- Gerbils; it doesn't really matter. Females get along with females, males get along with males, males get along with females, and so on! Generally pretty amicable little guys ;-) However, should be kept in twos as opposed to threes or more. Temperaments of the sexes are similar.
- Hamsters; one hamster only! Do not combine hamsters! They're like certain chemicals... they may be pretty inoffensive on their own, but don't combine them! If you *really* want to try it, buy two young male brothers, as close as possible in size and age. And watch them carefully, ideally with an extra cage on hand & ready! Otherwise, it doesn't matter; males and females have about the same temperament, although the females are more aggressive (which is why, if you're trying to keep a pair, always keep two males). Even when breeding, you have to keep the pair apart until the female is ready to mate, or else she may hurt the smaller male!
- Mice:
- Females rarely fight (unless one female has a litter an another, unknown female is introduced) and are the least smelly.
- Males will often fight, especially if a newcomer is introduced. They can, however, still be kept together; buy two young male brothers (or two males of similar age and size that are used to each other), and don't add any females. Unless they are totally incompatible they usually get along great after a few initial, almost always harmless spats. The worst combination is one females and two or more males; they will fight over the female. Males have a distinct odor that, while it won't exactly permeate a room or anything (well, unless the cage is left uncleaned...), is fairly strong; it's something to keep in mind.
- Males and females get along fine, but *will* breed, quite prolificly! Keep them apart! Even if you want to breed them, they need to be seperated before the female is due, as she can become pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth (which besides more than likely being far more babies than you can handle, is extremely hard on her!).
- Rats:
- See This Article for my opinion on rat sexes! Males and females together are like mice.
- Gerbils; two or more.
- Hamsters; one per cage.
- Mice; two or more.
- Rats; ideally two or more.
- Breeders: Are nearly always the best choice, if you can find one. Most breeders keep good records on pedigrees, they know their animals; they know their personalities, they know their genetics, they just know them! They also usually (not always) pay better attention to the health, happiness, and general upkeep of their animals. Of course, there's good breeders and bad breeders, and I would choose a good pet shop over a bad breeder; but in general, all other things equal, I'd go with the breeder every time.
- Pet Shops: Are the other option; sometimes the only option if you can't find any breeders in your area with the animals you want. They can be good sources, too, but it's much more variable; there's a much higher percentage of bad pet shops than bad breeders... heck, there's a much higher percentage of mediocre pet shops than breeders! Also, keep in mind that the vast majority of pet shops sell their small rodents mostly as "feeders"; food for other animals, usually snakes and other reptiles. In my area, I do know one pet shop that tries their best not to sell their rodents, most especially their rats, as feeders, but they're the exception. You have to keep in mind that by buying a rodent from a pet shop, you are probably encouraging the shop owner to continue stocking rodents, and hence continue selling them as feeders.
- More options; friends, rescue centers, etc.: And then of course there's the various people that, for one reason or other, need to give up their animals; sometimes their adults, sometimes pups from litters they had. There's also rescue centers that take in animals that need to be taken in. These are all good choices, and you'll be helping out somebody; sometimes saving a life!
- Clean cages; the bedding should be clean, as should the water bottles/dishes; food should be readily available, of the proper type (NOT dog food), and clean.
- Comfortably populated cages; one of the clearest signs to me that a source doesn't much care for the health of it's animals are over-crowded cages. Of course, cages are going to be a bit more crowded than they should be later on, at the pet owners', because the animals are only going to be there temporarily (until they're sold), but it should not be overcrowded to the leval that the animals are uncomfortable, stressed, or otherwise not happy with the situation. One of my local shops routinely has what I would guesstimate at 30 + mice in one 10-15 gallon tank; these are the "feeder" PEW mice... the "fancy" mice (anything non-PEW) are accorded slightly less stressful conditions with "only" around up to 20 or so mice per tank. Particularly in the feeder tank these conditions show; the mice, besides being obviously stressed and unhealthy, often show open wounds (from fights, no doubt), often infected. I can't imagine keeping rodents under these kind of conditions, even if they *are* destined to end up in some reptile's belly!
- Same-sex cages; good pet shops and breeders will seperate their rodents before 8 weeks of age; this shows, first of all, enough knowledge to discern the sexes (believe it or not many pet shop employees lack even that), and second of all care for the animals. You will also not accidentally walk home with more animals than you think you have, in the case of a pregnant female.
- Healthy animals; while every pet shop and breeder will likely have an outbreak of disease at some point or other, obviously you shouldn't buy there if they're having that outbreak when you're looking! Plus, of course, they may not just be having an "outbreak"; they may routinely have sick animals. Good breeders (but rarely if ever pet shops) will not sell rodents at all if they're having problems with a communicable disease. See below for signs of unhealthy, quite possibly diseased animals.
