Other Does anyone know about mice?

[LunaKitty]

A friend of mine came by my work yesterday with a small plastic pet carrier. She had gotten 2 adorable mice for her son and he wouldn't take care of them (why do parents do this). She new I have taken in rats, hamster (dwarf and teddy), and guinea pigs so thought I'd take these girls too. Of course I did take them (fell in love with their lil mousie faces ) and rushed over to walmart and the local mom and pop pet store for supplies (she gave me nothing). Here is what I have gotten for them:
1. Super Pet Crittertrail 2
2. I made a small fleece hammock and fleece rope (the piggies kindly donated some scraps for them)
3. 8oz water bottle that hangs on the tank
4. 2 solid plastic wheels
5. Aspen shavings and generic carefresh (called critter care bedding)
6. paper crinkles
7. wooden mouse hide
8. 3 different wooden toys
9. mini mineral black
10. ceramic dish (the banana shaped ones for reptiles)
11. oxbow regal rat blocks (though their heart shaped but I picked it cuz it has the lowest protein percentage and no corn in it)
12. plastic tubes (I shapes them so they have to climb up, then across, and then down)
13. the plastic carrier for when I clean
14. Spray bottle (filled with half water to half vinegar for cleaning)
15. and made mix of cheerios, rolled oats, bran flakes, uncooked pasta, dried cherries, raisins, and uncooked brown rice for me to hide around the cage
16. lastly I took them both to the vet (he's awesome and saw me that day)... both are healthy but he said they where alittle under weight

Please let me know if any of this is wrong or bad for them. Any advice would be so helpful and greatly appreciated!
Thank You,
LunaKitty

P.s. Will have Pictures up later this week. I want them to chill and get comfortable in their new home before really messing with them.

 

[Lizzieball12]

All of that sounds good. When I had mice I used the paper bedding only, like guinea pigs they have a sensitive upper respiratory system, and there was a bit less dust with the paper. I fed my boys the mouse and young rat food by oxbow along with fruits and veggies and they did well. Other then that I feel like the mice aren't much different then hamsters.

 

[LunaKitty]

Snapped a few photos while cleaning.
The Cage


Rhea is the one facing the camera and Isis is hiding


Isis and Rhea in top level (they use it as their hide so I took the other one out for more space)



P.s. Sorry for the poor quality in the last photo but it started thundering and frightened them.

 

[LunaKitty]

@Lizzieball12 Thank you I will switch them over to carefresh tomorrow cuz I have to pick up some more.

 

[littlepaws1999]

It sounds like your all set I would only watch out for them chewing on the crittertrail cage. When i had my gerbils they decided it would be fun to chew on the plastic levels and tubes. That being said they might need replacing after a while. You can also mix the rat pellets with mouse/rat seed mix for a variety of food for them (just pick out the corn).

 

[Princess_Piggie]

Ohh they're so precious! I've always loved the thought of having pet mice ever since I read a book about it as a kid.

Sorry this isn't a more helpful post, but I couldn't resist. I'm gonna hold you to that promise of more photo's when they've settled in!

 

[LunaKitty]

@littlepaws1999 thanks for the heads up! I haven't seen them chewing anything but I'll keep and eye out for that, and pick up a little mouse mix at the store too (I had to pick the corn out for my rats so I'm used to that).
@Princess_Piggie Thank you the last pic. doesn't do Isis justice she's beautiful. I will defiantly take some more on Tuesday so check back then.

 

[Rywen]

They are so cute! I had pet mice as a child and teen, loved them!

 

[LunaKitty]

@Rywen Thank you

 

[pigger123]

I also suggest getting a different cage. Crittertrails are too small, and they are primarily made of plastic which mice, hamsters and gerbils love to chew on. A 20 gallon long tank or a large wire cage with 1/4" bar spacing is a better option. The wire cage would be preferred because it has better ventilation and the mice can climb on it, but a tank is fine too. Mice love having multiple levels to climb to, and lots of ropes, hammocks and toys to climb on. Also, I think metal wheels are preferred because mice like to chew on plastic. Other than that, it looks like you did a great job taking care of your little mice on such short notice!

 

[Aertyn]

I prefer barred cages as well, allows for much more room, they are easier to clean (I have a crittertrail years and years ago, they are a pain to take apart and clean every week.) This was the last cage I had for 5 girls.


It was being sold as rat cage, but the bars were pretty wide so I cable tied Galvanised Gutter Guard to the outside of the cage.

Here you can see the original space of the bars and the gutter guard.


Ditch the mineral wheel, just like pigs they don't need them. Mice are omnivores, they need protein in their diets, I used to feed them a couple dried mealworms each a day, along with a treat of cooked chicken and sometimes some cooked egg. They also enjoy fresh veggies like Carrot, Broccoli, Corn Kernals (one or two each), beans, raddichio etc. They would get a little cup of fresh veggies every day and during winter for an extra special treat I'd make up some oatmeal (with water) for them. They loved it.

 

[LunaKitty]

@ThePigAlchemist thank you I will look into a martin's cage @pigger123 Thank you I'm gonna look online and in my storage for some larger wire cages @Aertyn Thanks for the photo's it really helped me realize how much more room they need. I have found my Kaytee Multi-Level Small Animal Exotics Cage (dimensions are 30.5" x 18" x 30.5" and the wire spacing is about an inch apart... it has 3 levels but I would only use one or two) Is this ok for two with room to expand?[h=1][/h]

 

[pigger123]

That cage should be a fine size, but the bars are way to big. You would need to cover them with 1/4" wire mesh.

 

[LunaKitty]

@pigger123 Oh good I'm going to lowes tommorrow for some mesh...thank you for the advice

 

[LunaKitty]

Just make sure that with the Martin's cages, if you decide to go that route, you contact them and ask for 1/2 inch mesh instead of the wire they usually use, which is 1 inch by 1/2 inch rectangles. They're happy to do custom orders for not much more money.

I will thank you!

 

[kanojochan]

This thread got me started on habitat searches and there are some absolutely gorgeous cages made from Ikea's DETOLF glass cabinet. It seems many people use these for hamsters, but I imagine they're suitable for mice as well. Google images for the DETOLF cage hack. It may come in handy if you decide to expand their habitat in the future. Though I'll admit, it does seem excessive for a couple of mice haha XD;

Otherwise your list of items to get you started sounds pretty great! Your new mice are beautiful!

 

[Aertyn]

Whilst those cages are nice, they are more suitable to ground dwelling animals like Hamsters. Mice LOVE vertical space, and love being up high so they can keep an eye on their surroundings. My girls favorite sleeping spot was a hammock that I would hang off the roof of their cage.

 

[pigger123]

A large, tall wire cage with multiple levels and tons of things to climb on and hide in is the ideal cage for mice. They still need a nice sized horizontal floor space, but vertical space is important too.