General Information:
Multimammates are also referred to as African Soft Furred mouse. They're typically used as reptile feeders as they're prolific breeders; they’re referred to as Multimammate mice/rats due to their multiple mammary glands; they generally have 8-12 pairs of mammary glands, but there have been documented numbers as high as 18 pairs! That is a drastic difference compared to female house mice which only have 5 pairs. They have a reputation for having large litters. In more recent years, they've been more commonly seen throughout the pet trade.
They’re native to Africa and commonly live amongst a broad-spectrum of habitats ranging from dry to moist environments. As a nocturnal species of mouse, they’d commonly go foraging for food at night.
Multimammates also eat an omnivorous diet consisting of both animal and plant materials – even extending to cannibalism under extreme pressure for food.
Multimammates live for 3 years on average in captivity.
Care:
Socialising:
Most Multimammates can be considered a look-but-don’t-touch type of pet. It’s important to remember that they’ve not been kept as a domesticated species for an overly long time but that isn’t to say they don’t make lovely pets.
Multimammates need socialisation with their own kind, even when cohabiting with fancy mice. Roughly 3 multimammates per colony is the 'magic number'.
Keepers report male multimammate mice can live together without as many behavioural issues than that of male fancy mice, if well kept. If you have a male multimammate who cannot live amongst their own kind, male multimammates can live amongst female fancy mice without reproducing. Alternatively, you can castrate your male multimammate and have him live amongst females of his own kind - the latter would be the preferred option.
Cohabiting with fancy mice:
Entire male fancy mice can be very territorial when living with other males. A way of providing male mice socialisation includes cohabiting with female multimammates. Female multimammates cannot breed with fancy mice but can still provide socialisation. It is important to consider castrating your male mice before considering cohabbing with another species of mouse. Multis cannot provide the same level of interaction as that of their own kind.
Diet:
A Multimammates diet isn’t the same as a domesticated house mouse, but it is similar. As they’re not commonly kept as pets, commercial pet foods are mostly unsuitable. People recommend making your own homemade Shunamite-style mix or feeding a good rodent-mix, fruits, vegetables, and the occasional live insects.
Studies have shown stomach contents of Multimammates across Tanzania and Swaziland contained mostly seeds, grains, plant materials, invertebrates, fruits, vegetables, and unidentified matter. Contents were the same across both landscapes.
Useful Links:
Housing/Enrichment:
Multimammates are notorious chewers and can easily chew out of plastic cages. For that reason, it’s strongly advised that you house your Multimammates in a well-ventilated glass tank - approximately 4ft by 1ft or larger.
They require plenty of toys to chew such as safe wooden nest boxes, twigs, branches, and similar items. We provide a large 27cm in diameter solid-floor wheel as they are active rodents.
A decent layer of a substrate provides added enrichment as Multis enjoy burrowing. You can encourage natural foraging behaviour by scatter-feeding their food. We prefer using cardboard bedding as it’s very affordable, aesthetically pleasing, and great for respiratory issues.
Multimammates are also referred to as African Soft Furred mouse. They're typically used as reptile feeders as they're prolific breeders; they’re referred to as Multimammate mice/rats due to their multiple mammary glands; they generally have 8-12 pairs of mammary glands, but there have been documented numbers as high as 18 pairs! That is a drastic difference compared to female house mice which only have 5 pairs. They have a reputation for having large litters. In more recent years, they've been more commonly seen throughout the pet trade.
They’re native to Africa and commonly live amongst a broad-spectrum of habitats ranging from dry to moist environments. As a nocturnal species of mouse, they’d commonly go foraging for food at night.
Multimammates also eat an omnivorous diet consisting of both animal and plant materials – even extending to cannibalism under extreme pressure for food.
Multimammates live for 3 years on average in captivity.
Care:
Socialising:
Most Multimammates can be considered a look-but-don’t-touch type of pet. It’s important to remember that they’ve not been kept as a domesticated species for an overly long time but that isn’t to say they don’t make lovely pets.
Multimammates need socialisation with their own kind, even when cohabiting with fancy mice. Roughly 3 multimammates per colony is the 'magic number'.
Keepers report male multimammate mice can live together without as many behavioural issues than that of male fancy mice, if well kept. If you have a male multimammate who cannot live amongst their own kind, male multimammates can live amongst female fancy mice without reproducing. Alternatively, you can castrate your male multimammate and have him live amongst females of his own kind - the latter would be the preferred option.
Cohabiting with fancy mice:
Entire male fancy mice can be very territorial when living with other males. A way of providing male mice socialisation includes cohabiting with female multimammates. Female multimammates cannot breed with fancy mice but can still provide socialisation. It is important to consider castrating your male mice before considering cohabbing with another species of mouse. Multis cannot provide the same level of interaction as that of their own kind.
Diet:
A Multimammates diet isn’t the same as a domesticated house mouse, but it is similar. As they’re not commonly kept as pets, commercial pet foods are mostly unsuitable. People recommend making your own homemade Shunamite-style mix or feeding a good rodent-mix, fruits, vegetables, and the occasional live insects.
Studies have shown stomach contents of Multimammates across Tanzania and Swaziland contained mostly seeds, grains, plant materials, invertebrates, fruits, vegetables, and unidentified matter. Contents were the same across both landscapes.
Useful Links:
- www.diebrain.de/ma-futter.html (translate to English)
Housing/Enrichment:
Multimammates are notorious chewers and can easily chew out of plastic cages. For that reason, it’s strongly advised that you house your Multimammates in a well-ventilated glass tank - approximately 4ft by 1ft or larger.
They require plenty of toys to chew such as safe wooden nest boxes, twigs, branches, and similar items. We provide a large 27cm in diameter solid-floor wheel as they are active rodents.
A decent layer of a substrate provides added enrichment as Multis enjoy burrowing. You can encourage natural foraging behaviour by scatter-feeding their food. We prefer using cardboard bedding as it’s very affordable, aesthetically pleasing, and great for respiratory issues.
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Please feel free to ask more questions.