Striped Grass Mouse

Coat and looks how to spot one

striped fur

A slim, long-tailed mouse with a bold striped back: one dark line down the spine flanked by several pairs of alternating light and dark stripes, with a white belly.13

Personality what they are like

A lively, fast-moving mouse that is awake in daylight, which makes it a rewarding animal to observe. It tends to stay close to home and is not especially social.1

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Very active by day; give it room to run, dig and forage among grass and cover.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Self-grooming. Provide hay and grass stems, which it naturally cuts and stores in little piles.1

Home where they are happiest

A secure, roomy enclosure with diggable substrate and dense cover, reflecting its wild home in scrub, dunes and thick grassland.1

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Mostly plant-based: grass stems, leaves, roots, seeds and fruit, with an occasional insect.13

Company who they like around

Described as not highly social in the wild and usually found close to its own burrow.1

The story where it all began

Once thought to range across much of Africa, it is now treated as a species found only north of the Sahara, the northernmost of the striped grass mice. It is one of the striped grass mice most often kept in captivity.23

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN

Least Concern2