# Half inch by half inch bar spacing?



## FallDeere

Can _adult _mice fit through half inch by half inch bar spacing typically? I've heard different people say different things and I would like to hear first hand accounts of them either escaping or not escaping such spacing.

Have any of you ever kept a _full grown_ mouse (female or male) in half inch by half inch bar spacing? How did it work out?

Thanks for any help!


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## reeserueryn

When you say half inch BY half inch do you mean a grid? Or do you mean just half inch bar spacing?


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## FallDeere

It is a grid. It is a half inch by half inch square. Sorry if saying "bar spacing" caused confusion. I didn't know how else to phrase it.


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## reeserueryn

Oh okay no worries. For an adult mouse unless you have a small one I wouldn't worry about it escaping. I personally don't use it because I'm so used to 1/4" that it looks too big but I know people who do and they manage just fine.


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## FallDeere

Thanks so much! Someone elsewhere told me 1/4th of an inch was the maximum safe size which worried me since I already ordered a custom cage with 1/2 an inch spacing. I mean, I could cover it with mesh but that would complicate the decorating and such so if I don't have to, I'd rather avoid it. I'm getting young mice, but they won't have access to the cage until they're full grown (I'm not even getting the cage for a month or so).


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## reeserueryn

No problem. I wish I had more of a first hand experience to share. That would be crappy to have to cover it. Is the cage mesh? Or metal bars? I think if'll be fine. Maybe just slowly transition them in periods of time where you can monitor them till you know for sure? Idk aha.


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## FallDeere

Bars. It is a custom made cage from Martinscages.com with powder coated bars. The custom part is the spacing since they normally do an inch by half inch, but if I'd known to ask, I would've seen if they could have done smaller if that would be best for the mice... Any smaller than a half inch, though, and some of my decorating plans are either shot or complicated.

I mean, I'll do whatever is best for their safety. It would just stink if I went through the whole process of getting a custom cage only to find I did it wrong. 

Someone was telling me that even if the mouse can't fit through the spacing, they could try and get stuck and possibly injured from improper spacing.

I do plan on slowly introducing the cage. I'll only have play dates in it for a while, until it seems they will be safe in it. I guess the good thing, though, is I can use the cage as an extra for my rats if I can't use it for mice.


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## reeserueryn

Oh I see alright. What do you mean by decorating if you dont mind me asking?

About getting stuck though that actually came across my mind just a few minutes so before this because just a few days ago I had my guinea pig out on the yard in a play pen where the grid was too small to go through but just big enough for her head and holy did I have a scare when her head went in but wouldn't come back out. I almost thought I lost her but thankfully there was enough room to cut her out. Just with little tiny mice though that might not be the case which is what worries me :/

I guess you will just have to be on high alert for awhile :/


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## FallDeere

I had a lot of cool ideas for stuff. Just random things, but I also envision hanging hammocks and connecting a wheel to the side of the cage being complicated. Especially if I have to add mesh, but even slightly so if the actual bar spacing was smaller. I have a hard enough time with my rat cages, lol. I'm just being silly I guess. I don't take it well when things don't turn out as planned, but such is life. I'll adjust to what my mice need.

I definitely will be on high alert with them, just as I am when I have young rats or a new cage.

I was so ultra paranoid when I first got rats that they could squeeze out of a cage I had that I wrapped wire around the bars... I never had an escape from that cage and recently gave it away for free because I was so sick of it. Well, that and it had actually injured a at. It's toe got caught in a corner and tore off during the night.  Ugh, I feel so awful about that... Plus for the longest time, I thought he had lost his toe before I got him until I found a tiny claw stuck in the cage. I _knew _that could happen too, as some of my other rats had gotten caught but I was there to free them since it was mainly used as a spare cage for cage cleanings and such. Yeah, I've learned my lesson. Paranoia pays off.

The mice will be living in a 40 gallon tank until they can (IF they can) live in the cage. I just really wanted to provide them with more climbing space.


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## reeserueryn

I imagine it would be. I can't think of how you would attach a wheel :/

It's fine to be paranoid though. When their little lives depend on us it's better to be paranoid then careless right? That's sucks though about the rat's toe. Poor thing, too bad it was at night.

Sounds good though. Just going to have to wait and see now!


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## raisin

I personally would go with smaller grid spacing and tie on hammocks and whatnot with twistties or string. I had my gals temporarily in a travel sized rat cage with 1/2 inch spacing and they just squeezed out of one of the areas that was bent open a bit more than usual (because that always happens). I had to put tape over those spots so a larger male wouldn't get out. That male was fine in there, though I always worried. I guess it just depends on the mouse, and whether they WANT to get out or not!

A tank is my mouse home of choice, and 40 gal sounds like a decent amount of space! What you could do for climb space, if you for some reason decide to keep using it, is make a shelf out of 1/4 in. mesh so it folds over the lip of the tank on opposite sides, and hangs down into the tank.


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## FallDeere

The wheel I have is meant to be attached through bars, but 1/4 inch probably wouldn't fit. It'd be tight at least. I'm gonna get a different type of wheel as well for their 40 gallon, but I want them to have both. I get pretty stubborn when it comes to wanting my pets to have certain things, lol.

I have smaller clips I can use for the hammocks. I wouldn't trust string with any rodent, lol. I accidentally bought tiny clips when I was planning on making my own rat hammocks, so they could be put to good use here. They stinkin' hurt my fingers, though, which is why I haven't used them. Again, me being stubborn and disliking the inconvenience

I've never had a problem with Martin's Cages' bars being bent at all. I've gotten six cages from them and every inch has always been perfect (and believe me, I checked). Now, every other cage I've had has always had something wrong with the bar spacing... but never a Martin's cage (so far). Which is exactly one of the reasons I chose them to make this special cage for my new additions. If it weren't for the fact that larger Martin's Cages are stinkin' hard to clean, all of my pets would be living in them, lol. Best cages I've ever had.

I already have a custom set-up planned involving the cage plus either the tank or a bin-cage to give them climbing and burrowing space, should the cage end up being usable. I will cover it in mesh if needed. I'm just not satisfied with only offering them a tank because, again, I get very set on giving my pets certain things. Shoot, I'm completely rearranging my living arrangements _just _so I can double my rats' cage size (they're in a double critter nation already), give them at least one cat tree to climb on, a table for them (and the mice hopefully) to play on, and a rat proofed room for free range.


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## reeserueryn

Sorry this may sound rather obvious but just to clarify, you won't let them be playing on that table at the same time right?


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## FallDeere

Heavens no! My giant rats would destroy my precious tiny mice. <3

I'm glad you asked, though. It's apparently _not_ obvious to a lot of people, since I've seen too many think "Oh, I should let ALL my pets play together! It'll be great!" So I'm glad you're on the ball. 

I don't know how much predator instinct my rats have and I don't plan to find out. Not worth it at all. I'm even planning out how to insure the rats can't get too close to the mice cage/tank during free range times... I know one of my rats probably wouldn't care (my neutered boy Pooka), but my girls are nuts and unpredictable. I don't trust them with young rats, much less mice.


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## reeserueryn

Okay good. Haha I was just checking :lol:

It's just terrible people thing they're doing something fun for the pets and it ends up a terrible blood bath :/

I see though. Good thinking!


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