Hundreds of mice found in an apartment after owners left them to breed

They might be cute little critters, but they sure breed fast.

Hundreds of pet mice were found in an apartment in Singapore, owned by an unnamed man and his elderly mother.

Last Friday, animal welfare volunteers went into the flat, where the mice were found roaming all over the 100 square meter (1,076 sq ft) apartment's floors -- and not in enclosures.

Derrick Tan, the president of animal welfare group Voices for Animals, posted this video on Facebook:

The volunteers were called in after neighbours reported an odour to council management.

Tan said mother and son started with three pet mice a few years ago, but allowed them to multiply to hundreds.

Pet mice breed quickly -- each female can have five to 10 litters a year.

In a followup comment on Facebook, Tan said the family provided adequate care and food for the mice, "it's just that they multiplied too [quickly] and they couldn't manage."

Tan also told the Straits Times that mice fell on his head from the top of a cupboard as he tried to capture them.

Apart from the mice, there were also 23 rabbits -- but reportedly in far worse condition. The House Rabbit Society of Singapore (HRSS) said many of them had dirty fur, mites, and sores on their hind legs:

Volunteers have caught around 120 of the mice, and more than 41 have already been adopted over the weekend, Tan told Mashable. The groups are ensuring that adopters only get mice of one gender so they don't breed.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

This incident is hardly an isolated one.

Tan said Voices for Animals has already tended to three similar cases this year.

The Cat Welfare Society told Mashable that they handle, on average, 10 to 15 cases each year of people hoarding an overpopulation of cats at home.

"A majority [are pet owners] who have just neglected to sterilise their pets and faced a population explosion that they didn't know how to deal with," said Laura Ann Meranda, the society's executive director.

The animals are often sterilised and then rehomed, she added. If Cat Welfare Society believes that owners might repeat their behaviour, it will work with authorities to monitor them.