Re: Housing Pictures

by MiceAreNotGross on Sun 31 Dec 2017, 12:17 pm

I thought wired wheels were bad!? I am so confused! Are they bad or not?

Also, I am trying to decide between a 10 gallon aquarium or a 105 quart bin cage for my first pair of mice... Wish one? Also should I have 2 wheels?
Neutral

by River on Sun 31 Dec 2017, 1:11 pm

Wired wheels are bad -- the mouse might miss the bars and break a leg. Mesh wheels, however, are safe for mice. They shouldn't be used for heavier animals, though! We have a thread explaining their safety in the product section.

I personally would go with the larger cage. I've only needed one wheel for a trio, as they share, but additional ones are fine, too! I currently have two in my cage just for variety.

by CucumberMouse on Sun 31 Dec 2017, 6:49 pm

Wire mesh wheels are not good for most rodents (I think they're bad for all domesticated rodents aside from mice, but I'm not completely sure), but they are fine for mice. Mice have "prehensile" tails, meaning they hold their tails up when the run, preventing any risk of the tail getting caught on the wire mesh of the wheel, as long as the wheel is the appropriate size. The mesh on the wheel is in a grid, so that makes the risk of a mouse's foot getting stuck through the wheels very low. Mice are light weight animals, and don't run flat-footed. Instead, they sort of wrap their toes around the mesh wire, which "alleviates any potential pressure spots", so mice don't get bumble foot from the mesh wheels, like hamsters might (hamsters fun flat-footed). Plus, many mice like to "spin" on their wheel and cling to it while the wheel spins them up and down. I think mesh wheels are also safer for groups of mice that like to run together because both mice can actually hold on to the wheel, in case the other mouse were to gain to much speed and fling them off.

by CinnamonPearl on Sun 31 Dec 2017, 7:11 pm

As a general rule, BARRED wire wheels are unsafe. MESH wire wheels are safe.

by **Peachy** on Tue 02 Jan 2018, 11:04 am

@MiceAreNotGross wrote:I thought wired wheels were bad!? I am so confused! Are they bad or not?

Also, I am trying to decide between a 10 gallon aquarium or a 105 quart bin cage for my first pair of mice... Wish one? Also should I have 2 wheels?

A 10 gallon is great for things like taming. After that, your mice would definitely appreciate a larger space filled with things to climb, chew, and hide in. If I were choosing between one and the other, I'd go with the bin. Multiple wheels are fun, but not necessary.

This is Mika's 10 gallon with a topper. I put an egg carton on top of his cage to save for the girls, and he went crazy trying to chew it. So I gave him his own, and he hasn't left it alone. It's so precious that something so simple can make him so happy!

I wish I knew what that yellow splotch on the glass is. The only thing behind me was a wooden door. Scratch

by Rodents rock! on Tue 02 Jan 2018, 12:52 pm

Great set up Peachy!

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Mon 22 Jan 2018, 12:58 am

The group of 4's tank today Smile

They love it! EDIT: Wanted to mention I know I still have my Christmas background on there, haven't gotten around to taking it off yet Laughing

Overview:

Bottom level:

Top level:

by River on Tue 30 Jan 2018, 6:12 pm

This is a (bad) photo of the tank this week. I wouldn't share it, usually, but with Grahams scratching worsening I thought I would see what suggestions you guys could give. Where would you throw a little something in to make this more exciting?

by CallaLily on Tue 30 Jan 2018, 6:27 pm

Maybe another hammock or some other hanging hide or platform. A hanging ladder for example. I used to hang Pringles tubes (end cut off, foil removed), drink trays, cardboard end things you find in packaging sometimes, egg cartons -that sort of thing- for Daryl to try to utilize all the height in his tank. I realize it's the same materials you're probably rotating through but maybe hanging up high will make it a little extra fun? A little more exercise too, especially if they swing a little.

by River on Tue 30 Jan 2018, 7:59 pm

That's a good idea, I'll get one in soon!

by CucumberMouse on Tue 30 Jan 2018, 8:27 pm

Maybe another ladder or some sort of hide and play thing like this could help?
http://www.rosewoodpet.com/small-animal/activity-toys/boredom-breaker-nibble-stix-woodies/sleep-n-play-cheese

I sometimes also use cardboard cubes stuffed with nesting material or paper to keep my boy busy. I put a few treats with a bit of a stronger scent to them in the cube close to the opening for him to get to. Basically, what I find is that they will chew away at the cardboard to get to the treat, and once they get the treats out, they find the nesting material and work on chewing away more of the cardboard and pulling out the nesting material. I'm not sure how much it would help, but its probably something that could help? Or at least it's worth trying I think.

