Customer Reviews

Mice: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual (Pet Owners Manuals)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is perhaps the best book out there regardig mice as pets. It has cage set up suggestions I have not seen anywhere else and is full of information that puts the needs of mice above all else. This book is a must if you keep mice or are thinking of getting a mouse.
D.S

This book is a fantastic guide to the world of pet mice. It is simply said, and easy enough for young readers to understand. I, myself am only 13 years old! But "Mice" should be one of any pet lover's favorite books. It is highly informative and has fantastic photos and drawings that match the text. Great reading!!!

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone thinking of purchasing mice for pets, whether you're a first timer or an experienced mouse owner. However, there are two trouble spots I'd like to point out first:

- Concerning the section about "mouse condos": Biefeld asserts that a simple flat table with no walls of any sort can make an excellent home for mice. I strongly advice against this. Many mice will jump off the edge of tables regardless of the height to the floor (especially in their "jumping stage"), and sometimes mice are, quite simply, clumsy, and will tumble off the edge of ledges involuntarily. A cage / aquariaum will serve your mice much better as a home.

- Biefeld also somewhat idealizes the concept of taming your mouse, stating that playing with it while young will make it so comfortable with you it will want to be picked up. This is simply not true. You can play with a young mouse in the gentlest fashion and still have it scurry away from your hand for the rest of its life. Also placing your hand / finger motionless in front of a mouse in a cage is often an invitation to get bitten. Not that this should discourage you in any way; it's simply instinct. But don't expect your mouse to become like a dog.

Other than these points, the guide is fantastic. Covers almost every area you could possibly need, including mouse anatomy and nutrition, breeding habits and pregnancy, genetics, mouse behavior and social interaction, different types of mice, and various other areas. I find myself constantly going back to the book to look up one thing or another. Highly reccommended if you own or are going to own mice.

Bielfeld's books isn't bad. It has more depth than most of the books on mice out there. It isn't written for elementary school students acquiring a first pet who might have been reading only 1-3 years. However, this still isn't sufficient as the only book you'd need if you have pet mice. While it goes into genetics, the material is not helpful (either for someone just starting out with no understanding of genetics or someone who is past the basics and wants more information about genetics and mice). The information (and drawings) on mice condos is entertaining but very misleading--it is not true that mice won't leap/jump to the floor (I've seen them do it plus youngsters in the "flea stage" accidently take some great falls). So the housing section has problems. Some of the more basic questions that a first-time mouse owner would want to know (how much to feed mice? what kind of bedding to use?) this book ducks. While there are a lot of pages on breeding, they are of no use to either a first-time owner with an accidental litter wondering how to keep the pregnant doe healthy or what to do/not do with the litter or someone interested in intentionally mating mice for several litters. While there is an extensive section on healthcare and disease, I found it to be of no use because it's so general. Common problems mouse owners may often encounter aren't mentioned while other issues I haven't seen in 3 years of mouse breeding are covered.

In summary, this book has more detail and depth than many of the other mouse books out there in the mass public. But is insufficient as a sole resource for first-time mouse owners. And those seeking more advanced information (on genetics, care of colonies, breeding) will be disappointed by the lack of specificity.

Here is my 8 year old daughter's review. Having borrowed the book at first instance, we knew it was a `must have':

`Mice: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual', by Horst Bielfeld, is the best book about the subject of mice I have ever seen!

It is informative, easy to understand, yet containing an immense amount of detail. It covers subjects from breeding and feeding, to housing and tricks.

Another reason I admire this book is because, for example, when I look up the word `tricks' in the index, it always has the subject I would like to study.

This book especially comes in handy because we have recently bought three mice, Boaz, Ruth, and Esther. You see, not only is this helpful for caring for them, but assists me in caring for Ruth's new litter of eleven pups. It introduces me to new facts like, `...pups can be sold at 30 days of age...'

Because I am a homeschooled child, I was doing a study of mice. This was very informative and helpful.

Not only does this book contain the basic care necessities of mice, but also more extensive information.

This book is highly recommended, and you will not discover a book of more value than this. It is worth the price.