Pet mice are descendents of the common house mouse. The word mouse comes from the Sanskrit word 'musha' which means thief. Perhaps that best explains their relationship with man. Mice began living with humans as many as 10,000 years ago. As civilizations began trading, mice hid in merchants' bundles and traveled to the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Europe. As people explored the New World, mice went on these adventures, sailing the seas and traveling to new lands. Mice are believed to have been introduced to North America by the Spanish sailors.
These mouse adventurers were not welcome wherever they went. In the fourteenth century, China and Europe were ravaged by the bubonic plague also known as the Black Death. The plague was caused by the bacteria carried by infected fleas which would travel on the fur of mice and rats. Even though the disease was the result of the fleas, the mouse still carries much of the blame as they transported these little insects.
Saint Gertrude was the patron saint of mouse and rat catchers. She is celebrated for having expelled swarms of mice.
However, some ancient societies worshipped these animals. Ancient Egyptians believed that they were born from the mud of the Nile and had healing properties. Other societies believed that mice could cure diseases including measles, whooping cough, and small pox.
Greek naturalist Pliny credited mice with prophesy, observing that "When the building is about to fall down, all the mice desert it."
Eighteenth century poet Robert Burns reflected in a famous line that life does not happen as we expect: "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go astray."
Between A.D. 307 and A.D. 1641 China had a growing interest in mice. During this time there were over 30 documented cases of white mice being taken out of the wild.
In 1654 it was even recorded that when one particular Chinese Buddhist priest traveled to Japan, he brought with him his two pet mice.
It was during the 1700s that the mouse fancy really got its start. In Japan they were increasing in popularity not just as pets but as breeding animals, and many people were experimenting with producing new colors. In 1787 a booklet called 'The Breeding Of Curious Varieties Of The Mouse' was written by Chobei Zenya. This booklet included a number of drawings, descriptions of several breeding programs for creating specific colors, and mention of a number of varieties.
In the early 1800s colored mice began to find their way into Europe. Slowly they increased in number and popularity, particularly in the U.K. It was in 1877 that Walter Maxey, the father of the mouse fancy, acquired his first mice.
In 1895 he helped to found the National Mouse Club in England. This was the beginning of the mouse fancy. The first mouse show was in 1895.
