02/27/2025
*F.A.Q.*
Interested individuals are advised to read through the entire guide before asking questions.
*What are Egyptian spiny mice?*
Also known as the Cairo spiny mouse, or Arabian spiny mouse, the Egyptian spiny mouse is an exotic mouse kept in the pet trade. It’s thought that the species kept in the U.S. is actually a hybrid. They are undomesticated. Although they aren’t fond of direct handling, I’ve found them to be very responsive to my presence and naturally inquisitive, even more so than many of the fancy mice I've kept previously. Due to their defense mechanism of degloving their tails and patches of skin it’s best not to handle them overly much and to use the scooping method. They are quite silly and fun to watch. Males and females can be kept in same s*x groups without issue. They have little to no noticeable odor and do not produce much waste. They live for about 5 years.
*What varieties do you breed?*
(At this time we’re a new rodentry and will focus solely on satin for a while.)
Standard - Wild type; a gold color with straight whiskers.
Satin - A coat type that causes curly whiskers and the color to appear a deep reddish-orange with a sleek shine. They reportedly (and in my experience as well so far) tend to be on the smaller side.
Wavy - A coat type that causes curly whiskers and fur, including the back spines.
All varieties can be housed together. This allows people to actually identify and name their individual mice! Some mice can even have splashes of color on their chest or belly, which is normally white.
I'll only be selling in pairs or trios or more, I won't sell single mice. They are colony animals. Litter sizes are so small and gestation is so long, there is no guarantee what will be available at any given time! I will post what I have, when I have it.
*What is their setup like?*
They are a bit bigger than fancy mice and are quite active. 75-100sqin per adult is the rule I was advised to go by. A 20 gallon long tank would house up to 5 mice, and up to 10 mice in a 40 gallon tank. Bin cages are also an option. I’d refrain from using wire cages personally. For bedding I use kiln dried pine shavings (you can also use aspen) and provide plenty of hides, but my spiny mice do not like to burrow and prefer to make use of hiding places that already exist. They tend to sleep out in the open as it is. You could call them fearless in a way, they don't seem to fret very much about being discovered. Or anything at all really...
Spiny mice LOVE heat lamps—I suppose it’s not really a requirement, but they love to pile up and sleep under the bulb. It looks very cute and serves as enrichment. I’d encourage people to buy one.
I feed Oxbow Adult Rat lab blocks daily and mealworms a few times a week for added protein. They like spray millet. Black oil sunflower seeds are also a hit. My mice love ge**er puffs or baby yogurt drops for treats, but spiny mice are prone to obesity, so anything aside from their staple diet should be given in moderation.
*When can I pick up my mice? Do you travel?*
They are ready to go to their new homes at 8 weeks old. I will travel as far as Little Rock, Arkansas, but otherwise a public pick-up location will be designated in White Hall. I’m open to working with certain transport services in the future as well but due to previous experiences I am very picky about who I trust my animals with.
*What if I want to start my own colony?*
I might be open to this somewhere down the line.
