# Hamster Cage? Cedar Bedding?



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

I had 3 hamsters before I had my guinea pigs and I still have the cage. I know with guinea pigs they need a big place to run and mice need to climb, and i can put in this ladder i have and i can make them stuff to climb on. Would that cage work? I will post pictures. The bar spacing is about 1/4 of an inch.








































As for cedar bedding, I love the smell. Is it ok for mice to use cedar bedding?


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

Here are a few more pictures:


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

Oh, and the locking mechanism:


----------



## sanctuary (Jun 23, 2013)

Cedar and pine bedding has been found to cause respiratory problems due to the oils it produces. 
I would try to stick to Aspen bedding and can be bought in bales online or at farm shops.

Also that cage I would honestly say is too small for any animal. A hamster should really have at least 360 square inches of floor space but not sure what people would say about mice. I know this forum is a breeding forum so people have to fit them in smaller spaces for ease of breeding which is great but if your just having a pet then isnt bigger better? 

Hope this helps xx

Please do not take offence to any of this it is just my opinion as I have 4 hamsters in huge cages and see they are so much happier than those crittertrail ones


----------



## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

Regarding cedar bedding, it wrecks havoc on little mice lungs. What smells nice to us is these oils in the wood, and mice being in the bedding all day long can develop respiratory problems. If you like wood, go with Aspen, NOT PINE, as it has the same smelly oils as cedar.

Looking at your pictures, the 1/4 bar spaceing would have worked, but your door mechanism has a gap that appears wider then the rest of the bars, so I'm unsure how suitable it would be.


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

In the locking mechanism there is other barns in front of it that block the mouse from going through.


----------



## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Mice do like to climb, but they tend to be more comfortable in small living spaces, unlike other roaming rodents. If that door isn't as wide spaced as it looks, then it should work for a single mouse. A larger sized cage is not always better, in the case of mice. Bedding (although as stated above, not cedar), can definitely be a case of deeper is better, if the goal is to make a mouse happy.  However that might be a bad idea in a wire cage. I happen to think the smaller living quarters preferences of mice is a good thing. Gives them a niche for efficiency flat renters, the elderly, etc.

I have a mouse who hates the cage I'd rather have her in for birth/nursing, and wants a smaller one. It's annoying to me, trying to fit everything into a small cage, plus keep it spotless; but she turns into such a happier, calmer mouse. Apparently there is too much open space, even in a relatively small cage, for her comfort, including when resting with other does. Which explains her problem with the cage she grew up in (much larger than the one I like to use for birth, up to 2 weeks). Her mother, and sisters, don't overtly object if I want them in a bigger cage. So long as I give them lots of paper towel tubes inside the hay, they are happy. Few have appeared to be at all unhappy with a smaller cage, either. One sister seems to prefer being a monkey, so more climbing items in her cage, and a taller cage, instead of the usual 'tunneling in the hay' activity.

Doesn't appear to be a genetic preference. The mouse who prefers a tiny house has a daughter who is just as friendly and cheerful, in the average sized cages, as the grandmother and aunts. I've had a number of mice in the past turn into nervous sprinters, over even a ten gallon aquarium. She's not the only one who can't stand a larger territory. Ended up dividing those, and making something like a mess of a maze, with almost no open space. (PAIN to clean.) I really prefer my current multi sized bin cages, because one size does not fit all. LOL I think sometimes a mouse that appears to be unfriendly might be because that mouse is simply in too much open space.

Mice are individuals, but most like to travel along walls they can access quickly, especially in the daytime. That can be provided by many small areas (located a mouse width away in a cage), deep bedding, or by a smaller cage, or all of the above. The deep bedding is usually more a mouse centered fun, and doubles as good odor control, but would end up all over the floor in a wire cage. Plus, you might object to not easily seeing your pet as much, unless he's the monkey style mouse.  That is more likely with a buck anyway, so wire would be just the thing, unless you have a problem with the pee'd on wire...


