Silky Mouse is a collective term for animals in the rodent family Muridae. Silky mice, as small pets, have small and chubby bodies with long and fluffy hair at the end of their tails. Their whole body is covered with uniform and soft fur, which feels delicate and silky. This type of silky mouse is native to the Andes Mountains in South America, and is well-known worldwide for its beautiful fur and unique body shape, and is beloved and popular among people.
In 1922, American mining engineer M.F. Chapman obtained 11 live silky mice, 8 male and 3 female, from their place of origin and brought them to California, USA. After taming and breeding them, he successfully established the precedent of artificially breeding silky mice. The breeding industry of silky mice in various countries is mostly developed based on these few original species.
Silky Mouse is suitable for all people. Silky Mouse has a gentle temperament and does not bite people. They like to live in groups, are good at jumping, and are timid and easily startled. They are accustomed to sleeping during the day and foraging at night, and enjoy lying in the soft sunlight in the cage. Male and female Silky Mice get along well most of the time, rarely quarrelling, only occasionally fighting during the breeding season. When male and female Silky Mice mate, they make a soft cooing sound like a dove.
Bloating
This disease often occurs in weaned or artificially fed silky mice. The main cause of silky mouse disease is improper food, with the young mice eating hard food before their digestive system is fully developed. In addition, unclean food, irregular feeding, insufficient maternal milk, and feeding young mice with fresh cow's milk instead of milk powder can all lead to the occurrence of this disease.
Hair Loss Disease
Hair loss can be divided into two types: malnutrition-induced hair loss and hair loss caused by skin diseases. Malnutrition-induced hair loss can occur at various stages of silky mice's development, leading to poor hair growth. This can be resolved through selective breeding, improved feeding management, increased protein proportion in the feed, attention to minerals, including supplementation and provision of trace elements, and the supply of high-quality forage. Hair loss caused by skin diseases can be treated by applying camphor oil to the affected area. Apply once every two days for a total of 3-4 times, and new hair will gradually grow in the affected area.
Skin diseases caused by parasitic mites on the skin are commonly referred to as mange.
Diarrhea
Young mice are prone to diarrhea when starting to eat or when fed with feed. Diarrhea in young mice is caused by feeding on feed contaminated with Escherichia coli, which manifests as weakness and symptoms of sepsis, with a higher mortality rate.
Silky mice like dry and cool environments, with suitable temperatures ranging from 2 to 30°C. They cannot tolerate temperatures below zero or above 30°C for their growth. Excessive rainfall, humidity, and cold winds are unfavorable for the growth and development of silky mice. Therefore, silky mice are generally raised in dim indoor environments.
1. The mouse house should be built in a higher place in the house, facing the sun and in a dry and quiet location. The windows of the mouse house should be small, and there should be no windows facing each other in the north and south to prevent air convection.
2. In winter, it is necessary to keep the silky mice warm. The indoor temperature is best maintained between 10-20 degrees Celsius. This is the most suitable temperature environment for silky mice to live in.
3. Keeping silky mice also requires good hygiene and epidemic prevention measures. Fresh air and fresh drinking water should be ensured every day.
4. Silky mice should not be mixed with other breeds of small pet mice. It is also necessary to prevent the invasion of household mice and eliminate rats from entering the breeding room and feed room.
5. Silky mice lack sweat glands and prefer dry and cool environments. They like clean and enjoy sand bathing. The equipment should be disinfected regularly, and sand bathing should be conducted at least once a week to enhance their health.
The best option for giving Silky Mice a bath is to use bath sand. The fine bath sand can penetrate to the roots of the hair and has strong adsorption capabilities for oil. At the same time, as the Silky Mouse rolls in the container, the bath powder continuously vibrates and rubs, cleaning the dirt off the skin and fur.
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