# How many in a 20 gallon?



## Number1Sticky

How many female mice can I put in a 20 gallon long if I put TONS of toys in there? Like if I completely fill the tank with toys. Stuff like ladders, ropes, jungle gyms, branches, tubes etc..


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## Frizzle

The amount of toys will actually decrease the amount of females you can keep in there. It's like fish in a fish tank, the pebbles, seaweed, castle, etc... all take away from the total cubic space. Not to mention that tons of toys will be a pain to clean regularly. If you are looking for diverse stimuli, I would stick to the basics (hide, water bottle, food dish) and swap out one or two toys on a weekly basis so the tank doesn't get cluttered, but they will have something new and exciting all the time.


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## Laigaie

For my mice, at least, the determinant once you get to 20G size is not so much the space as it is the personalities. I've had sixteen young does living comfortably in a 20L (20H is no good for mice!). In order to get that 16 living peaceably, though, I had to remove two troublemakers who insisted on being top doe. This was three litters that had been combined to grow out together.

Suffice to say that the answer is a lot. The more often you clean out the bedding, the higher that number can go, especially if you have multiple water bottles and large or multiple houses. I found most of the does slept together in the half of a giant exercise ball I gave them, while a few more slept separately in a small coconut half shell. Two water bottles was a must, or I'd've been refilling them every day. Some folks don't mind that, but I do.


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## candycorn

It also depends on the type of mice. If they are little pet shop mice, I have twenty with 7 to 10 girls in it (10 currently) and lots of toys/hides. But for the large show type mice, I only keep 5 to 6 in a 20. But yes...it means you hve to clean it frequently and use two waterbottles.


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## Number1Sticky

Right now I have five female mice. Four are sisters and the fifth is the mother. I guess technically they are pet store mice. I got them from a breeder. She actually rescued their mom from a pet store while she was pregnant. The pet store was going to feed her to a snack because she was pregnant.  They all get alone very well. I'm just wondering because the breeder still has another mother she rescued and two of her babies. I would love to get them too, because I think they are gorgeous, but I don't want to over crowed my cage. Also I got all of them for free. But they are healthy. The breeder I got them from took care of them very well and she fed them Mazuri. They all have nice coats, bright eyes and are very active.


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## Laigaie

Awesome! You'll definitely be fine with this group in the 20L. With adding a new mum and litter, though, you may have trouble. Mums who are still living with their litters are sometimes aggressive to newcomers, because they're still protecting their kids. It might be fine. It might be problematic. But the size of the tank won't be your problem.


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## Number1Sticky

Laigaie said:


> Awesome! You'll definitely be fine with this group in the 20L. With adding a new mum and litter, though, you may have trouble. Mums who are still living with their litters are sometimes aggressive to newcomers, because they're still protecting their kids. It might be fine. It might be problematic. But the size of the tank won't be your problem.


They were all housed together before I go them. But that was a month ago, so I don't think they would remember each other.


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## candycorn

You would be surprised. And really...don't listen to the pompous gets on some boards. Phhw...Duke indeed.


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## Seafolly

I was a little worried about keeping my four girls (mother and three daughters) in a 10 gallon but this makes me feel a little better. Might as well stay on the lookout for a 20 but after 2 months of searching Kijiji, no luck quite yet.


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## Frizzle

candycorn said:


> You would be surprised. And really...don't listen to the pompous gets on some boards. Phhw...Duke indeed.


Lol, I saw that! ; ) And yes, listen to candycorn. The advice you received... elsewhere... is perhaps just a tad overzealous. That being said, if you wanted to split the numbers up into different tanks, it's your choice. Just don't feel like you _have_ to.


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