# A good deal on lab breeding cages



## Psy (Nov 19, 2016)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Not sure if I am late to this party or not but:

I have recently been doing a great deal of look into picking up some lab style breeding tanks, the detractor of course being the cost. A good lab style cage setup can run you into the hundreds once you get all the snap-ins in place (water bottle or system, food hoppers, etc). In my search I found a site selling cages designed for both mice and for rats or a mouse colony for $19 and $35 respectivly (water bottles not included (food hopper built into lid)). They also sell the water bottles for $5 and $8 depending on the size you want.

Picking a few up on Friday myself 

http://www.reptilebasics.com/rodent-caging/


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## Amtma Mousery (Jan 29, 2015)

How do you put the wheel in for your mice to run?


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## Lilly (Nov 21, 2015)

Saucers rather than wheels or just don't have a wheel. A lot of breeders do not include wheels when they have smaller cages for 2-3 at a time and also a lot of the show lines tend not to really care about a wheel anyway


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## Amtma Mousery (Jan 29, 2015)

No exercise, no enjoyment...


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

Kanren, I don't provide wheels for my mice anymore. Instead I provide nesting materials and cardboard to shred. They enjoy that equally if not more and it's a lot less clean up of urine.


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## Lilly (Nov 21, 2015)

Yep, hay, shredded paper, other nesting and mice are happy happy.


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## Amtma Mousery (Jan 29, 2015)

Shredding does not provide the same exercise that a wheel does. I provide my mice both activities. Without available exercise/running, the mice will lose muscular capacity as the generations progress. If you want strong/agile mice, you need some form of exercise to promote those muscle groups.

In addition, the larger the mice- I have to get larger wheels for rats so that their vertebrate is not damaged from bending too much.


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## Psy (Nov 19, 2016)

wow, i stop posting for a couple weeks and thats when i get responses haha. ok so here goes. first off, saucers are great for my community tank (my girls), but honestly, mice have little need of toys (people have the toy need not your mice), they are social animals. those in groups play and entertain one another, they scale the lid here n there but mostly just play and groom. I have TONS of wheels, hides, etc etc, but they have been more or less phased out as they were not used for anything but bathrooms or fought over.

Now I realize that mice need stimulation, and those not in the group tank aren't getting it the same way. so, when my boys are not... working, they are frequently extracted for play and explore time. gives them the stimulation they need and the bonding that we need.


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## Psy (Nov 19, 2016)

On a side note, I disagree with the larger wheels being the better solution, better compared to a small wheel yes, but not better overall. Saucers mimic the natural stride pattern of your mouse while preventing 'wheel tail', they are the superior choice, ergonomically speaking.


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## Amtma Mousery (Jan 29, 2015)

My argument is supported by the following scientific studies:
http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/ru ... ve-decline
http://animals.mom.me/pet-mice-need-wheels-1145.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4686373/
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/scie ... -work.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... -pets.html
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/ ... 6/20140210
https://www.theguardian.com/science/grr ... y-neurosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455940/

In addition, the American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association recommends the utilization of wheels for fancy mice.
http://www.afrma.org/caresheet.htm

*I do not recommend saucer wheel over a standard wheel due to the following reasons:*

Saucer wheels cause an unnatural favoring and bend of the skeletal structure for mice, especially large mice. Pet shop mice may be able to run upon them comfortably.

Due to the shape and bending angle of the saucer wheel, mice will gradually favor a direction, thus resulting in imbalance development for the muscle groups. In extreme cases, it can cause temporary damage to the sensory input- negatively effecting balance and health.

*Why I recommend large standard wheels:*

Large wheels do not negatively effect the vertabraes of mice, but rather counters bad posture and slouching. 'Wheel tail' becomes apparent only from wheels that do not properly fit mice. Large wheels encourage mice to hold up their tail to promote proper balance and muscle maintenance during their running motion, without overextending the tail ligaments.

In conclusion, I feel that I have stressed my perspective and provided the necessary references for my argument. You may or may not choose to accept my ideology and/or read my posted articles. I currently and will continue to disagree with the methods of not providing a large standard wheel for fancy mice.


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