Egyptian Spiny Mice are widely loved for being outgoing, friendly mice and are rapidly gaining popularity among hobbyists!

In addition to having wonderful personalities, Egyptian Spiny Mice are relatively easy to maintain. Their care is not much different from that of a regular mouse! Spiny mice are generally easy to tame. Handle them often, and they will quickly get used to you. Taming generally does not take too long and in no time they will usually enjoy spending time with their owners. When handling Egyptian Spiny Mice it is important to be careful when lifting them. Their tails are very delicate and can break if mishandled. Egyptian Spiny Mice are known to overeat to it is important to watch their fat intake, and to feed a balanced diet. Toys or wood that make them gnaw and chew are good as well, and can help them develop their teeth. Spiny mice also like living amongst each other! It is recommended that they be kept in same sex pairs. If they are kept in groups of the opposite sex they can, and often will breed rapidly. Overall, Spiny Mice are sweet little rodents that make very fun pets!

Egyptian Spiny Mice are beautiful little rodents. Mature individuals measure an average of five inches in length. They have long tails, usually the length of their bodies. They have hairs that are very sharp, hence the term "Spiny", and these can be fairly painful and unpleasant when caught in the grip of a predator - which is why you need to be careful when handling them. They come in a few basic colors, although they're mostly found in a light brownish gold, with little spots of lighter color here and there around their eyes and ears and light bellies. The spines are generally black or tan in color. Spiny Mice have eyes and ears so big as to seem inappropriate to their bodies! There are several color mutations.

Egyptian Spiny Mice are found in Egypt, hence their common name, and live all over the African and Middle Eastern world as well. Their spines and frightening name belie the essentially sweet temperament of these mice.

Spiny Mice may be susceptible to prolapsed uteruses or labor problems. Tail biting is another common problem which may be avoided by keeping the number of mice per cage low and feeding and watering the mice each night.

It has also been reported that when these mice are kept in groups they may single out an individual and eat it. For this reason care should be taken when housing multiple mice in a single enclosure.

Spiny Mice are usually very easy to breed. If you put males and females in a cage, they will usually breed rapidly. Young Spiny Mice are born fully furred and are weaned by two weeks of age. The babies don't take very long to leave the mother's care - a scant month and a half - and after that, you can raise them apart from the mother. Spiny mice are attached to their parents at early ages so keep that in mind when deciding if it's time to separate them or not. Usually the breeding season lasts from November to August and females come into heat each four or five days. Gestation lasts for 35 to 42 days and an average of two mice are born.