# Looking for the best care books



## elliriyanna (Feb 2, 2011)

I would like to have the best mouse care book on hand. Any recommendations?


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Sadly, there are none. Your best bet is the internet, but don`t believe everything you read. Some websites will say `use sawdust or shavings` and although many do, it`s not recommended these days. I bought a book of ebay a few years ago called "Mice - A complete owner`s manual by Horst Biefeld. It has some lovely illustration and gives some decent references on diet and overall mousie behaviour and breeding sections. It also has a section on health and wild species. A nice little book to have for it`s archive value I think. Do a search for it on ebay or Amazon and i`m sure it will be there. The front cover has two mice on the front, a pink eyed white and a brown coloured mouse.


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## elliriyanna (Feb 2, 2011)

Are there any good online guides? free ebooks anything like that?


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## elliriyanna (Feb 2, 2011)

I have always used Aspen for my small animals ... Is that not ok? I've always read its fine it has no aromatic oils and has been fine for my hamsters and their respiratory systems are just as sensitive. I know carefresh would probably be better but my current pets hate it and Aspen has always worked for me. And of course lots of toilet paper


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

I would`nt touch Carefresh with a bargepole! Aspen (are you in the US?) is said to be fine, yes. Hamsters can sometimes be sensitive to substrate, but mice are more sensitive because they carry a bacteria called Mycoplasma Pulmonis that can be triggered by some of these beddings/substrates, so you need to be more careful with mice and what you keep them on. Always try and use paper based products (but check the packaging as many say `wood based pulp` and this is`nt the same). This is what Carefresh is.

ebooks I`m not sure about. I`ve always look at science based websites mainly as many `mouse care` pages are mis-interperated and give wrong advice. Most people who buy mice as pets are happy just to use what`s under their noses and what the pet shop advises. It`s a shame because there is good information out there (like this forum) but sadly, people don`t choose to look for good advice or don`t listen to it. They choose to buy the mice and research later. Like opening the gate after the horse has bolted....


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## elliriyanna (Feb 2, 2011)

Yeah I am getting everything together for them before I bring them home. Yes I am in the US. I can make homemade bedding out of newspaper( all ink near me is soy based) I'll have a batch ready just in case my mice have a problem with the aspen. I've put this much work into the cage and researching what to feed and how to tame and everything ... I'm not going to throw away all that just to be cheap with Bedding. I'm not even sure when I can bring them home but everything is ready for when I can  Bedding , Food , treats , cage even names.


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Just recently, there was a news story here in the UK regarding newspaper and food packaging. The warning was that newspapers contain mineral oils and this is also recycled into food packaging. The discussion was that this could potentially cause health issues in humans and I worried after hearing this as I use a sheet of newspaper to line the top shelf of my cage, which helps catch any urine. I used to shred newspaper into bedding material, but stopped doing that. I now use a paper based bedding called PetLife paper wool (it`s not wool it`s strips of fine white parchment) so I don`t know whay they call it `wool`! :roll:

My advice would be, ditch the newspaper and look in your local pet stores for a safe, paper based bedding material. I`m not sure what`s available in the states, but you will know a paper based bedding when you see it. That woolly stuff is dangerous so don`t touch that.

As for your substrate, Aspen is said to be okay, but I`ve never used it myself because it`s a shavings type of wood. Apart from Aspen and the dreaded Carefresh, I`m not too sure what else you guys use over there?

Don`t feed your mice corn or soya. Both are proven to be cancer producing in mice, so always check the packaging. Corn or maize are the yellow flakes in food mixes and soya might take the form of an extruded biscuit of flakes. If a food contains soya or corn that can be picked out, just do that. But sometimes soya or soy will be sprayed onto the food and you can`t eliminate it, so read the ingredients list and packaging carefully before you buy.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

> Don`t feed your mice corn or soya. Both are proven to be cancer producing in mice


I have not seen any hard proof of this, the fact is that it is entirely down to how maize is stored. If it goes mouldy it becomes cacogenic, but properly stored maize is not dangerous. I feed maize as it is high in folate and hind-gut fibre, and I have never had a single tumour in any of my mice, ever.

Aspen is perfectly safe as it is a hardwood, it doesn't contain the same potentially harmful phenols as softwood substrates such as cedar.

Sarah xxx


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## elliriyanna (Feb 2, 2011)

Maybe the newspapers over here are different. And the way this bedding is you shred newspaper was it in biodegradable soap rinse it really well to get rid of any ink. ( our ink here is soy based rather than mineral based) But I think I'm going to stick with aspen and giving them lots of Toilet paper for nests.

we also have paper based cat litter and such i could use. but aspen is totally safe and I can buy it in bulk for both of my small animals.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

I feed mine maize and corn my mice have never had tumours.The way foods become carcinogenic is if there burnt black altered genetically but that has not been proven yet with GM .If we took notice of all these things we wouldnt live because toothpaste,Dove soap,Johnsons Baby Shampoo,Talcum Powder, Burnt toast,If you cook a potatoe in a garden fire contains Carcinogens and above all smoking is the biggest carcinogen of all. I would worry about using those before I worried about corn and maize in a mouse diet.I wouldnt touch Talcon powder with a barge poll or sun beds.Who uses any of that list? you dont need to answer but there carcinogenic.Apparently Betel-nut aqueous extract from North India can induce tumours in mice but I dont give mine any of that


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Your probably right geordie. Corn/maize in itself should be fine as long as it does`nt look dark or mouldy. Soy on the other hand I do know a bit about. It`s a natural estrogen and can raise estrogen levels if you eat too much of it. I have a condition called Endometriosis and have to avoid soy/soya products with the exception of fermented soy, which is vey different. I try not to eat anything with soy/soy proteins in it becaue of this. In mice, it could have carcinogenic effects because of the large mammary area mice have, so I swerve soya altogether. Some pet food mixes contain soya, so it`s always a good idea to check the labelling before you buy.


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## elliriyanna (Feb 2, 2011)

Its ALWAYS a good idea to check labeling


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