# Advice on cage size for multimammate mice



## Salt Eriksson (Apr 4, 2012)

Hi mouse fans!

I was wondering if someone who is experienced with multimammate mice would be able to advise me if the cage that I have would be big enough for a family of them (I have attached a picture, you can see the size by comparing it to the mouse inside).

I am considering building a 2nd level for half of the cage so they get more space. I recently lost my last fancy mouse, she was a bit over 2 years old, and I have still not decided if I am getting mice or multimammate mice next, but I want to make sure that whichever I get I give them the best life possible, so any advise regarding this is welcome!

Best Regards
/Salt


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

Hey there, you're picture didn't attach. When you say family, do you mean breeding colony, or a trio?


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## Salt Eriksson (Apr 4, 2012)

Hi there. Thanks for answering.

I've attached the picture again, hope I do it correctly this time!
I'm not sure how many I will get yet, it depends on the suitability of the cage, and I need to read up on this type of mouse more to know that I get a group that would be happy together. If you see the picture, do you have any suggestions?


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Oh, nice! I love that type of cage! If I could afford it, I'd convert the whole mousers to those. If they were acrylic instead of glass, they'd be the best. Not an answer to your question, as I have no ASFs, but just to compliment you on your habitat.


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## Salt Eriksson (Apr 4, 2012)

Thanks!

Yes, I looked at lots of different types of cages, but this one, which is really a terrarium for reptiles, seemed to suit best. I also have cats, and in this cage the mice are safe from them, which is very important!

If the cage won't suit multimammate mice, I will probably get around 6 female fancy mice instead, after I've fixed up the cage with some climbing equipment, and an extra floor on one side. That is, if I can find a breeder where I live.

The reasons I am thinking of moving away from fancy mice are
1. They are very difficult to get in County Cork in Ireland where I live.
2. All my mice so far have gotten tumors at around 1 year of age, except my last one Sally who lasted until a bit over 2, and I have read that one reason for this is that fancy mice are so inbred these days, and I therefore thought it would be interesting to get a rodent that is not as inbred.

I have seen plenty of multimammate mice in pet shops lately, and therefore thought it would be nice to give some a good home, and learn more about them!


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## Shadowrunner (Sep 26, 2011)

Well firstly, Any of the soft furs you're likely to pick up wont be as tame as fancy mice.
They still need a lot of work.

Secondly, inbreeding won't cause problems, it just brings the problem genes out into the open.
Other people would be able to explain that better than I can right now.

Did you get your mice from a breeder or a pet shop?

My rats live in a cage about that size, there are 10 of them so I think yours would be fine, if not a touch too big.

But I'm not the expert here. I do have some, but there are other people who have had them much longer. <3
I'm sure they will show up soon.


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## Salt Eriksson (Apr 4, 2012)

I got my mice from a pet shop, as I have not been able to find any breeders anywhere in Ireland. The pet shop where I got them have stopped selling them now, so I am not sure if I will be able to get any more.

Most mice that are sold here have been bred as feeders only, and not as pets, and genetically they are probably not the most healthy in the world.

It seems like mice really are not very popular pets in this country, I can't understand why  When I brought my girl to the vet the other day the vet said it is the fist time ever that he got a mice in to his clinic!

I still have not decided if I'll get fancy mice or multimammate mice. I know they are very different species, with very different temperaments, so I'll have to think long and hard on that one!


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## maddeh (Jul 14, 2011)

I love your set-up! I'm pretty sure you could keep a fairly large group of mice or multis in there! I only have one pair of females multis, who are in with my stud buck as he doesn't really seem interested in being handled so I wanted to get him some company. Despite being very different animals, they have similar care needs (though I give them a very very deep substrate as multis love to burrow given the chance), and get on very well together. 
In my experience, multis do take more work to tame as they aren't usually bred as pets, but mine are happy to be stroked and will take food from my hand now (after 4 months...though I haven't put a huge amount of effort into taming them so with more time put into it I'm sure they would get more tame more quickly). They are also more destructive than fancy mice, and will gnaw on just about anything (though they have left the wheel alone for some reason). 
I love my multis, they are strangely rewarding pets even though I can't handle them properly yet


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