# Wild and Fancy mice..



## Megzilla (Oct 12, 2009)

Just wondering what would happen if you bred a wild mouse(house/field) with a domestic one. And if this is legal. Have fancy mice been in captivity so long that they can't produce healthy, normal babies if crossed with a wild mouse?
It crossed my mind and thought one of you might know something haha
Megs xx


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## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

If they are genetically the same type of mouse (mus musculas) then it can and has been done in the past, both delibrately and by accident.
Wild mice carry ALOT of diseases though, I wouldn't recommend it. Plus half wild mice are notoriously hard to tame and unless you have alot of time on your hands to give them attention, they will never make pets.

Willow xx


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

Many years ago, I had a litter from a fancy mouse and a naughty and rampant wild mouse who broke in.
The resulting litter were all stunningly marked and pretty, but tiny and....well, wild. 
I wouldn't recommend it 
xx


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

field mice are not mus musculus and don't interbreed,they can be identified easily by their white bellies.House mouse is mus musculus and will interbreed freely.It's not illegal but it is pointless.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

What others have alluded to but not said directly is that 1/2 wild mice also bite, hard. 

The evolutionary qualities that help a mouse survive in the wild (quickness, readiness to bite, fear of humans) are opposite of what our pets have been bred for. By introducing wild genes you bring all of that back in one generation.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I had a wild buck get into one of my tanks and impregnate two does. The litters were born, all dark and tiny. When their eyes opened, it didn't take but about three or four weeks and several of them virtually levitated and flew right out of the tank. I don't know how such tiny creatures can jump that high. One other experience I actually kept several of the females, they were very skittish and eventually allowed me to get a hold of them. Just for curiousity, I tried three times to breed a couple of them I (they were agouti tans) and even after a couple of months with a buck, none of them ever conceived. I was very surprised by that, since these does were the product of fancy to wild to start out with.

It's just not worth the trouble.


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## Megzilla (Oct 12, 2009)

so were they hybridise so that they couldn't breed??
Nah, i wasnt thinking of it, just wondering if anyone knew of what would happen lol
Very interesting though, would love to see the specimens (if anyone has any pictures hinthint  )


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

I'm afraid that I did not take any pictures


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

There are pictures of half-wild baby mice posted on my forum. If you want me to I will PM you the link. Just let me know.


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## Megzilla (Oct 12, 2009)

Jack Garcia said:


> There are pictures of half-wild baby mice posted on my forum. If you want me to I will PM you the link. Just let me know.


yes please


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