Zebra Mice Photos

[fernzara]

Hi All,

thought you would like to see photos of my colony of mice

Ma is enjoying some EMP eggfood while a babe is poking his/her head out from the tube!
zc3.jpg

some other photos of the adults
Zebras.jpg
zc4.jpg

[Scarlette]

Wow! Those are very pretty mice. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Padfoot]

Adorable!!!! They are truly beautiful. 8)

[fernzara]

Thanks, i came across them advertised in a bird mag! LOL
they are great pets but not so cuddly like fancy mice. very quiet, very clean, orderless. fantastic to watch.

[DorkyChantelle]

Wow, I've never seen a picture of full-grown zebra mice. They have such beautiful markings!

[fernzara]

i have one colony at the moment of one male (pala) and two females (squish and pop) girls are sisters and fella is un-related. they are about 6 months old and almost fully grown - with 4 cute babes just out of nest!
i also have an un-related female who has horrid lumps on her sides but they are confirmed as tumors by my exotics vet. im not sure how long she has left bless her. ill miss her as she was my first and has always been a pet. her sister died recently (owned by my sister) unknown causes. ive read they often die by unknown causes but i think Snanaca's litter (her and her sis) must of been doomed from birth. heart breaking.

[Sasami]

Aww! Very cute!

[Zouave]

I wonder how they compare to Spiny mice in terms of sociability, intelligence, and ability to be tamed. Spiny's are high in those regards. Neither are domesticated mice.

Zebras I hear can be extra nervous, and unlikely to submit to being held and kissed as the tamesr Spiny's do.

Zebra mice are very pretty; their markings remind me of baby tapirs! Or watermelons.
I saw them up close at the Bronx Zoo when they were on display once.

[stuieboo]

They are beutiful, anyone know if they are avaliable in the UK ?

[fernzara]

Quote: Originally Posted by stuieboo They are beutiful, anyone know if they are avaliable in the UK ?

yep, i breed them and have 4 babes in my first litter. i know of only one other breeder.

[fernzara]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zouave I wonder how they compare to Spiny mice in terms of sociability, intelligence, and ability to be tamed. Spiny's are high in those regards. Neither are domesticated mice. Zebras I hear can be extra nervous, and unlikely to submit to being held and kissed as the tamesr Spiny's do. Zebra mice are very pretty; their markings remind me of baby tapirs! Or watermelons. I saw them up close at the Bronx Zoo when they were on display once.

The Zebras are very good in trios, females excel in large groups but males can fight if your unlucky. from the little i know of them they are sulky if housed alone, so pairs or trios seem to work best - if you have a very large tank im sure you could keep a bigger colony, its very much trial and error until more is known about captive bred Zebras. they seem to be intellegent enough, i have no experience of Spiny mice so really couldnt comment, the Zebras are skittish but steady when any movement near them is kept slow. my colony are not tamed but alow me to stroke them without picking them up and handle their young - i certainly feel they know my smell and are intellegent enough to know i mean them no harm. they scurry away if anyone else comes into sight. the young are staedy enough but can become skittish without warning so this makes handling hard.
to handle the zebras you need a babe thats been well handled from as young as possible - my 7 moth old tame female is fine as long as im slow in my movements, she sits on my hand but is not cuddley. the slightest movement or noise scares her. if not handled at least every other day they 'go off' very quickly and lose trust.
ive always thought the Zebras look like those stripey hum-bug sweets you can get?!

[Purplebunny]

Wow they look amazing, thanks for posting some pics..

[Zouave]

>> my colony are not tamed but alow me to stroke them without picking them up and handle their young - i certainly feel they know my smell and are intellegent enough to know i mean them no harm. they scurry away if anyone else comes into sight. <<

Very interesting, and more "tameable" than I thought.

Getting Spiny's was hard enough for me; Zebras I can't imagine being able to get.

[fernzara]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zouave Very interesting, and more "tameable" than I thought. Getting Spiny's was hard enough for me; Zebras I can't imagine being able to get.

are you in the UK or elsewhere in world?
i think spinys and zebras are rare and hardly heard of here in uk, i came across them by chance and used the net to hunt down other breeders - they are out there but hard to find.
i did not know my zebs had had a litter until the babes were up and about, being non oder i only clean out every 3-4 weeks so the babes were a shock when i found them, ive heard they are not as easy to breed as many other rodents. im keeping a closer eye on them daily now as often they have more babes before older ones are removed, when i catch them with babes im going to handle earlier. these 4 are very quick and scatty but will sit still for a tickle, the parents stay still longer and are more relaxed.

[Zouave]

I am in NYC, U.S. Here, ferrets and hedgehogs are illegal!