# Confused but Happy to be Here



## RatAtaT2693 (Apr 23, 2016)

Hello from the US! I'm currently fairly new to mice. I briefly had two from a big box pet shop a couple of years ago, and let's just say that didn't go too well for me or the mice. :?

Long story short, I have/had a cat, and the bar spacing was too large, which I didn't know until it was too late.

BUT, the past is past, and I'm looking to start again with much less catastrophy.

So, a little about me: I've been taking care of rats for the past few years. Love em to death. I can tell you all about them, but not much about mice.

Which is why I'm here.

Now, why am I confused? Because I saw something about there being a fancy mice _keepers_ forum, and I don't know if I should be over there instead. I'm guessing I'm in the right place, but I've made dumber mistakes.

I'm mainly focused on breeding for feed, while keeping a few here and there as pets. (Sorry?) I've seen how a lot of people raise feeders - I'm not really satisfied with it, and I want to supply an ethically raised source for both my and others' animals. I won't be selling live animals for feed, either. I'm also not looking to make a lot of money off of it, either. A hobby, I guess.

I really just want to make sure that my set up is pet quality so that they all get the best life they can have. Kind of like free ranged chickens. Just because they're food, it doesn't make them any less worthy of respect.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Hi and welcome.You are in the right place.Fancy mice keepers was a failed effort to appease a vocal section of mouse keepers that were largely anti anything other than mouse hugging.We are all on here together now whatever the reason for keeping mice ,from hugging to breeding to a high standard for feeding  and mostly it works .


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Hey there! Sounds like you found exactly the right place! Don't feel too out of sorts for being American, either. There's a good few of us floating around, too.


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## RatAtaT2693 (Apr 23, 2016)

Thanks. I can't seem to find many American Fancy Mouse places. It's really hard period to find fans of rodents in the US, though rats seem to have a better grouping here.

I started on the Fun Mouse, but never posted anything after reading some... interesting posts. But enough on that.

I tried hugging my mouse once - she jumped off my shoulder (while I was standing), dashed off into my dirty laundry and hid behind the rat cage, oddly enough. I think that was about the time I realized mice weren't on my list of favorite pets. I was admittedly disappointed since I fell in love with rats and - I don't know - I guess I thought they'd be like rats, but smaller.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Rats and mice have overlap in diet and keeping, but it's about like cavies and rabbits.  Depending on where you are in the US, your fancy mouse club might be AFRMA, FMBA, or MAMA. AFRMA is California-only (with AFRMA SC doing shows in TX and OK occasionally). FMBA ranges from OK to WI to PA to TN. MAMA is mid-Atlantic by name, but their shows are I believe all in PA for the next year at least.


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## RatAtaT2693 (Apr 23, 2016)

I'm in Vermont. If I want either, I either have to go to a pet store or Massachusetts. I foster for a small animal rescue that focuses on rats, though, so I solved one problem.

You mention rodents to a Vemonter and they'll immediately give you some rat poison.

And yeah - they eat about the same, but rats seem a little more... intelligent? Maybe it's because I got my mice from Petsmart and my rats from a decent hobby pet breeder.

Watch me start breeding food and fall in love with one. Oiy. Lol.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Hm. You might be the first Vermonter I know who does mice, but there are breeders in Maine, Connecticut, Massachussets, NJ, NY, PA, and MD, so you're certainly not out in the boonies! Or, at least, not from the perspective of somebody sitting in Middle of Nowhere, Arkansas.


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## RatAtaT2693 (Apr 23, 2016)

I've found I'm one of, like, four people who works with rodents in any capacity, besides your pet store employees.

But yeah, I've lived in Western NC where there is no one, so anything New England is populated.


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