# Wild wood mouse x fancy?



## MissPorter13 (Jun 20, 2012)

My daughter has been hand rearing a male Wood Mouse since she rescued him off of our cat a good few weeks back and so now baby Buttons has joined the menagerie!

We had originally planned to release him when he was full grown however we're now at that stage and he and my daughter are very attached to one another... :roll:

Basically now we've decided to keep him and have set him up in a lovely big cage I've become curious about breeding from him using fancy mice females... can this be successfully done? I know mice are social creatures anyway so I would rather him have the benefit of some mousey company too.

He's healthy, has a lovely nature, gorgeous big eyes and is of beautiful dainty proportions compared to the larger domestic ones

I'm just wondering if anyone on here has done/tried this before?
What were the results regarding colour/coat/temperament?

Really would love to give this a go but would like the opinions of the more experienced breeders/owners!


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

Well, for starters, I'm sure it's possible. What will come out of it, though, I don't know.
The idea is really interesting, but I have no idea whether there would be any risks.
And as for company, I'd suggest he stays in a cage by himself, no mouse company (unless, of course, you decide to try for a litter). But male mice will fight for territory.

Good luck!


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Wood mice and fancy mice are different species and can't interbreed. Fancy mice are house mice (mus musculus).


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## MissPorter13 (Jun 20, 2012)

Thanks for the replies.

If we were to house him with another we would only consider with a female as I know the males can't share.

And I never realised they were different species! Although to be honest we aren't 100% sure he's a wood mouse not a house mouse because of his age, our vet said we'll be able to be sure in a few weeks so we might still give introductions to a few females a go.

If he's a Wood mouse and he can't breed then at least he'll have some company and if he turns out to be a house mouse then we can just see what happens as far as a litter/breeding is concerned!


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I am very surprised your vet can't tell the difference, it's easy! 

Chestnut brown on top with a white belly = wood mouse
Dull grey-brown agouti with a pale grey belly = house mouse.

I don't see why he wouldn't get on with female mice even if he is a different species. Males tend to be very tolerant of ladies in their space.


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## Gill (Sep 16, 2011)

Just a word of warning. I rescued a woodmouse last year. As a temporary measure, I tried putting her in with a fancy buck. I had to remove her pdq as he did his best to kill her. It might work with a male woodmouse and fancy does, but be prepared to separate them at the first signs of fighting.


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## MissPorter13 (Jun 20, 2012)

SarahY said:


> I am very surprised your vet can't tell the difference, it's easy!
> 
> Chestnut brown on top with a white belly = wood mouse
> Dull grey-brown agouti with a pale grey belly = house mouse.


Our vet rarely sees any wildlife, he's in the middle of the city and is not long out of vet school haha, I can see why it might be hard to tell what mousey is though because he's a light brown/chestnut agouti with a pale dusky gray belly and very light almost white paws- his shading has varied slightly since she's had him though.

And I think I will try adding some girls and just see how it goes, obviously at any signs of serious trouble I will separate them immediately. I just think he'll have a happier existence with some company! I may also do some research to see if there's anywhere I can get another wood/house mouse (depending on what he is)...


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

Maybe try uploading a picture here, see what others say? Try taking pictures next to a window, natural light does a good job at showing the true colors.


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## MissPorter13 (Jun 20, 2012)

Will do, I'll get a picture some time today and put it up. 
And regardless of his species we've just paired him with some lovely little girls which are are about the same size/age as him- it was love at first sight! They haven't left each others side since they were introduced, and I went in this morning to find them all curled up fast asleep in his nest. He's been much more active and playful even in such a short amount of time.  
I'm glad we got him some company and I'd say it was without doubt the right decision...Fingers crossed they carry on getting along the way they have been and who knows, maybe we'll end up with some babies


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## lhmazeika (Aug 25, 2013)

I found a tiny baby woodmouse outside my house on the 4th of july in 2012.his eyes were closed and I didnt want to throw him back to fend for himself...so I took him home and spent many nights awake keeping his belly full so he didnt die. He grew fast and was very attached to me. I kept him and got him a nice expandable mouse cage. About a week later I decided to go to the pet store and buy a pinky to hand raise with my wild mouse. They got along great, so I was assuming that the new baby was a doe...but it turned out to be a buck!! They still get along fabulouse and spend many hours playing and grooming eachother. Ive since added 5 new critter trails to the cage and I cant be happier. I thought that it would be smelly because I had heard that the bucks have a terrible oder, but I clean the cages once a week and all stays fresh. I think I may have an odd case, with two males being so happy together, but I dont think so. I think just like most other animals, it can all depend on the disposition of the mice , thats what will determine if they get along well, or try to kill eachother. I have to say that I enjoy both of my boys, but the wild one ( willow) is much more needy than the domestic one (cricket).
I just wanted to add my experience with putting a wild mouse with a domestic mouse...and then add the fact that they are both male...and they get along so great!


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## summnd (Nov 24, 2013)

I was at a local park once and went through the scenic trail, to find a large wild doe drowned in the creek and I could hear a nest of peeping pups. I knew they were coming from a branch over hanging the creek and I finally found them..1 dead and 2 alive. I took the two live ones home and tried to feed them. I lost one within an hour or two of being home and I lost the other through the night. I was so upset. I thought I'd done something wrong. I later found another nest of mice in a field by the house. I was riding my horse and she stepped on the doe, but once I got her calmed down (from the mouse squeal under her feet) I could hear the pups. This time I had a nursing doe at home who only had 4 pups so I added the 2 wilds to her nest and she raised them just fine. I left them all in a community together, as both wilds were female and 3 of the doe's were female. (sold the doe's male)
I never had housing problems, even though their behaviors are different. I never attempted breeding, but as someone mentioned above, I don't think they can breed..BUT lions and tigers can breed, and horses and donkeys can breeds..so I'd give it a shot anyway xD (& if by odd chance they CAN reproduce, I'd cross their offspring to see if they are fertile)


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