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Forum THE LOUNGE Mice Enclosures

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    • BunnyDuck
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        I was considering getting a couple of fancy mice. I already know a lot about them and I’ve been researching them even more to make sure I know everything.  The thing I can’t figure out what to get  is the enclosure.. I was considering getting a 20 gallon aqaurium with a mesh lid, the only problem with that is there will be poor ventilation and mice can’t climb. So then I’ve also considered getting a wire cage, but I know sometimes if the mice are too small they can fit through the wires but they also have lots of fun climbing the cage too…

        So figuring you guys love rabbits and are animal lovers, I thought some of you must have pet mice. What enclosure do you use? Or what do you think is better? (Pictures will help alot!!)

        Thanks for your help!!


      • Mandyyy
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          Ohhh, I love mice and rats. I have both animals, they make lovely pets. Just some advice, when you pick up the bundles make sure they are all female, because I know many people who get mice and surprise one of their girls is actually a male… and then there are babies.

          Anyways, my male is in a tank (soon going to be in a critter trail) because he had mites and now they seem to be gone so he’ll be moving, but believe me tanks are GROSS! I recommend them for a couple small females, or for young mice though (since young mice can fit through a lot of things) what I did to make his tank fun is I added a basket I got from the dollar tree. It is there for him to climb on, and I cut a big enough hole in it so he can go under it as well.
          The pic is his first set up, I kind of switched the basket out for a different one.
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          Now my females cage is super fantastic cool, if I do say so myself. I tricked out a (what a pet store thinks is) a rat cage for my mice. It is from super pet and the spacing is just right for two adult female mice. I made a second shelf using a shelf from a small mouse cage, and I put its normal shelf in it too. They also have rope ties they use to climb on, a stick that goes up to their hanging space pod, a tube in the back that was an oat meal tube, two wheels, two hide-aways a mouse ball bed, and of course toys. They also have a basket that hangs under one of the shelves that I fill with hay and bedding (toilet paper) at times. I only have two females living in it could I could easily fit a few more in the cage, it is just that big.
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          Bar spacing will be your biggest issue, I have another cage that is the exact same length and width, but the spacing is way too far apart and it is a super pet too). For young mice I would set up a small critter trail but tubes can be a brat to clean) or just a small tank till they are bigger, their are also barred cages sold form dwarf hamsters and mice, those could be an easy temporary cage till they are read for the bigger ones though.

          If you have any more questions about mice, feel free to ask me btw. I know more about mice and rats then a normal human should… it can be actually quit scary at times… Lol.

          Now here is just a few pics of my bundles.

          Butters this is when he started to get mites, hence the raw part on his face ):
          Photobucket

          Tigerpaw (brindle):
          Photobucket

          Moomoo (Spotted):
          Photobucket


        • blackfang
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            I love mice and rats even tho I never touch them before or adopt them yet

            Don’t you mind me asking you some questions like are they litter trained? I know mice aren’t but what about rats? I couldn’t find information like that via internet. Some said yes some said no.

             

            If you like to read books then I suggest you to read Animal and AfterLife. The author LOVE rats and have rat fur-friends in her apartment.. I would say over 50 rats in her apartment. (yes, she know how to take care of them and aware of vet bills. She don’t mind)

            That book is for people were feel offended by others said, “they are just animals.” or unable to deal with their feeling after their fur-friends die.

            She is an animal communcator (helping human to communicate with their spirit animals) You might find something interesting about it.

            Here a link to a book that I am talking about.

            http://www.amazon.com/Animals-After…amp;sr=8-1

             

             


          • KytKattin
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              If you don’t mind, I will throw in some of my personal experience.
              Rats don’t really litter train. They are kind of the opposite of rabbits: they poop in one place, but often dribble pee as a way to mark their territory. That is actually why I had to give up owning them. I would have allergic reactions on my skin after holding them because of that. They will do their big pees in the litterbox where they poo, but often still dribble their pee.

              Also, similar to rabbits, the females tend to get reproductive cancers if not spayed (or at least mammary tumors). However, only living 2-3 years means that the cost of rats per year is much higher. If you spay them in the first year, expect to have old age medical expenses next year. Respiratory problems are also very common (probably the most common causes for vet visits).

              Despite all of this, they really are delightful animals to keep. They can eat pretty much everything we can, so feeding time is particularly fun!

              I don’t really know anything about mice except that they can get out of just about anything! lol. One thing I did for my rats was put powder coated wire mesh on the inside of a regular superpet cage (NEVER THE OUTSIDE!) and zip tied it on. It could also be tied on with a thin metal wire so teeth couldn’t grab it. Just make sure there are no pokey edges!


            • blackfang
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                Yea, that’s what I thought so but it is interesting to know about pee to mark their territory. my so called how to take care of rats book didn’t mentioned that.

                I’m not surprise about reproductive cancers or tumors. It is common for rats. I just remembered something. Last month, I was looking through some posts in rat forum. There are some rat owners claimed that rats are number one most expensive pets if taken to vet. The average of vet bills for one year is 1,200 dollars for ONE rat (if a rat is over 2 yrs old). Some people are lucky to pay less if their rats don’t have messed up genetic in their bodies.


              • KytKattin
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                  Since they dribble pee, that is why they officially cannot be used as service animals. Service animals must never use the restroom while on duty unless by command. It is unfortunate (as is their short lifespan) as they are some of the most intelligent and giving animals.

