Insectivore mix

Egg food can be a good addition to their diet as well as a good insectivore mix such as Bogena Universal.

Fresh

Apples, small cuttings of cucumber and carrot are good additions. Remember to replace fresh greens and fruit on a regular basis so they do not spoil.

African Pygmy Mice Colours

African Pygmy Mice have a natural colouration of agouti, sometimes known as brown. They also come in a more vivid shade of this known as cinnamon or red and a lighter pale variant known as blue. They also have a rather pale variant known as lilac agouti. There have also been a few occasions of what seem to be Siamese mice.

Colours are not standardised for African Pygmy Mice so these names may be known differently.

Coat types

In my own colonies I have noticed a different in coat condition that does suggest a shinier, satin option could well exist and I do have animals with distinctly longer hair than others, with the possibility of curls although whiskers remain straight.