# New Home



## maisymouse (Feb 10, 2011)




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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

I think ill move in there,looks plenty of room and lots to do are you going too breed mice Maisymouse or just keep as pets its a great hobby mice keeping.


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## maisymouse (Feb 10, 2011)

At the moment I am just keeping them as pets, I live in a flat and dont have the room for a lot of cages

I would like to breed them in the future once I am living in a house with enough room, hopefully this tank will be enough room for my 7 girls


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

Mice dont require alot of room they feel threatened and rather would hide in a dark corner,mice are home birds rather than a roamer of wide open spaces im sure that will be ok for 7,other keepers may think differently than me


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Spot on Maisy!  Looking good. Only one thing missing.....a cardboard egg box with a few doors cut into it!!! :lol: I agree with geordie regarding not giving them `too` much space. Your Ovo cage was too restrictive given that it had poor ventilation and was modular. This tank is going to suit them and you better.

Edited to add....just wanted to say, are those radiators in the background not a bit close to the tank? I would move the tank away from direct heat Maisy.


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## maisymouse (Feb 10, 2011)

The radiators are not switched on... I wouldn't leave the tank near them if there were... Im glad you all like it


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## maisymouse (Feb 10, 2011)

How many in this tank is too many as long as they are all girls and get on well??


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

If you already have seven girls living harmoniously, to be honest, I would`t risk adding more for fear of squabbles. Even in a tank this decent size, you can overcrowd and that can cause health issues. People tend to look at cage size converters in terms of footage and how many mice fit into that space, but you can usually judge that yourself by basically knowing what your mice do on a daily basis and whether they use all the space provided.

You could add a shelf inside the tank and place it onto off-cuts of pine blocks in each corner. This would give the mice a second upper level with a ramp or something to use as ladders/steps.  Just cover it with thick newspaper for absorbency, or a lino offcut or tile. Poundland sell these floor tiles in packs and they are easy to wipe down.


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## maisymouse (Feb 10, 2011)

I did try to add 2 more but the mice didn't like them, they wouldnt leave them alone and the new ones kept squeaking, they've took to new mice in the past, obviously not these ones so they are now seperated.

I will deffo look into a shelf sounds like a plan to me


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## AnnB (Jan 14, 2011)

You could try introducing them in a different way. Maybe start with a clean tank and put the new girls in first for a while. Let them get used to the new surroundings and then introduce your other mice gradually (say two at a time).


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

There is always a worry when you have an established group and bring in new mice. I`ve tried introductions recently with two females who actually lived together only three weeks prior to coming here, yet the newer mouse would`nt settle and kept leaping and squeaking at the mouse she used to live with! The stress on the bigger mouse was clear to see and she sat in her wheel for most of that day and evening looking worried and tired, so I don`t feel it`s worth the stress (and potentially making them ill) by bringing in a few more just to add to the numbers. Remember stress like this can start a mouse sneezing and you don`t want that.

Enjoy them as they are for now and once your numbers decline naturally, you can then think about adding some new mice, but it`s never guaranteed that they will get on. Female mice don`t always like each other and you have to match their personalities and size as best you can. If you just bring in mice in the hope that they will get on, I`m afraid that`s wishful thinking.

I still have to get my two back together again, but because I have an older girl in with the bigger mouse at the moment, I don`t want any stress placed on her so intros will be done when the older girl has passed.

But do try the shelf idea!


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## maisymouse (Feb 10, 2011)

I have seperated the 2 and they have a tank of there own, I may add new mice to them at some point

You have totally inspired me! the lid isnt very good its this black metal thing and its bent so today I am making a wooden frame with some wire mesh, going to hopefully put in a shelf aswell!

I have had to tape the water bottle in but if this lid is wire I can maybe hang a bottle from it?

This is the 2 new girls








They are quite sweet and friendly, bit jumpy but once I have them on my hand they settle


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Lovely ladies! They should have time to settle as a pair. This is important because if intros are done too fast before the mice have settled down, they just tend to show nervous excitement and stress.

Bottle hangers......now you can make these from wire mesh. You can snip a length of the mesh the same length as the water bottle and have an extra bit to allow this for the spout to fit through. Press the mesh around the shape of the bottle itself, or basically just make a strip of mesh, bend it over at the bottom (so that it curves upwards so the bottle can sit on it with the spout through one of the mesh holes) and then make wire hooks for the top that can hang from the sides of the tank.

There are also metal ottle hangers available online especially for tank enclosures.


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