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

My second hammy was I think a mouse in disguise!  he was ALWAYS climbing, but he was also my favorite. If a mouse is anything like him, my mom and I are 100% ok with a mouse like my Houdini. Peed on wires are no problem.


----------



## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Maybe put that up on CL, see if someone would trade for something simpler, like a 10gal tank? I just think stuff like that is a pain to clean. I'm with TCG on deep bedding! For cleaning sake I use TP rolls, little cardboard boxes from work (we have the perfect mouse sized ones at work! Big enough for 2-3 adult mice to squeeze into. They tend to chew out the bottom & make a mouse cave underneath), & paper bowls. That way I can just toss weekly & give new stuff


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

I did hate to clean it when I had my hamsters... I will see what my mom says about selling it.


----------



## shadowmouse (Sep 17, 2010)

I've picked up most my ten gal with mesh lids off freecycle. It's just one of those things people have laying around. Try freecycle before paying for a tank.


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

I have heard about these bin cage things, with wire mesh on the sides. Anyone have history with those?


----------



## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

That cage is only good for one mouse so it would have to be a male...and a male will pee on every one of those tunnels...it would be horrible to clean and stink so bad. Get a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid. 
Cedar and pine are terrible and should not even be sold in pet stores. Aspen is the way to go!


----------



## YourSoJelly (Jul 1, 2013)

candycorn said:


> That cage is only good for one mouse so it would have to be a male...and a male will pee on every one of those tunnels...it would be horrible to clean and stink so bad. Get a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid.
> Cedar and pine are terrible and should not even be sold in pet stores. Aspen is the way to go!


Thank you. I'm sure I'm going to sell it. How much would you say it would go for ? And do you have experience with a bin cage?


----------



## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

YourSoJelly said:


> Thank you. I'm sure I'm going to sell it. How much would you say it would go for ? And do you have experience with a bin cage?


Eh...maybe 10 bucks. They are pretty crappy cages to be honest. Sold to kids in the pet store because they look like toys.

As for the bin cages...honestly I don't like them. I know a lot of people do and good for them...but here is why I don't. Mice can and do chew through the plastic. So you have to watch carefully for a hole. I have a cat and an italian greyhound, any mouse that gets loose won't last long. The wire does best on all sides...so then when you dump the bedding it goes everywhere *no way to tip it into a bag easily. The mice can't be watched or photographed clearly since bins are not entirely clear. And to get the right size..they take up just as much room as a tank...so why not get the clear, safe, secure tank? I know they are cheaper and I understand they are lighter...but I am strong girl, I will stick with my tanks!


----------



## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

You could try putting it up on CL for trade for a 10gal tank.


----------



## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

Kiln-dried pine bedding is fine as long as you are absolutely sure its kiln-dried. I use it for my gerbils, since I have gerbils with aspen allergies (and I have an mild allergy to aspen). I use aspen and Carefresh Ultra mixed for my mice. I find Carefresh Ultra cheaper at Tractor Supply. Don't even bother going to a pet store for it because they are expensive.

I'm not a fan of those cages for any animal.


----------



## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

> Kiln-dried pine bedding is fine as long as you are absolutely sure its kiln-dried


Yes! Pine has got lumped in with cedar for some reason for being dangerous, this isn't the case. Pine phenols (carried in the sap) are a respiratory irritant but only when wet. When the pine is dried it is perfectly safe and, in my opinion, the best bedding for cost, comfort and odour control.

Cedar is not just an irritant, it's outright poisonous. In laboratory tests mice were given the option of cedar and pine bedding, and they wouldn't set foot on the cedar.


----------



## tillyandapril (Aug 6, 2013)

I have a cage exactly like that that I keep my single male mouse in. I also have another cage that is the same brand only 2 1/2 times taller. I connect the two cages via a short tube so my mice can visit each other when supervised ( My others are females, but I don't want babies). He seems to be okay with that cage and all my nice really like the space at the top for sleeping, especially when there's a lot of bedding in it for them to nest in.


----------

