# Dwarf Fancy Mice



## HowlsOfAngels (Nov 2, 2012)

Do they exist?/Is anyone breeding them?

If they do exist, does their size compromise their health in any way?

I know that some lines/strains are a bit more petite than others, but haven't found any information on Dwarf Fancy Mice.

Any information you have would be appreciated.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

They do exist, but not in the American fancy. There was someone in South America (I think it was south america) that had dwarves...but I have not seen anything from that person in years. Otherwise they are just in labs. They actually have longer lifespans than standard size mice (in labs anyway)....this is probably because of a lower cell turnover rate.


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## HowlsOfAngels (Nov 2, 2012)

Huh, that's interesting, I would have thought their health would have been adversely affected by their tininess.

Darn laboratories keepin' all the teeny mice to themselves. Lol

Thanks for the info.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

There can be health effects depending on what the mutation is...and in the lab strains, what other mutations there are. Jax has a strain of proportional dwarves that have some preweaning mortality and decreased fertility but that seems to be the only health issues they list. You CAN get mice from labs.......it just tends to be expensive....lol


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## madmouse (May 19, 2012)

I have seen photos of achondroplasic mice (the kind of oddly proportioned dwarfism you often see in people like Peter Dinklage). They are oddly cute, but I've never heard of them outside of labs. Do you think they would be viable pets?


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## HowlsOfAngels (Nov 2, 2012)

madmouse said:


> Do you think they would be viable pets?


I suppose that depends on the strain, I looked through a few lab strain descriptions last night and some where afflicted with severe immune deficiencies, those probably wouldn't survive outside of the lab.

Others, without any serious health problems or gene variations, could possibly be purchased and crossed with fancy mice.

It might be worth looking in to.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Stina said:


> They do exist, but not in the American fancy. There was someone in South America (I think it was south america) that had dwarves...but I have not seen anything from that person in years. Otherwise they are just in labs. They actually have longer lifespans than standard size mice (in labs anyway)....this is probably because of a lower cell turnover rate.


this programme shows the mice that live longer ,they have a specific form of dwarfism that allows people with it to to escape the ill effects of junk food and even smoking and hence live longer
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... 7-glB1VkzQ

I also get a high percentage of tiny mice in my naked ones.They seem healthy enough ,I keep the odd one as they have the ears of full sized mouse on a tiny frame and I like them.I've never bred off of one but they still occur so must be part and parcel.There is no way for me to know what is wrong with them.I'll post a pic if I can find one.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

litter brothers.Whatever the cause of the diminutive size it doesn't affect quality of life.


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## DaisyTailsMousery (Nov 8, 2012)

That thing is soooo cute!! I must have one! :love1


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## Serena (Dec 29, 2011)

how cool, do you have more pics of the smaller ones?


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## windyhill (Jan 19, 2010)

That's neat


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## HowlsOfAngels (Nov 2, 2012)

:shock: Those lil' guys are adorable w/ their big ol' dumbo ears. :lol:

Do you notice anything different about them, other than their size, when comparing them to normal size mice? Or are they just teenier and they have no variation in mannerisms or health?


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

Whoa!!!! I have never ever seen this! How amazing and strange!


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

it's just normal in behaviour.I do have some more pics,I'll post some.It has a frail build but it's hard to know whether that's to do with issues from the hairless strain or somthing else as they do produce a fair percentage of non viable young.The two pictured are the result of a straight cross between naked and normal mouse.I have 2 does at the minute that I don't think are going to grow on either,bigger than that buck but considering the parents were huge they fall massively short.I doubt I'll be able to breed off of them .


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

omg he's so cute!


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Stina said:


> omg he's so cute!


I know they are my guilty pleasure .


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## Kallan (Aug 16, 2009)

I'd be wary of trying to breed smaller mice. In dogs they do it by breeding the smallest to the smallest and you end up crossing runts with runts and creating even more problems than in the original sized dog.


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## HowlsOfAngels (Nov 2, 2012)

That's one way to do it...

A healthier way to go about breeding a smaller, anything, would be to choose a stocky animal that is a bit smaller than the largest of the litter. It'd be slow going, but the resulting teeny things would be healthier.


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