                  Even more unfortunate, rats are more commonly bought as children’s pets than even rabbits are. And at $2-$8 to replace, parents would much rather do that than take them to the vets. At least per year, I would agree that they are some of, if not the most expensive small animal to own, as despite even the best care their little bodies deteriorate very quickly. The only animal I have ever owned that came close to a similar overall cost per year was a horse.


                • Mandyyy
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                    Actually, I have 6 rats and all of them are litter trained. Mind you it is harder for some (I had two foster rats that REFUSED to learn), but mine actually do pretty well in the litter box. It cuts down the smell by a lot too.

                    Females do get the tumor issues a lot though. I personally prefer male rats over females though, I like the cuddley personalities males tend to have. They are a lot more lazier then females who are everywhere. Haha. But it is easier to litter train females then males though.

                    Mice can be litter trained as well (they are an animal that picks a spot too) but it tends to be harder, and I really don’t see the point because their pee and poos are so tiny. May want to litter train a boy though, boy mice STINK!

                    And someone actually did certify a rat as a service pet before. I forgot what the service was, but they certified them. They are super smart, get attached to their owners, and you can teach them about anything so I’m surprised not more people train them for small service tasks like the Apolo Pouched rats in Africa (who live to 12, and are the size of small dogs) that sniff out land minds and detect tp in people.

                    Ps: And Nobody, I haven’t heard of that book before. I will totally check it out.  Thanks.


                  • KytKattin
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                      Like I said, they are good with the normal potty times, but tend to dribble. Especially the males, though neutering can help that a lot. I tried everything I could before I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t keep them as pets any more because I was allergic to their urine. Frequent baths helped, and I was able to keep them until they passed. Maybe it was because mine came from a hoard rescue case. :/

                      The law changed a couple of years ago so that only dogs and horses could be considered service animals. I don’t necessarily agree with that part of the law, but that is where it currently stands. Though in the case of the lady who trained her rats to alert her to back tremors, no other animal could serve her purpose as well or reliably. Thankfully she would only run into a problem if she was taken to court, which would just be cruel for someone to do to her. Then it would depend on the judge, the actual reason she was being taken to court, and a doctor backing up her medical need to have that animal.

                      As for certification, it is basically useless. I have been training my own service animal (dog), and while things like the Canine Good Citizen test, among others, are useful to have because they work as benchmarks for training, there is no official certification. A note from your doctor stating the reason you need a service animal is worth a lot more, training and tests just enable and prove you have a safe animal. In the state of California, you need to have a license from your local county that says the animal is a service animal in order for the police to back you up in an access problem, but that is not related to the federal ADA law that allows you to have a service animal.
                      Unfortunately I know of a shelter in the bay area that will certify any animal as a service animal (again why certification is worthless). It is disrespectful and wrong to those that actually need service animals, especially because it often makes store owners less accepting of real service animals. I know of someone who wanted to get his snake certified just so he could take it to restaurants (and everywhere else) with him and put it on the table without getting kicked out. >


                    • Mandyyy
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                        My rats are very neat about where they go (as in they always use the box). Some rats tend to mark, but none of my four boys I have now mark. I only had one that left dribble and that was only on me to tell the others I was his (pesky rats!). But they ARE QUIT EASY TO BOX TRAIN, AND LIKE i SAID SOME BETTER THEN OTHERS. aLL DEPENDS ON THE RAT (sorry that’s in caps, I’m too lazy to change it. just wanted you to know i’m not “yelling”. Haha).

                        Pigs too I think are part of that law… I think, if I remember correctly (I did a project while in school on service animals a long time ago). But there was a service rat and honestly, I would like to see more service rats. :/

                        Yeah, but you can get them certified. It’s just super easy to these days which I think laws should be a lot stricter. Like the snake dude, snakes are very dirty (their poo can carry a lot of parasites and such) and I don’t really see how you can train a snake to do much of anything besides stare at you… lol. (no offense if you like snakes).


                      • BunnyDuck
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                          Thanks for the replies!!

                          We ended up getting two mice. Oreo, a black and white fancy mouse, who we adopted. Apparently she had babies and they were all boys, so they only had her as the one girl to adopt. We wanted two girls, so we ended up getting getting a albino mouse, Snowball,  from the pet store as well.
                           

                          We also ended up getting a 20 gallon aquarium. I would of liked to have gotten a wire type one because I know they love climbing. I just didn’t want to risk them escaping, especially as Snowball is still quite small.

                          I’m not planning on litter training them. I’ve had a bit of a hard time getting one of my bunnies litter trained, and I don’t mind them peeing and pooping all over their home. They’ve alway peed on me and my husband!! Lol.

                          I’m planning on having a lot of fun with these little girls! Snowball is already quite friendly and will jump into our hands already, but for Oreo it seems it is going to take a little bit of time for her to get used to us.
                           


                        • Mandyyy
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                            You are welcome.

                            They are adorable! Yeah I’d wait till snowball was a bigger. The Super pet cage I have for my girls have excellent bar spacing though, so maybe look into that for the future if you still want to give them a wired cage?

                            Peeing on you is normal, as they get used to you the pooing and peeing on you guys will stop.

                            I’m glad you rescued them! They seem friendly and cute. Mice are awesome little animals.

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                        Forum THE LOUNGE Mice Enclosures