# Is this correct? List of supplies needed



## Doveflight (Jul 15, 2012)

Okay so we are getting our first mice! They are three does. One is pure black, one is white and gray, and one is brown and white. They are all from the same litter or were raised together. We are getting them on August 20th, when they are 4 and 1/2 weeks old. The breeder is giveing us a used before- but cleaned out- 10 gallon tank and a mesh lid that fits. She is also giveing us a sample of their food which we will slowly switch to what we are useing.

Anyways i wanted to be sure i was not forgetting anything that we needed. Here is what i know information wise and what we would be getting.

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Food: We would be getting the mice Carefesh Complete brand mouse food. We will be slowly switching them into it from their food which is a mix of pellets and seeds (i think). Is it correct that you should always keep the bowl full unless your mice start to become overweight?

Treats: Cheerios are a good treat to give your mice once or twice a week right?

Water: Tap water is fine right? Ps: We have well water.

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Food bowl: What size should it be?

Water container (what are they called?): What size should it be, and how do you hook one up in a glass tank? Also, its true you should change the water once a day right? For checking that its working do you put your fingure on the end and it should come off damp but not soaking, and not dry?

Cage cleaning: For three female does, should you clean the cage, toys, and bedding every 3-5 days? The breeder recomended 3-4 days.

Bedding: The breeder said that aspen shaveings or sani chips (Teklad brand for both) would be fine. Is this true? The bedding should be 2-3 inches deep.

Nest box: What size should it be? Like would a standered size dome with a tunnel to get in be fine for three does?

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(We are breaking the toy section up into smaller bits)
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Wheels: The wheel should be a solid (not mesh) wheel right? Do you just set it in a corner?

Out-of-cage Balls: You know those hollow balls that mice can run around in? Are those recomended? And also should we get three because we are getting three mice? And how easy are the mice able to excape from?

Climbing toys: I'm pretty sure we need to be something they can climb on. Which would be better? A rope from the roof, ladder from the roof, or a dome type thing that they can climb on (a mesh type dome).

Other toys: I'm thinking we should get 3-4 other toys but only put two in the cage. Every few times we clean the cage we put diffrent toys in. What would some good toys be? I was thinking of tunnels.

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Traveling cases: We have about a three hour drive from our house to where we get the mice. What type of traveling case should we get? One for each mouse or all in the same case. I know wood is not recomended. Also, we would need to re-use these cages if we ever took a vacation or something.

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Well thanks for all your help guys.


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## Pamplemousse (Apr 9, 2012)

Food: We would be getting the mice Carefesh Complete brand mouse food. We will be slowly switching them into it from their food which is a mix of pellets and seeds (i think). Is it correct that you should always keep the bowl full unless your mice start to become overweight?
This sounds fine. You might want to supplement with other things like unsalted and unsugared oats and cereals and the occasional dog biscuit (for protein)

Treats: Cheerios are a good treat to give your mice once or twice a week right?
As long as they're unsalted and don't contain sugar, these are fine. Mice also love: cooked rice, very small amounts of scrambled egg, dog biscuits, mealworms, millet and pasta. We give ours the occasional yoggie drop too just because they're spoilt. All of these things in tiny amounts as treats.

Water: Tap water is fine right? Ps: We have well water.
Tap is fine.
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Food bowl: What size should it be?
You'll figure this out as you see how quickly they're emptying it. We have one that empties after a couple of days, just for the convenience of not having to add more every night.

Water container (what are they called?): What size should it be, and how do you hook one up in a glass tank? Also, its true you should change the water once a day right? For checking that its working do you put your fingure on the end and it should come off damp but not soaking, and not dry?
Water bottles are the most convenient as bowls get filled with bedding or peed in pretty quickly! You can get holders with sucker pads for glass tanks I think. If not, a bowl is fine as long as you keep an eye on it.

Cage cleaning: For three female does, should you clean the cage, toys, and bedding every 3-5 days? The breeder recomended 3-4 days.
We clean ours once a week but it really depends on how big their cage is, the type of bedding, how many plastic toys etc. Wheels are best cleaned often because they do get carried away and urinate as they're spinning round (ew) In my experience some mice will begin to use a "toilet" area after their first few months. If you have one of these, clean it every few days. Ours mostly pee in the "toilet" and on the wheel.

