# Best possible mouse enclosure?



## FallDeere

I'm new here and won't be getting mice for a while, but I love to plan way in advance so I wanted to ask...

What, in your opinion, would be the absolute _best _possible habitat for up to four female mice? By this, I mean types of cages or size of aquariums, etc. These will not be breeders, by the way. Only pets and I am not afraid to go full out on giving them whatever would make them happy, as well as much them more fun to watch in their habitat.

I have a 40 gallon aquarium (that is currently occupied by two gerbils). How does that rate as a good habitat? (I won't be getting mice for a few years, so the gerbils will most likely be gone by then). Would they prefer something more cage-like so they can climb? Or an aquarium with a topper?

Thanks for any help!
~Fall


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## Miceandmore64

Not sure but I think I heard its female mice that do the climbing I guess in the wild they do the food searching.
Hmm I have my 3 does in a wire cage that is a great size. But I would keep them in the sane type if cages as your breeding cages just incase you need a spare cage or decide to keep a few younger ones who could creep out of the wire as they do!


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## FallDeere

What size cage is it? Or what type/brand?

I'm not breeding, by the way. These will just be pets.

Thanks for the help! ^_^


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## Frizzle

So for starters, while rats have more finicky respiratory systems, mice are a little more tolerable, in that aquariums and DIY bins with mesh lids offer adequate housing. Floor space is better then height, and if you go the bin/tank route, you'll want to keep your sides under 12" to maximize air flow & keep ammonia down. For the most part, I think people here will tell you to stay away from cages with bars, & especially the critter nation stuff with all the plastic tubes. Mice can escape from spaces larger then 1/4", so if there is a piece of cage that doesn't match up quite right, it spells ESCAPE.

I started with 10 gal aquariums, but found that they were bulky, heavy, & expensive. However, you not breeding means that one tank is not going to make or break the bank, as well as only having to clean one isn't going to drive you crazy. For the last year I've primarily used modified sterilite bins as they are flexible, cheap, and come in long & low varieties. The con's are that there are some chewing potential depending on the mouse, you need to buy hardward cloth & modify the top/sides for air flow, as well as plastics may hold some smell.


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## Miceandmore64

NO IDEA CAGE TUPE JUST A CHEAP BUY AT A FAIR


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Frizzle said:


> For the most part, I think people here will tell you to stay away from cages with bars, & especially the critter nation stuff with all the plastic tubes.


I believe Frizzle was referring to Critter Trail cages.. I personally don't believe these are suitable for any kind of animal.

I keep my mice in large home-made bin cages. I just cut out the center of the lid of the bin and added mesh to the hole, then I added a small and long window that goes along the top of the long side. My mice climb on that when they're trying to get to me, but otherwise they just burrow.

A 40 gallon tank would be fine, especially since you already have it. When it comes to larger tanks, I'd much rather have a bin cage since they are cheaper and a lot easier to clean.


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## Frizzle

^^^
Yup, I meant that! Thanks. :3


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## thammy24

If you are willing to spend the time, I think these would be a mice's dream house. I would make larger side openings on the bottom bins though and cover it with a wire netting. They wouldn't be expensive to make though, just time consuming.










or this one. though maybe smaller bar spacing


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## ThatCertainGlow

A tank would be clearer viewing, and my thought is there would be enough ventilation for the amount you are interested in. Especially with deep bedding, to keep the bottom surface of their cage higher up. Many adore tunneling through bedding too. They really enjoy any form of effort to finding food, and that foraging drive is easily met. Hiding it in a stuffed TP roll, so they chew into it, or just placing it all over in hidden locations, works. Food pinatas are also fun for them, and to watch.

Yes, most mice like to climb. Easy to do in a tank or bin, with popsicle stick creations that go up, or various cardboard packing buffers that are tall, and sturdy enough to climb on. There are also things like wire cage bits, and bird ladders that would give things to climb on. If the wire on top of your tank lid is strong welded wire, you can snip out some squares to attaching hanging toys, ladders, chain with tubes strung on them, etc. Baked branches, and such, from trees, baked moss, etc. Change half of it at a time, so their environment has new things to explore, and the the remaining half is still the comfort of the familiar.

Bins are great for portability, but with only the one cage (enclosure) that might make little difference. Usually bins are also recommended to give more space to create in, but a 40 gal is a reasonable size. The idea being not to give them a lot of wide open space. Cubby holes, places that lead into another place, tunnels they can chew on, etc. It would be a balance between getting to see them, and letting them feel safe in something so big. House mice are not like field mice, or gerbils, they like being able to have 'walls' close by, even if they are not walls at all, but instead baked cardboard egg cartons, or any other assorted thing.

I would suggest some sort of travel/'cage cleaning day' plastic bin, unless you already have one for the gerbils.


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## FallDeere

Thanks for all the input! I've seen so much disagreement about whether mice should be in cages or not that I figured it's be best to ask here rather than just believe what I found when Googling.

On another note, yesterday I was nearly convinced I was coming home with a little buck. This little feeder mouse and Petco walked right into my hand. He was stinkin' adorable. I was leaning towards females because I didn't want a male that had to be alone, plus everyone seems to agree that males stink a LOT more. However, I've now decided I could be happy with either a group of females or a single male... Either way, I want to best environment possible for my future mice... However, it is looking like it'll be at least a year and a half before I get mice. I'll be moving out of my parents' house in about eighteen months and then I'll have plenty of room for as many rodents as I want, mwahahah! -cough- Well, not _too _many, of course.

My mom did officially say I could take the gerbils' tank when the gerbils have passed, though, so that's good. I still might want something fancier for the mice, though. It'll depend on how many I decide to get. If I just get a single male, I imagine a forty gallon tank would be fine, right? Or do males need more ventilation since they tend to stink more? Speaking of which, how often would a male's enclosure need to be cleaned? For my rats, there's no real difference between cleaning a male's cage and a females... aside from with my girls, it's the urine that makes a stinky mess and for the boys, it's the poop. The girls are more careful where they poop and the boys are more careful where they urinate... Rats are strange -sigh-.


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## Frizzle

lol, fancier cages for fancy mice. Regarding male enclosures, I think that many people here use 5.5 gallons+ for single stud bucks, but then they are not pets. I think 10 gallons would suit a single buck just fine, but it's not like more space will hurt anything. I think I've read a thread somewhere on here that touched upon how they might only use one area of the tank as a home base since they don't like a lot of empty head space, but I could be wrong. Weekly/as needed, and you can add things to their water to make the urine smell less (non of which I've tried, so you'd want to ask about that).


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