# Who uses Lab Cages?



## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

I had an interesting experience the other day...

I just picked up a bunch of lab cages for the first time, I like that they're bigger for the mice, and the food and water access is on the outside, but... I had a couple 4.5 week mice going for pets at a show. I'm driving down the freeway, 65 mph, and all of a sudden my friend looks in the back seat and sees both mice sitting ON TOP of the lab cage. She grabs one, which I hold, as she then hunts for the other that ran away... while we're speeding down the freeway....

ANYWAY... we eventually caught both mice, pulled over, and put them in a tupperware box I happened to have...

I know several of you use lab cages, have you ever had trouble with babies escaping or anything? How do you prevent this? Do you use separate containers for young mice until they're too big to fit through the bars, or put mesh over the lids, or what?


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

I've never ad problems with babies escaping. Are you using the rat sized bins? Or the mouse sized ones?


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I've had them get out of the hole where the water bottle goes and I've also had second hand ones that the previous owner has widened one lot of bars ever so slightly to push a w.bottle nozzle through which also allowed babies to escape.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Umm... they're 10 inches wide and 19 inches long, I'm not sure if that qualifies as rat or mouse. So what did you do to keep the babies from escaping?

I have a bunch of 1/4"x1/4" hardware cloth, I was thinking of putting that over the top, I'm just not sure how well it will fit.


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## sys15 (Nov 26, 2011)

those sound like rat cages. i've never had mice escape from my standard mouse cages, but small ones can get out of some general rodent cages i have.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Grr... :evil: Now what do I do? I was so happy to get lab cages, but I can't use them with the babies....


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Yeah that sounds like the rat sized. My lab bins (standardsize for mice) are 9'' by 11'' or so. I would try to cover them with hardware cloth if possible. How much did you pay for them? I'd love some rat sized lab bins for my ASFs. :lol:


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

They were 15$.... I got 20 of them! :lol: I got them off an ad on Craigslist. They are used and a little beat up, but they work.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Sorry, another question... If I cover the cages with hardware cloth, will the mice still be able to get food from the hopper?


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I got rat lab cages for running on lots of does, I just covered them with mesh and that did the trick:


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Sarah. . . that picture on your wall. . . Is that my art?


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Dunno, I found it on a royalty free clip art site? Unless you're refering to the muscle-art poster!

Edited: I will of course remove the photo if it is yours and not royalty free. I haven't used it anywhere else.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Strange. It's just like a mouse that I drew, only the tail is different, and I never made them in those colours. 
http://www.iaza.com/work/120202C/iaza13746260781100.png


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

It is exactly like yours except for the tail. Someone stole it then! :evil: It was a white mouse when I got it, I put the colours on. I could have drawn one myself but I couldn't be bothered!

Do you want me to remove the photo?


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

No no it's fine. but if you can remember where you found it, let me know!
Not like I make money off of them, but it's just plain rude that it's somewhere on the internet without my name on it. :lol:

You may keep it and colour it all you want.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Cheers! It's totally different now; I have Dutch, marten sable and silver fox up there.

I just googled "mouse clip-art" and scrolled down until I found one I liked. I think it was on a university website.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Sad about the stolen art, but thanks for the pics of the lab cages. That gives me an idea of what to do. Did you use zipties to secure the mesh, or bits of wire?


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## maddeh (Jul 14, 2011)

Rhasputin - did a quick search and found the site SarahY is talking about: http://www.biochem.wisc.edu/medialab/clipart.aspx It's the third down on the right.
Looks almost identical other than your picture's tail looking better :shock:


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Yeah. I found it too. Really weird. 
:|


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

> That gives me an idea of what to do. Did you use zipties to secure the mesh, or bits of wire?


I twisted bits of wire round with pliers to hold the mesh on. After doing three cages I was about ready to cut my hands off they hurt so much! Worth it though, it won't need to be done again because naughty mice can't chew through it


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Fun. My dad gave me a pair of heavy leather work gloves a couple months ago. When I first got them, I thought, "ooookay.... nice, but I'll never use them...." Now I use them all the time! :lol: I use them for yard work, for working with hardware cloth, for grabbing bitey snakes/mice, for just about everything! I love my gloves now! :nar


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I took a clearer picture today:









The bars which aren't covered are more narrowly spaced than the ones on the top and sides.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Okay thank you. Do you use alfalfa for bedding? It looks green on my monitor. And with as high sides as those cages have, they STILL manage to kick bedding out! :roll: :lol:


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

:lol: Yep!

No it's not alfalfa, it's supposed to be hay - but this bale was rather green and full of flowers!


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