Spinnifex
Hopping Mouse
(Notomys alexis)
Interview with Donna
Overton
Positives of Hopping Mice as pets?
Can be kept inside in specially set up enclosure. Friendly little critters.
Social, happy to live in family groups. Fairly easy to feed and clean.
Hardy species. Easy to breed (although I haven't been successful)
Negatives of Hopping Mice as pets?
Not easy to obtain in Australia (although there are quite a few in captivity
already, our laws are a little tight on obtaining them from different
states, etc). Prone to interbredding because of their social living. Once
sexual maturity is reached (at around 1 month) they can have a litter
every 3 months - so a population explotion could occur.
Anecdotes/stories about your Hopping Mouse pet?
They love to re-arrange their enclosure. I use dry river-sand as a substrate.
And weekly I will clean their enclosure, get it looking nice, flat, even,
etc. By the next morning they have completely re-landscaped the enclosure
with their digging. (ps - if you have rocks, etc in the enclosure, make
sure they are placed through the sand to the bottom because of this)
Do they have scent glands or an offensive smell?
No scent gland. Some species do have a glandular pouch on the throat.
The can smell a bit 'mousy', but regular cleaning of the enclosure helps
this (they will usually use one corner as a litrine site)
What is their average lifespan?
They have been known to live to 3 years of age
Do they tolerate interaction?
A little. They are fairly shy, but if you handle them from young you'd
be o.k. They are not aggressive at all.
What is their general personality, disposition, and
attitude?
Shy, social and cute to watch
Are they hyper, or more sedate when being handled?
Not sure as I don't handle my guys
How destructive are they in their cage?
Not to the cage, just to the landscaping.
Are there any problems associated with their claws?
No
How messy are their droppings?
Minimal - being mainly seed eaters they're fairly clean
Can they be litter box trained?
Yes, I used cardboard cores (fairly wide ones) which they will go into
to wee (and eventually fill with sand as they seem to do the cat thing,
cover it up afterwards)
Can they be trained?
Don't know
What size cage do they need?
At least 1400 sq cm per animal, 50cm height (above substrate) and an extra
700 sq cm per additional animal
What is the best diet for them?
Rodent (fine) seed mix, corn kernals, chopped fruit, sprouted whea, pollen
grains, sunflower seeds, almond, ,mealworms (once a week) and native vegetation
(which they love to pull apart)
What vaccinations/vet care do they require?
Unkown
At what age would it be best to get one?
Early as possible
Are they difficult to breed?
Supposedly not
Other Consideration for owners of Hopping Mice ?
As they come from the desert parts of Australia, they are used to a fairly
warm and dry climate. I have 2 light globes (25w) in the enclosure. One
(a blue globe) stays on all the time, the other (a normal globe) is on
during daylight hours only. This keeps them warm as well as replicating
the outside light.
What kind of person should own these animals?
Any, they're a low-maintance, easy to keep animal (but remembering, like
most Australian natives they're nocturnal) although mine come and go during
daylight hours too (they get fed early evening).
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