# Natural habitat



## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

Ok this is a working progress but here is a vid to show how it is so far!

The tan male isn't the perminent resident he is just exploring!










http://s1068.photobucket.com/albums...E775D98-3116-00000318406DCA02_zps17f6a2ff.mp4


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## AyJay658 (Jan 15, 2012)

I cannot see the video! =( Looks good though! I am interested in trying this too


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## AyJay658 (Jan 15, 2012)

What substrate are you using?


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## Salad Dodger (Jan 4, 2013)

what's gonna be living in there ?


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## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

http://s1068.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... f.mp4.html

video should work from there ^

and the female mice will be living in there 2 of them anyway!

I am using peat on the bottom as substrate.


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## Salad Dodger (Jan 4, 2013)

interesting idea , but how is that a 'natural' set up for a creature that has spent eons in captivity in boxes & tubs & the like ?
it would be a natural set up (ish) for field mice i guess , but even your average house mouse would never live like this let alone fancy mice .
I'm not trying to put down your efforts as it looks like a well set up tank , just querying its authenticity for its proposed inhabitants


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## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

well if you consider how house mice live and their natural environment though it is varied the british outdoors is allot of grass soil etc. i just made a micro scale of that environment which would enrich activity and enjoyment of life ( i hope) for the mice and seems to smell less and looks more attractive than a rotastak with wood shavings etc.


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## TrixYogurt (iM) (Oct 28, 2012)

I've seen plenty of natural set ups for mice. As long as all the materials are safe it's totally a fun way to let them live in my opinion.


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## GibblyGiblets (Oct 2, 2011)

This is an awesomely epic idea, I had actually thought of doing something similar if I ever get back into gerbils like I am planning on doing this year.


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## MojoMouse (Apr 20, 2012)

Looks fantastic. I think your mice will have a great time exploring, digging and building. They've got pleanty of stuff in there to keep them occupied!


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## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

Thanks for comments as said its only basic atm. There is a climbing wall to be added behind the logs. ill be growing live grass in one corner hopefully and having a natural looking rock waterfall set up into this shortly. Will hopefully look great once completed, they have loved clambering all over the logs so far and tunneling. Also going to aim to "wall mount" a small bird house to the side of the tank.


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## visitor (Jan 8, 2011)

I do think the natural habitat enriches the daily life of the animals confined to cages/tanks, and it also looks very pleasing to our eyes. I love watching my harvest mice in their tank.
















Harvest mice don`t smell and only need cleaning out every 4 months so not hard work maintaining a natural habitat for them.


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## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

Wow, that looks great, i bet anytime someone comes round they are immediately drawn to sit and watch them! Id get harvests but i just cant imagine they are possible to handle at all and i enjoy gettig the mice out! And i imagine they could escape from anything almost.


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## visitor (Jan 8, 2011)

I haven`t handled my mice as such, but they do come and sniff my hand and i`m sure they`ll climb on one day as they are super inquisitive. I shall handle babies as soon as they leave the nest so hopefully will have very tame mice. They are very fast tho and can jump big distances for their size. 
A bar cage would probably not hold them but they can`t escape from a meshed tank. I`ve opened the tank when they are climbing at the top branches and they haven`t attempted to jump out. 
When i need to sex them i catch them in a jam jar and look underneath. Much less stressful for them ( and me,lol).
They are more a `pet to view` than handle, but they are never boring. You should try having one. It looks so incredible when they twist their tails around branches to climb.


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## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

Nice sales pitch  haha ill look into it then from your reccomendation!


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## visitor (Jan 8, 2011)

I`ve never regretted getting harvest mice, and as you enjoy seeing animals in a naturalistic setting i do think you would get a lot of pleasure in keeping them too.
Don`t let me twist your arm though


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## reecef (Nov 28, 2012)

Now look what you have done...






















































One of them is super tame!

They are great!


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## visitor (Jan 8, 2011)

They sure are sweet little mice. 
Be good to have one of those old glass shop display cabinets set up for harvest mice i reckon.


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