MICE & RATS
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| "Sniff, sniff, scurry, scurry!" |
| ...MICE & RAT |
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General Information
Whether as pets or unwanted pests, mice and rats have lived with humans for thousands of years. These small furry creatures have survived throughout the ages because of their ability to adapt to almost any condition and their incredible ability to reproduce – one pair of mice and their descendents can produce over a million offspring in just two short years!
Mice and rats have an extended history of use in laboratory experiments and are considered a great test for chemicals and substances that may eventually be used on humans.
These rodents are adept hunters, spending most of their lives in the wild searching for and capturing food. Mice and rats are mostly nocturnal, gathering food during the night and showing signs of activity at varying times of the day.
MICE & RAT Scientific Information
Mouse
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Mus
Rat
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Rattus
MICE & RAT Character Information
Mice are social creatures that are well adapted to handling by both adults and children. As social as mice can be, they can be very timid and if scared or handled roughly can become aggressive and territorial. When handling a pet mouse or rat, children should always be supervised by an adult.
Mice are small rodents, measuring only 3 ½ inches from head to bottom (tails can vary in length), weigh only an ounce and typically live to be one to four years old. While white is the most popular pet color, mice and rats come in a variety of coat colors and hair lengths.
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