# How good a pet would field voles be?



## CanisLupus9

Hey my name's Jon Restorick I'm 20, I'm from England, and I'm really interested in small mammals, especially those of the family Cricetidae (hamsters, voles, lemmings, and some cool rodents know as 'New-world rats and mice').

I have kept golden (Syrian) hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) since 2009, and have once bred them which produced one litter. It's not just hamsters though, I'm really interested in voles too  and I hope to one day capture and keep European field voles (Microtus agrestis) in captivity and hopefully breed them, maybe even producing new colour variations like piebald or melanistic forms. Hey who knows they may even catch on and become the new household pets, just like Syrian hamsters did in the 1940's/50's. Only time will tell 

They certainly have all the characteristics of a good pet: They have been kept in laboratories once before and they are known to adapt well to captivity and are easy to keep _and breed_. Piebald, albino and pale colour mutations have been seen in wild populations, so these would surely arise in captive litters and could easily be selected and bred from just like in other pet rodents. They are also relatively docile from what I can gather, as I have held a couple of wild individuals before and they just sit comfortably in your hand before they pounce away (well, they _are_ wild) and they have _not once_ bitten me. They are also social animals and females apparently live quite happily together. They have a short gestation period (18-20 days) and their life span in captivity was recorded to be around 3 years3 months (although they typically live only 18 months in the wild).

Overall I believe the field vole would make the most interesting and wonderful small mammal pet, but the problem is that they are ALL WILD! From what I can find, no one, not one person breeds them in this entire country :x . So I may have to do this by myself at some point in the future (maybe when I get my own place). Field voles are not a protected species in this country, and it is perfectly legal to use humane, harmless traps to catch them, and you do not need permission to keep them in captivity either.

Either way, whether I go through with it or not, it will be a few years before I have the space to keep the kind of accommodation that wild-caught field voles would require. Please leave your comments and let me know of any concerns, or whether you agree with me about the suitability of this animal as a pet.

Cheers, Jon...


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## SarahC

welcome Jon.Field voles used to be freely available in the U.K in their wild colouring and albino.I had them and they were very easy but seldom seen and never really caught on.


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## DomLangowski

Hi, welcome to our forum


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## CanisLupus9

They used to be freely available?? Wow I had no idea, it's such a shame that they didn't catch on  This country is desperate need of some native pets. 
And now for the questions: What were they like to keep as pets? What was the life span of yours when you had them? How long ago was it when they were available as pets in the U.K? How handleable were they in captivity? ... And: Do you know if they are still available???????  Thanks.


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## SarahC

I had them 20 years ago.They were easy to keep,you keep them in pairs and they have the same gestation approx as mice.Get a book called rodents in captivity by Chris Henwood.Covers the native species,I would like shrews but they are very demanding so I never have.Chris Henwood has a facebook group to and is very knowledgeable on such things.I suppose these things don't catch on because they don't have the same pet qualities as the popular rodents.Voles hide all the time and don't really climb.They don't bite.


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## The Boggit keeper

Hi and Welcome!


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## morning-star

I gots me a wild caught vole! :lol: she's super cute and super friendly!
caught her about two weeks ago now, rescued from a busy road. never bitten and super cute. 
She's on a layer of rabbit litter pellets (because she Pee's a lot) layer of hay and various dried plants, which she eats. also eats bird seeds, grass clover and dandelion from the garden. :lol: drinking from a little bowl but I'm thinking about trying to water bottle train as she pees/poops in the water and I need to change it 3-4 times a day. any tips on water bottle training?


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## jadeguppy

Very cute!


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## Lesley

Hi Jon,
Following this interesting subject of keeping voles ... I note that 'used' copies of the book mentioned - "The Handbook of Rodents in Captivity" - is available from Amazon for £44.50, a shame it's not cheaper, as it should be very interesting.
We used to get a series of voles climbing up and feeding from a suspended nut-tower of peanuts hung up for the birds in our garden.
However the rise of birds of prey in our area has seen a decline in vole and wood mouse numbers - but I keep the nut tower topped up. 
On more than one occasion in the past I've stroked a vole and indeed a wood mouse whilst they've been on the nut tower.


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## morning-star

After keeping the little one for a month now (and finding it pretty easy) do you think there would be an interest if I could successfully catch some WC voles, breed them and sell the offspring? -Of course provided they are in good health, parasite free, tame and water bottle trained. I'd perhaps wait a few generations to make sure they will thrive successfully, and there's no issues etc.

I just feel it could be a very interesting project (they are super cute :lol: ) -they are not a protected species or anything as they are common and considered pests. (I checked this before keeping Asphalt) -correction water voles are the only protected species of vole, which of course I wont be breeding.


