Post by Karen R Quinn on Jul 23, 2009 11:52:44 GMT -7
Size: The size of the cage you will need depends on how many mice you will keep together. For a pair or small group of females, a 2 foot square cage is ample space. Mice will appreciate a cage with multiple levels as they do like to climb, and it should be fairly tall.
Type of Cage: Glass aquariums and wire cages are the best types of cage for mice. Aquariums will need a tight fitting mesh lid and lots of furnishing supplied for climbing and playing. It is also important to remember that ammonia and other fumes will build up faster in an aquarium or plastic sided cage than in a wire cage. However, as long as the lid is tight fitting they are pretty much escape proof, and have the added advantage of allowing a deep layer of bedding that the mice cannot spread all over your floor.
Wire cages (with horizontal bars) are nice because they provide lots of climbing opportunity on the sides of the cage, and it is easier to fix furnishings, platforms and toys to the sides of the cage. The most important thing is to make sure the bars are not too narrowly spaced so that the mice can escape (or get stuck trying to escape) and that the doors are placed to allow easy access to the entire cage for when you need to catch the mice. Wire cages marketed for mice are generally quite small, so larger hamster cages or even bird cages are preferable, but ideally the bar spacing should be 1/4 inch. Do not underestimate how small of a space a mouse can squeeze through (one of my girls, Phoebe, could quite easily break out of a cage with 1/2 inch spaced bars). Avoid using cages with wire mesh floors - solid flooring is a lot easier on the mice's feet.
The modular plastic cages meant for hamsters are actually well suited to the mouse size and activity level, but are difficult to clean, are sometimes poorly ventilated, and a determined mouse could chew right through the plastic.
Placement of the Cage: The cage should be placed where the mice will have lots of human contact to make taming easier. It should be out of drafts, away from direct sunlight and out of reach of other household pets.
Bedding : A deep layer of aspen shavings or some other suitable substrate should be provided in the cage. Avoid cedar and pine shavings due to the strong volatile oils released form these woods (especially cedar). Aspen or other hardwood shavings appear to be a better choice. Another alternative is paper or wood based cat litter - it is very absorbent and good at controlling odors. It is more expensive but you will likely use less. See "Top Ten Alternatives to Cedar and Pine Shavings" for more ideas.
In addition, nesting material should be provided. Strips of facial tissue or soft paper towel will be happily be shredded by mice and makes nice nesting material. I don't usually recommed the commercial cotton bedding material you can buy because some has strands that can get caught on the mice's feet. Hay can also be used.
Accessories: A nest box should be provided, and can be store bought or homemade. Small cardboard boxes are fine, although they will be shredded over time and need to be replaced fairly frequently. Clay flower pots, either with holes cut in them or placed on their sides can also be used, as can PVC plumbing pieces you can find at the hardware store. The nest material should be cleaned out only every month or two as needed (more frequent changes may be too disruptive).
Mice need lots of opportunity to play and exercise. Mice seem to universally love running on wheels so try to provide one if at all possible. A solid surface wheel is easier on their feet than wire wheels. Also provide some tunnels or tubes (plastic plumbing pipes sections or paper towel or toilet paper tubes). For other toys, wood blocks and houses, small cardboard boxes, ladders, cotton ropes, egg cartons (paper only), small willow balls, and anything with holes to climb in and out of will happily be used as playthings. Use you imagination and provide lots of variety, jsut make sure they are not ingesting bits of plastic or other parts..
For water, a gravity fed water bottle with a dispenser is preferred as it can't tip and keeps the water clean. A shallow food bowl of ceramic or porcelain is the best choice as they are difficult to tip, won't get chewed up, and they are easy to clean.
Cleaning: Depending on the size of cage it may need to be cleaned quite frequently, especially glass or plastic sided cages that allow ammonia and odors to build up more quickly. It is best not to wait until you can smell a problem, because it will be quite overwhelming to the mice by then. However, the mice do need to mark their territory and if their cage is completely disinfected too frequently they may be distressed. A good compromise is to leave a bit of the old shavings or litter in the cage at each cleaning (so their scent remains), and only do a thorough scrubbing and disinfecting when absolutely necessary.