perfectly healthy and were active during the whole time, but they produced
no young. If the animals are kept as pets, and breeding is not desired, a
diet of "force," "egg-o-see,"[1] and crackers, with some bird-seed every
few days, is likely to prove satisfactory. As with other animals, a
variety of food is beneficial, but it appears to be quite unnecessary. Too
much rich food should not be given, and the mice should be permitted to
dictate their own diet by revealing their preferences. They eat
surprisingly little for the amount of their activity. I have had excellent
success in breeding the mice by feeding them a mixture of dry bread-
crumbs, "force," and sweet, clean oats slightly moistened with milk. The
food should never be made soppy. A little milk added thus to the food
every other day greatly increases fertility. About once a week a small
quantity of some green food, lettuce for example, should be given. It is
well, I have found, to vary the diet by replacing the bread and "force" at
intervals with crackers and seeds. Usually I give the food dry every other
day, except in the case of mice which are nursing litters. One person to
whom I suggested that lettuce was good for the dancers lost four,
apparently because of too much of what the mice seemed to consider a good
thing. This suggests that it should be used sparingly.

[Footnote 1: A cereal food.]

Success in keeping and breeding dancing mice depends upon three things:
cleanliness, warmth, and food supply. The temperature should be fairly
constant, between 60 deg. and 70 deg. Fahr. They cannot stand exposure to cold or
lack of food. If one obtains good healthy, fertile individuals, keeps them
in perfectly clean cages with soft nesting materials, maintains a
temperature of not far above or below 65 deg., and regularly supplies them
with pure water and food which they like, there is not likely to be
trouble either in keeping or breeding these delicate little creatures.