Pet mice are shy creatures that make fun pets once they get used to you. Mice exhibit behaviors that almost mimic human social dynamics. Their bodily reactions to different stimuli are also almost similar to humans. That may be one of the reasons they make great pets.
If you’re going to keep mice as pets you need to learn their mannerisms. This will help you in understanding their behaviors and using that to develop a better closer bond. With pets, you need to know how they operate vis a vis day active or night active.
Are pet mice nocturnal? While wild mice are naturally nocturnal creatures, fancy mice, usually the ones kept as pets, are actually crepuscular. This means that they’re mostly active when there’s minimal light but not totally dark out, such as dawn and dusk, for example.
However, there are still some sources that say that mice are nocturnal. In this article, we’ll explain the difference between the two
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Are Pet Mice Nocturnal Or Crepuscular?
Mice, in general, are nocturnal. They prefer to come out at night to play. You might even observe this behavior if your home is a high traffic area. Typically, mice are very shy. Yet they are highly social animals. People who have pet mice find them relatively easy to handle since the mice will spend large portions of the day sleeping away. That gives the pet owners the time and freedom to be away from their pets for the better part of the day.
Pet mice, specifically, are crepuscular. They are most active at dusk and at dawn. During the day, mice will not engage in much activity in their cages if there is no one around, they will minimally move about and will engage in social activities in their groups. However, peak activity is often when darkness is approaching or at daybreak.
It has mostly been assumed that pet mice are entirely nocturnal. Science has debunked as a myth. The reason for the assumption is because like most rodents, mice prefer to forage for food at night. They can avoid getting turned into a meal for predators such as hawks and some reptiles.
If you keep pet mice, you will likely hear noises at night. That is your pet mouse making the most of its day. Since mice are highly mobile and active before the sun comes up, they will compensate for all the lost time by resting as the day stretches on.
Are there any disadvantages to pet mice being nocturnal or crepuscular?
At face value, having a pet mouse is perfect for someone who isn’t around during the day. You only need to make sure your little furry buddy is well fed and hydrated. However, does this mean there are things you will miss out? Pet mice are susceptible to various ailments such as chromosomal anomalies and cancers. The symptoms to these issues may be hard to notice if you don’t interact with the pet mice when they are most active.
As a workaround, always make sure you check or keep an ear out for activity when they’re most active. If your pet mice are showing a decreased rate of activity at their most active periods, there may be a cause to worry.
Why are pet mice crepuscular
By nature, all animals adapt to their environment. Mice don’t have the best eyesight. They generally don’t do well with bright lights. For that reason, they will spend most of the time hidden from daylight. When the light intensity goes down – typically at dusk and dawn – they can come out and be active.
Pet mice are also fragile. Even though they are kept in the house, their crepuscular nature stems from a need to avoid predators. If you keep pet mice in a cage, they will still exhibit this habit. However, if you have already created a bond with your pet mouse and it can move around the house, it will go out to forage for food just when the sun is going down or coming up. It will still avoid areas that are likely to expose them to predators.
The best way to keep your pet mouse in the house to minimize the dangers of the outdoors is to make sure there is food in the house. You need to have cultivated a close relationship with your pet mouse so they can stick to the house.
How do you minimize pet mouse damage in the house?
If you have left your pet mouse to roam free in the house, you may have to deal with chewed up things. Your electrical cables, plastics, and wooden items are all fair game to the little pets. The good news is that your pet mouse is not trying to eat these things. They often bite off things to prepare or pad their sleeping areas.
You can opt to mouse-proof the house if you insist on letting them free roam. You can also consider putting the pet mice in a cage in pairs or groups. Putting them in isolation exposes them to loneliness. The best arrangement if you put a pet mouse in a cage would be either all-female or male-female pairs. Male pairs are likely to get territorial and fight frequently.
You can have some peace of mind as a pet owner. Mice require gentle hands. If you provide the right home with the right environment, their crepuscular nature will be the least of your worries. They are capable of staying in their cages and not bring any trouble.
Make the most of your time interacting with your pet mouse when you can. They are shy around humans especially if they have been harmed by a human before. However, if you get a young pet mouse, you can train them to be close to you. Pet mice are intelligent creatures that can learn your voice and respond to names if they’re taught early.
Conclusions
If your pet mouse isn’t active all day, don’t worry too much about it. They will still come out of their small shelters from time to time. If you really want to see what your pet mouse does, wait until dusk and see a completely different side of them.
