# Harrisons Hamster Cages.



## Fraction (Aug 29, 2011)

I know most people here use BINs and similiar, but I'm looking for wire cages for my four girls and my new boy.

Since most cages advertised mice are small and have a greater horizontal space than vertical, and I need tall rather than wide cages, I've been looking at hamster cages. I stumbled across the Harrisons brand, which seem like really nice sized cages for decent prices. But I can't find the bar spacing of them -anywhere- and I've heard that, for mice, you need an absolute maximum of 9mm, otherwise you risk them being able to squeeze out.

I'm looking particularly at the Harrisons Mayfair Cage [link to eBay listing] for the girls, and the Harrisons Twickenham Cage [link to eBay] for my boy.

If anyone could help (or point me to similarly priced, similarly sized cages that they know to be good for mice wrt bar spacing), I'd be very grateful.


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Are you looking for wire cages for ventilation, or because you don't want to make a cage but buy a ready-made one? There are other commercial cages that are ok for mice that have grills on the top but plastic sides.


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## Fraction (Aug 29, 2011)

For the ventilation, for the ease of hanging toys (in my current 3 foot tank, the only place I can hang toys off of is the wire mesh lid), for the front and side doors, etc.

I've used a grill-topped plastic cage before, and I really disliked it. My new mouse seems much more confident in approaching me already than either the girls I have now or the lone girl I had a few years ago (the girls were immediately in their large tank, and my lone girl was in a grill-topped cage).

I just like the look of barred cages much more, too.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

I do not personally trust ANY wire cage for mice and would never get one....waaaaay too many stories of mice getting out!.....or having wild mice (who are smaller) getting in and impregnating does or injuring bucks!


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Ah ok. I dislike barred cages myself but it's just personal preference. Have you looked on the Wilkinons website? They sell a few different barred cages. I don't know what the bar spacing would be but at least you could go into a shop and take a look at them before buying anything. Generally the rule is if you can get your little finger into a gap then the mice can get out!


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## Fraction (Aug 29, 2011)

Stina, I haven't seen any evidence of wild mice since shortly after moving in. I think a terrier and a terrier cross helps 

MouseBreeder I haven't! There's a wilkos near me, so I'll look on the site and see if anything looks good.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

You mentioned you want more vertical than horizontal space. Can I ask why? I suspect you'll find your mouse primarily on the bottom.


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## Fraction (Aug 29, 2011)

Wheatley, in his current modest-sized bar cage, spends a lot of time scaling the rope, swing and hanging rope, and climbing on the bars. The girls also spend a significant portion of time running up and down the vertical hanging objects, and on the acrylic platforms I added in. My mice seem to enjoy a)climbing and b) digging around most of all.


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## Fraction (Aug 29, 2011)

Also: forgot to mention that I also have much, much more vertical space than horizontal available for mouseys.


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