Think something like this for more of a visual:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wild-Harvest-Shreddable-Multicolored-Cube-Bird-Toy-8-ct/19717917?wmlspartner=wmtlabs&adid=22222222222015433727&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=o&wl2=c&wl3=10378123376&wl4=pla-1105733347367&wl12=19717917_0&wl14=wild%20harvest%20bird%20toy&veh=sem

just with treats inside. I'd imagine they're pretty easy to DIY

by River on Tue 30 Jan 2018, 8:41 pm

Graham has a wood allergy, so that would make her scratch more, but I can construct something similar out of cardboard pretty easily.

She does love foraging toys, I have two in now that she hardly leaves alone until she gets the snacks out. Thanks for the tips! Red Heart

by Mahjling on Sun 11 Feb 2018, 6:42 am

See More in this Album Here: https://postimg.org/gallery/2cx8bjl3i/c885b802/

75 Gallon Glass Tank, Four feet Long, Four feet high, One foot wide. The usual mesh top you expect to see on tanks.

The substrate is Eco Terra expandable coconut fiber, Six bricks of it, as well as half a brick of expandable moss to allow for stable tunnel building. They've created a network of tunnels and burrows throughout the tank, it's so fun to watch them work, or to watch one disappear on one end of the tank and reappear on the other!

There are four food bowls in total. The honeycomb patterned one stays in the same spot and is used for Oxbow Young Rat & Mouse Blocks.

The other three bowls are moved around the tank to encourage foraging, and are used to hold Seed mixes, vegetables, fruits, and occasionally other treats such as nuts, oat spray, oatmeal, Dubia Roach Nymphs, Mealworms, and Pre-Killed Morio Worms (pre killed to prevent biting) and the occasional small chunk of dog treat. The treat sphere is also never moved around because that's really the best place for it. Freestanding water bottle, always in the same spot. Occasionally for extra enrichment I'll give them a lipped bowl of water to drink from.

Hanging toys are all hardwood, one is topped with a salt lick. All my girls love climbing, though they don't really care about the salt block much, I suspect other mice might. Two hides, one made of hay, the other is that hanging coconut one. They like to sleep for long periods in the hay one and nap or cuddle and groom in the coconut, the water bottle's base also has a hide built into it. The egg carton there was up against the wall for climbing, but they dragged it down to tunnel under it and I've just let them do with it what they will.

Wood tunnel under the coconut is both fun to run through and keeps the hide above it more stable, they used to have a ladder in there but I connected it to the coconut's ladder to give it some weight.

Flying Saucer Wheel, only one uses it however and only for a few seconds very very occasionally, mine have other things they prefer to do. I'd remove it entirely because it never really gets used but so long as one has even a passing interest in it they can keep it as far as I'm concerned. The wicker looking ball is applewood.

They also receive a rotation of Hays (Oat, Alfalfa, Timothy, etc) as well as a rotation of cardboards (Tubes, egg cartons, drink boxes, etc)

I'm currently growing them wheat grass, when it's reached a height I'm happy with, I'll plant it in there for them to destroy~

It currently houses four does. Someday maybe I'll get a fifth if one really catches my fancy, I wouldn't dare push it past that however!

by Rodents rock! on Sun 11 Feb 2018, 10:34 am

Very cool set up! Have you ever tried a wheel instead of the saucer? They all might enjoy that. Very Happy

by chiroptera on Sun 11 Feb 2018, 1:08 pm

@Mahjling That is such a nice setup!! *o*

I've been considering trying to do a natural theme with a bioactive/live planted setup for Pumpkin (once we move and once he's tamed), but I've been worried it wouldn't work.

Curious to hear how this one has been turning out for you!

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