# Alternatives to water bottles=all veggies



## Le Necrophagist (May 27, 2009)

I've heard of a couple reputable mouse keepers who choose not to use water bottles for their mice. Instead, they feed vegetables like greens and others to make up for their need for hydration needs. Would anyone have any idea on what kind of vegetables to feed and how much per day say per a tank of 5 active mice? I am very interested in this, if done properly I could see my mice being possibly even healthier with all of the vitamins/minerals/antioxidants ect... from an actual plant source. If done wrong, ie, too much I could see the health of the mice go downhill.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Short term, mice are fine getting their moisture from vegetables but long-term they need water, or water-soaked bread, even. Pure water is itself a nutrient that mice (and people) need.

Who gives their mice vegetables-only in lieu of water?


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## Norman's Mom (Feb 12, 2010)

I agree, I think it would be very dangerous to not have water available at all. The only time I have given mice anything in lieu of a water bottle was if they were shipped....they then got things like Cucumbers, Broccoli and Apples and mealworms...all of which are items that hold a lot of water. They were fine for the 6 hour plane ride using these things, but it isn't something I would subject them to on a regular basis. Water in of itself has nutrients in it that veggies or fruits do not, and it is a vital part of diet, IMO.


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Personally I don't feed 'wet' food because I have water bottles available all the time, and with the amount of cages I have it is not practical. Every feeding time would be hugely lengthened by hunting through cages looking for uneaten food that needed removing so that it didn't spoil. I do give things like granary bread once a week (the end of the loaf that the humans have turned their noses up at as it's no longer really soft :lol: ). On the other hand the indoor critters do get leftovers now and again because their numbers are much more manageable when it comes to taking out uneaten food. Not that the hedgehogs would _ever _leave any chicken or turkey


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