- Last but not least, the breeder/pet shop should show care for their animals! Many pet shops don't, and that's one of the main reasons I prefer breeders. They should obviously care about their animals, seem concerned for them, want to see them in good homes... just generally love them! :-)
- First, health. The most important thing... you could have the sweetest, most even-tempered animal in the world and it still wouldn't do you a darn bit of good (and probably more than a bit of heartbreak) if it died three days later from some disease. While some diseases may not be easily apparent, there are some signs to look for. By the way, if even one animal in the pet shop or at the breeder's or wherever seems obviously sick, DON'T BUY THERE; even if the rest of the animals seem perfectly healthy. The sick animal could have already passed whatever it's carrying on to them, but they may not be showing it yet. That doesn't mean they won't, soon! Here are some things to look for:
- First off, any open wounds - that seems obvious, but it isn't, always. Obviously this isn't "communicable", per se, but it does show lack of care in the animals!
- Dull, patchy fur; could be mites, could be fights, could be bad diet, could be age... could be a number of things, all bad!
- Listless, lethargic animals; obviously there's going to be a few animals sleeping, or just waking up from sleeping, but the majority should be active and playful.
- Eyes and nose; any discharge, swelling, infections on either are bad.
- Weight; ribs should not be visible; the animal should not be bony looking or otherwise thin looking; healthy animals are chubby, "well-padded" you might say.
- Sneezing; this is the first sign of the dreaded rat & mouse disease known as Mycoplasma ("Myco"). It's *very* contagious and if one rat or mouse has it, they probably all do. One sneeze is not bad (probably just dust); continuous sneezes or sneezes heard from a number of animals is a sign that something's wrong. If you can pick up the animals and listen to their breathing, you will probably hear a slight wheezing. Those more advanced in the disease will be noticibly wheezing and having trouble breathing; the worst animals will be lethargic, very thin-looking, and cool to the touch. (one of my previous rats, Trevor, caught this from a pet shop rat that wasn't quarantined corrently; after being very sick, he eventually recovered; unlike another rat, Star, that had also caught it, and died from it.)
- Anything else; I have a saying; if you're uncomfortable in any way with the breeder/pet shop, or with the way the animals look or act, buy elsewhere - your instincts are probably right!
- Males or females?
Obviously, if you're planning on breeding, you'll want a mix (usually pairs or trios depending on what you're planning), but as a beginner it's generally better to avoid breeding, if at all possible, and so choosing which sex you want can be important!
There's two main options; breeders or pet stores.
Of course, regardless of what type of a source a source is (breeder, pet shop etc.), there's things to look for; most specifically, healthy animals, and the conditions that lead to healthy animals. Some of these are:
This one can be harder, simply because it's harder to put a finger on. Always ask to handle an animal first; sometimes pet shops won't allow you to do this for various reasons (sometimes because the pet shop employees themselves aren't quite sure of how to handle the animals!), but I wouldn't want to buy from such a pet shop.
Obviously, animals that havn't been handled at all will be skittish; particularly the more active species, the gerbils and the mice. Mice especially may be almost impossible to hold! So first off, you're looking for one that will allow itself to be handled; or is at least a bit calmer than the others!
Second, if the animal bites without good reason, choose another one. What's "good reason"? Well, if you caused it pain, for instance... you're thinking, "I'm not going to cause it pain!", but sometimes if the animal is about to take off (spotting freedom down there on the ground), you can reach for it and grab a leg or other more sensitive part of the anatomy, and the animal may bite. That's good reason. If it's not in pain, it doesn't have good reason; even if it's just very scared... while that may be good reason, that's still not the animal you want, because it's probably very skittish.
Some of this depends on what species you're looking for; gerbils may nip, and this usually is just "exploratory"... as in, "gee, I wonder what this tastes like?". Gerbils are like that; but even gerbils should *not* bite... as in, suddenly take a chunk out of your finger. VERY tame young rats (almost exclusively from breeders that have the time to handle them) will nibble on you, sometimes to the point of being painful (but they should not draw blood), not because they're deliberately being mean but because they're trying to groom you! They view you as other "rats", and are trying to clean you the same way they would another rat... however, they don't have the same concept of limits as older rats do, and so, rather like toddlers, they may unintentionally inflict pain.
In general, look for individuals that you like; if you'd prefer a more laid-back individual, look for one of those... a more playful one, etc. Of course it's hard to choose while in a busy pet shop, possibly with an impatient employee looking over your shoulder, but do your best... that's yet another reason I prefer breeders... they tend to be more patient! Most love having you around to discuss their critters with ;-)
Breeders will also often know the individual temperament of their available critters; rather than having to get to know them yourself in a single visit, you have the breeder to tell you their personalities, which they often know well... after all, in most instances the breeder has known these animals since birth! They also know the animal's parents, and what kind of personalities *they* have; which often directly correlates with the personalities of the babies!
In any case, choose as well as you can; if you walk home and find out you have an animal that's simply not compatible with you, ask to exchange it. One of my very first rodents ever (I must have been about 6 or 7) were two gerbils; one "mine", one my sister's... we got home with them and my sister's gerbil promptly bit nearly completely through her small finger, fingernail and all. That was probably the only time we've ever returned a pet!