Bedding: The breeder said that aspen shaveings or sani chips (Teklad brand for both) would be fine. Is this true? The bedding should be 2-3 inches deep.
Yeah that's fine. It doesn't need to be that deep, we just put a layer in there (I guess it's less than an inch deep)

Nest box: What size should it be? Like would a standered size dome with a tunnel to get in be fine for three does?
They're not fussy and rather like being huddled together for warmth and safety.

Wheels: The wheel should be a solid (not mesh) wheel right? Do you just set it in a corner?
Yes, solid wheels. I recommend the Silent Spinner brand...wheel noise is a pain.

Out-of-cage Balls: You know those hollow balls that mice can run around in? Are those recomended? And also should we get three because we are getting three mice? And how easy are the mice able to excape from?
I wouldn't recommend these. I can imagine a mouse would just get spooked and it'd be tough for them to push the thing around anyway, not to mention they prefer not to be separated from their friends. What would be much better is giving them an area to run free on (a high table works - mice sense height and wont jump) With a big enough cage this isn't necessary though.

Climbing toys: I'm pretty sure we need to be something they can climb on. Which would be better? A rope from the roof, ladder from the roof, or a dome type thing that they can climb on (a mesh type dome).
Try them all and see which they prefer. Ropes are popular but get chewed.

Other toys: I'm thinking we should get 3-4 other toys but only put two in the cage. Every few times we clean the cage we put diffrent toys in. What would some good toys be? I was thinking of tunnels.
Mice are some of the least fussy pets you can buy. Give them an empty cardboard box and they'll be content for hours. Toilet roll tubes, ropes and shredded paper all make good toys. Changing your toys around is a good idea - mice are very curious about anything new and it makes ours very happy when we mix things up.

Traveling cases: We have about a three hour drive from our house to where we get the mice. What type of traveling case should we get? One for each mouse or all in the same case. I know wood is not recomended. Also, we would need to re-use these cages if we ever took a vacation or something.
Get something in thick plastic.

Enjoy your mice!


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## We Love Mouse (Jan 5, 2011)

First of all, congratulations with your new mice!

Food: I'm not sure about the ingredient in Carefresh food mix and the seed mix that you're talking about, but make sure that there are not too much fatty seeds in the mix. Mice mainly live on grains (oats, barley, rice, wheat etc) with some seeds and insects/ protein from meat (you can add some quality dog food in the mix). I've heard that mice won't eat pellets, as these are made from alfalfa, so if you can, find a mix with no pellets in it. I usually free feed my mice as they tend to not over eat. For fat ones I limit the fatty seeds and amount of food consume.

Treats: Yup, cheerios are fine as long as you choose the one that's not coated in sugar. I like to give my mice sunflower seeds, egg food, fruits and vegetables, dried carrots(for rabbits), unsalted biscuits and etc. in small amount as a treat.

Water: Tap water is fine.

Food bowl: In a small group of less than 4, I use 2" diameter food bowl, 3" for more mice. However I've seen a lot of breeders who don't use a bowl and scatter feed - because mice like to dig everything out of the bowl and sleep/urinate in it :roll:

Water bottle (this is what you mean, right?): I use 80ml water bottle for small groups, 150?ml for large group. I usually refill the bottle once it is empty, but wash the tip everyday. Water bowls are messy so I don't use it.

Cleaning: I spot clean the cage every other day (where they pee a lot) and clean everything out once a week (wash almost everything with soapy water). Like Pample mouse said, how often depends on the substrate you use, cage size, and number of mice. Clean often is a good thing, but too often can stress the mice out which is usually = they smell more.

Bedding: Either of them is fine. I use softwood bedding less an inch deep in most of my cage.

Nest box: size doesn't matter much as long as it is warm and secure. A regular cardboard box works just as good as store bought ones, but got to be replace often.

Wheels: Solid ones are better on their feet. Try to find the one that's quite large so they won't get wheel tail (tail curls up the back).

Out-of-cage Balls: Don't use these one. Let them run on the table or inside a playpen is better.

Toys: Mine love to climb on hammocks, ropes and tunnels hanging on the cage top mesh, etc. As long as they could climb on it, they usually like it. TP rolls, cardboard box, empty bottles are great, too.

Travel cage: I use a homemade travel cage made from plastic box and wire mesh on top. I have written an instruction here, but those are in Thai.


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## Doveflight (Jul 15, 2012)

Thanks for all the help! Basicly i had most of the stuff right but need to add to the main food diet a bit. And not to use the moue ball thing


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