Pet mouse breeds, types and colours

What are the different mouse breeds?

Strictly, there aren't any. The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA) puts it simply: mice don't come in breeds of different shapes and sizes, but in varieties of colour and coat. Every pet mouse is a fancy mouse, the domestic form of the house mouse, which people in Europe and Asia began breeding for its fur and colour, according to the MSD Veterinary Manual.

In the UK, the National Mouse Club, founded in 1895, sorts the varieties it judges into five main sections. These are the groups you will hear breeders and shows use.

AFRMA in the US organises things a little differently: eight coat varieties, then colour sections called Self, Tan and Fox, Marked, Any Other Colour and Any Other Colour Pattern. The animals are the same. Only the filing system changes.

Mouse coat types: satin, long hair, rex, astrex and more

Coat is what most people mean when they ask about mouse breeds. These are the main types, from AFRMA and the Oxfordshire rescue Crittery.

What is an astrex mouse?

An astrex is a mouse with a curly coat and curly whiskers. In the UK it is a recognised variety shown in the Any Other Variety section. Coat genes can stack, so you will also see astrex satins, with the curl plus the satin shine, in the same way AFRMA lists frizzie satins and long-haired satins. An astrex needs no special care. A rex mouse is a close cousin: the name covers tightly curled, close-cropped coats.

Abyssinian mice

An Abyssinian mouse has rosettes or swirls in its coat, like an Abyssinian guinea pig. Crittery notes the coat is not yet standardised by the National Mouse Club, so you will meet it as a pet type rather than a show variety. The number and size of swirls varies from mouse to mouse.

Hairless mice

Hairless mice look striking, but think carefully. RSPCA Australia lists obvious genetic traits such as hairlessness as a possible sign of inbreeding, which can affect health. A mouse controls its body heat partly through its tail, and a hairless mouse has no coat to hold warmth, so keep its room steady at the warmer end of 18 to 22°C (64 to 72°F) and out of draughts. AFRMA adds that hairless mice need their nails kept short.

Mouse colours and markings

AFRMA recognises 16 self colours alone: beige, black, blue, champagne, chocolate, coffee, cream, dove, fawn, gold, ivory, lilac, orange, red, silver and white. Eyes are either black or pink, with "pink eye" covering every shade from pink to ruby red, as Crittery explains. On top of colour come the patterns.

Colour and markings make lovely names easier too. Our pet mouse names page has ideas by colour.

What are the best mouse breeds for pets?

No variety is friendlier than another. Temperament comes from the line a mouse is bred from and how much gentle handling it had young, so the best pet mouse is a healthy, well-handled one of whatever colour you like. AFRMA says show mice must be tractable and easy to handle, which is one reason good exhibition breeders tend to produce calm pets.

For a first group, a standard or satin coat is the simplest choice: nothing to tangle, nothing extra to keep warm. Size varies too. Crittery puts pet fancy mice at about 25 to 50 g (0.9 to 1.8 oz) and show types at 60 g (2.1 oz) or more, and the MSD Veterinary Manual says males are usually larger than females. Choosing between does and bucks matters far more than coat, so read our guide to male or female mice before you pick.

Wild mouse types: what are the three types of mice?

People who ask this usually mean the wild mice they might meet. In Britain the three you are most likely to see are these, all described by The Wildlife Trusts.

In North America the deer mouse is the wild mouse people ask about most. It is a different animal from the house mouse, and the CDC names it as the main carrier of the hantavirus that causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the US. Never keep a wild mouse as a pet. Only the house mouse has a tame form, and that is the fancy mouse.

Breeding mice: what to know before you start

Breeding mice is easy to start and hard to do well. A doe can have a litter every few weeks, homes for the babies are scarce, and Crittery says male mice in particular stay longest in rescue. Our honest advice for pet owners is not to breed. If you are drawn to the fancy, join a club first and learn from experienced breeders.

These are the facts every breeder works with, from the National Mouse Club and the MSD Veterinary Manual.

Mouse breeding racks

A breeding rack is a shelving unit that holds rows of plastic tubs, one group of mice per tub. Some breeders use them because they save space and are quick to clean. We don't recommend them for pet mice. Welfare charities ask for far more room: Woodgreen's minimum for three or four mice is 80 × 50 × 35 cm (31 × 20 × 14 in), with climbing, a solid wheel and deep bedding to dig in, and the RSPCA says mice find bare, open space stressful and need things to climb. If you buy from a breeder, ask to see where the adult mice live day to day. For a proper pet home, see our mouse cage size guide.

Rex and astrex mice for sale: where to find them

Curly coats, satins and unusual colours rarely turn up in pet shops, so you will usually find them through the fancy. In the UK, the National Mouse Club does not share breeders' details with non-members, so joining or visiting a show is the way in. Its calendar lists championship shows through the year. In the US, AFRMA publishes a members' breeders list by state, which says what varieties each breeder keeps. AFRMA advises not buying mice younger than 5 weeks and asking breeders what health testing they do.

Rescues often have fancy varieties too, and the fee is small. Our guide to where to get a pet mouse covers rescues, breeders and what to check before you bring mice home, and our mouse health guide shows what a healthy mouse looks like. Whatever coat you choose, the full pet mouse care guide applies to every variety.