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## SarahC

Lesley said:


> Hi Jon,
> Following this interesting subject of keeping voles ... I note that 'used' copies of the book mentioned - "The Handbook of Rodents in Captivity" - is available from Amazon for £44.50, a shame it's not cheaper, as it should be very interesting.


you can get it for £10 to £20.That's an outrageous price,it's only a small book that isn't rare :shock:Keep your eyes open,I got mine for £12.


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## Lesley

Thanks for that, Sarah. 
I shall indeed keep a look out for it at a better price.


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## david train

hi i have a field vole called mr mouse if you would like to hear its interesting life with me then please ask it is now over 2 years old. david


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## david train

david train said:


> hi i have a field vole called mr mouse if you would like to hear its interesting life with me then please ask it is now over 2 years old. david


she may be on BBC2 @ 9.00 pm on Thursday 17th Jan.2013


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## pro-petz

Hello and welcome to the forum


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## Skye_29

It would be awesome to have pet field voles as a popular thing. I like how they aren't protected and that people can catch and release them at will. You should definitely capture a couple and get a captive bred programme going on, I bet it would appeal to lots of people who want native pets!
Welcome, I'm new here too~


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## andypandy29us

hello and welcome  I think the voles are cute and think Id quite happily keep some  where abouts in the uk are you?


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## alilew

My brother and I used to go voleing on the way home from school like 20odd years ago we kept them in the big old plastic sweet jars for a day or two and let them go again, they made great pets and we had so much fun finding them, used to get told off for going home filthy though lol, but I really think you should breed them they are great little things x


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## DaisyTailsMousery

My cat cought a vole a few years ago, and I thought it was a mouse so I put it in with my other mice. The weird thing is they got along with each other and even slept together. I don't know if that's normal behavior or not, but it was cute and it did seem rather tame for a wild animal. I released it after realizing the it wasn't a mouse though.


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## lifelongcannibal

Hello Jon, welcome


rematnogard said:


> My cat cought a vole a few years ago, and I thought it was a mouse so I put it in with my other mice. The weird thing is they got along with each other and even slept together. I don't know if that's normal behavior or not, but it was cute and it did seem rather tame for a wild animal. I released it after realizing the it wasn't a mouse though.


Do you know if voles live in FL? May have heard of them once before, but I've never seen any


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## DaisyTailsMousery

They can live pretty much anywhere a wild mouse can live, however they are less likely to come in your house and mooch your cereal XD They probably do live in Florida, however they would prefer areas with tall grass or bushes/trees and not where it's densely populated.


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## gyri

There are many species of vole in florida but, unlike our friends overseas, most US states prohibit the collection of native mammals as pets. Not sure specifically about Florida but you should look into that before catching one and trying to keep it as a pet.


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## gyri

lifelongcanibal, I just looked it up and Florida does require a possession permit for all native non-game species. You can find more information here:http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/captive-wildlife/ Do what you want, voles aren't difficult to catch, but I am a strong advocate of strict adherence to fish and wildlife rules and regulations.

Oh, Jon, welcome to the forum! Good luck finding your vole. I've caught quite a few live in amphibian research traps and sherman traps. Be aware that depending on the time of year a female vole is likely to either be pregnant or nursing and you don't want to take a nursing one, it will result in the death of the pups for sure.


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## lifelongcannibal

gyri said:


> lifelongcanibal, I just looked it up and Florida does require a possession permit for all native non-game species. You can find more information here:http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/captive-wildlife/ Do what you want, voles aren't difficult to catch, but I am a strong advocate of strict adherence to fish and wildlife rules and regulations.
> 
> Oh, Jon, welcome to the forum! Good luck finding your vole. I've caught quite a few live in amphibian research traps and sherman traps. Be aware that depending on the time of year a female vole is likely to either be pregnant or nursing and you don't want to take a nursing one, it will result in the death of the pups for sure.


psshh, i'm not. i'm a strong advocate for personal responsibility.


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## gyri

lifelongcannibal said:


> psshh, i'm not. i'm a strong advocate for personal responsibility.


Ha, well, as with most laws, they are there because many people haven't a clue about personal responsibility. I have to follow the wildlife laws very closely due to my career choice, whether or not I agree with all of them. Just be sure not to get an endangered species of vole, lol.


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## lifelongcannibal

gyri said:


> lifelongcannibal said:
> 
> 
> 
> psshh, i'm not. i'm a strong advocate for personal responsibility.
> 
> 
> 
> Ha, well, as with most laws, they are there because many people haven't a clue about personal responsibility. I have to follow the wildlife laws very closely due to my career choice, whether or not I agree with all of them. Just be sure not to get an endangered species of vole, lol.
Click to expand...

Haha, I know, I don't plan on getting one anyways. And sadly those laws are now necessary, Don't know how many times i've seen people with undersized mangrove snapper (fish) fishing at the boat ramp. People don't understand that nature will give, but only to a certain extent without being put back into


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## david train

did anyone see my vole last night--just a 3 minute part of Winterwatch Unsprung ? she is 3 years 4 months & two weeks old David


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