Spiny mice species information.

Spiny Mice Species Information

Spiny Mice are a fairly new and still uncommon addition to the world of small exotic pets, and these beautiful and engaging members of the rodent family make wonderful pets in a wide variety of situations. True rodents of the Order Rodentia, they are of the Family Muriday, the Genus Acomys, and the Species Cahirinus. The two most common types of Spiny Mouse in the pet market are the Egyptian and the Arabian or Cairo varieties, whose largest variation is reportedly that of coloration. Egyptian spinies are a more tan/gold color, whereas Arabian/Cairo varieties are more greyish in color as adults. There are also “Golden Spiny Mice” of the taxonomy Acomys russatus, which, with the usual clarity of animal naming, have an adult color of dark gray shading to black. In the wild, the different varieties of spiny mice are indigenous to areas of North Africa, India, Asia, the Middle East and Southern Europe. In captivity they live an average of 3-5 years if well cared for. Their average adult weight is around 1 3/4 oz or 50 g, and their adult length approximately 4 in (10 cm) with tails (when intact) that are roughly 1 1/2 times the length of their body.

Spiny mice are beautifully designed for life as nocturnal desert dwellers with their lovely, narrow, fox like faces, large black eyes, and enormous, delicate rounded ears. Their fur is a rich golden tan across their backs and sides, with just a hint of their juvenile gray coloring shading their back and undercoat, and pale cream bellies. The hairs along the mid back of spiny mice are very noticeably thicker and stiffer than the rest of their coat, giving them the appearance of quills or spines that led to their name. The tails of spiny mice are long and slender with very short, coarse fur, much like other rat and mouse species, but having an almost iridescent sheen. One very important difference between the tails of spiny mice and those of other small rodents is that the tails of spiny mice are brittle and can easily break off if they are used to catch or lift the mouse. This is most likely a means of escaping predators similar to what is found in some lizard species. However, the tail of a spiny mouse, once lost, will never grow back.