(Part 2) Best products from r/PetMice

I bought a silent spinner wheel because i thought "hey it wont make a tonne of noise" (their cage is in my bedroom) however it STANK, as its plastic and has concave. And since my mice love their wheel so much they spend 90% of their time on it. Which bring 90% of the poop....

I swapped it for a wire mesh wheel, I realise bumble foot can be an issue however from what i understand thats caused by the feet being rubbed on the metal bars and the bacteria that live in poop get in the disturbed skin.

The paint does keep it as a smooth surface and for how cheap these wheels are replacing it once a year is just easier and cleaner for me. I wash it with their tank once a week too to ensure that it is clean.

Also a mesh wheel is safer as one of my mice doesn't keep up and a plastic wheel results in her falling on her back from the top of the wheel, as she cant hold on. But with a mesh one she can :) and she cant hurt herself on it.

EDIT:
Also I saw that icaruscottontail suggested that they only have it during supervised exercise times. I dont think this is not a good idea, if your mice are like mine they love to run at night 11pm-5am mainly, and i found they run up to 8km a NIGHT, if they only get a few hours when your awake they are unlikely to use it or use it as much as they would want to otherwise.

Sure, happy to help! Here is an example of how my free play/exercise bin looks today. There's a dish with soil/seeds for digging, some tubes, a little wooden castle from Michael's, an egg carton, etc. Really you can put almost anything in there and they love it. Goodwill's has baby toys very cheap that often are good for mice too. I made the lid with this aquarium mesh and I just used Gorilla Tape to stick it onto the lid (which I cut with a box cutter). It is not safe for long term since they can chew the mesh, but I can leave them for a minute so they don't accidentally climb out and I don't worry about my dog sticking his head in there. It would be much better with metal hardware cloth -- search "bin cage DIY" and you'll see lots of examples.

Enjoy!

1. I would do either Oxbow Adult Rat Food or Mazuri Rat Food as a main diet. You can also scatter-feed for enrichment using another food like this one or you can also scatter bird seeds around for enrichment.
   
   
2. I would recommend starting off with either a 10 or 20 gallon tank. 10 gallon is an appropriate size to start off with, but the 20 gallon allows you to put more toys and wheels to keep him occupied.
   
   
3. For enrichment you want to definitely get a wheel or a saucer (or both). Hanging bird toys, bird perches, and bird ladders are a must have if you choose a tank because it allows your mouse to climb around. My mice LOVE plastic tubes like this and all my mice have by far preferred this hideout. A few other toys I have noticed people get their mice include hanging coconut hides, foraging toys, and digs. If you need anymore enrichment ideas I would check out this video

All together is best. If you can't find a bigger tank, an extension top like this could work.
As for intros, take everyone and put them in a smallish container like a plastic bin with neutral smell. Throw in fresh bedding, and put in a single "house" like an overturned kleenex box. They should all huddle together in the box until everyone smells like everyone else.

So I'm looking at cage options, the only issue is that I live in New Zealand so the options are super limited. I'm looking at three different options, one wire cage which will cost $50 https://www.thepetcentre.co.nz/small-animal/hutches-%7C-housing/3-lvl-mouse-34.5-x-28-x-64cm-m3/ekom3.aspx
This one from amazon which will cost $80 https://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-CritterTrail-Level-Habitat-Pink/dp/B000HHM6PS/ref=sr_1_25?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1511135504&sr=1-25&keywords=Kaytee+CritterTrail
and this other one from amazon that will cost $220 but looks really good https://www.amazon.com/Ferplast-CAGE-FAVOLA-BLACK-Hamster/dp/B0133LNVAS/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1511085761&sr=8-26&keywords=mouse+cage
As they currently only have males at the pet store, I will only be able to get one at this stage (or two if I buy a second cage). I am just wondering if it would be worth spending $200 for just one mouse, or if the $80 and $50 ones will be fine with some adjustments. I spent about $300 on a cage for my rats, so I'm not too worried about the cost. The cheaper options make it a lot easier for me to buy more than one cage, but I'm not sure if I have the space for two cages as I won't be able to put them right next to each other.

p.s I am a sucker for spending too much on my pets, pls help

Niteangel Natural Living Tunnel System, Small Animal House https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OW6ZO9U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jpFACbCZ0ZTQE

I bought this for my boy Eli for Xmas...he lost his marbles...he loves it soooo much...he has a 20 gal long tank so you can fit the whole thing inside but it doesn't leave room for his wheel. I took the houses apart so each week I change out the houses so they can air out and I gave the connecting tunnel log to his baby brother leif in a separate tank...I first bought Eli this...Niteangel Natural Wooden Hamster Mouse Tunnel Tube Toy Forest Hollow Tree Trunk https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OW44P56/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4sFACbT7F5QKX

they have tons of real wood mouse safe toys...I like this company the best...we also have a pineapple hammock and a strawberry one. I wanna get Eli and leif this Activity Assault Course - Hamster & Small Animal Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HRLM1E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_azFACb2XNVKE5

mice are nocturnal. I recommend leaving the wheel in at night since that’s when they’re most active. if you’re worried about her running in poop, mice are very clean animals and will clean themselves off just fine. I would still recommend rinsing off the wheel a couple times a week though. I also recommend that you get some stuff for her to climb on to hang from the cage lid. Such as this

That one has some plastic beads which arent safe and the sanding perch is not very good for mice feet or bird feet. I got this and everything is very natural and lovely plus im sure the mice will love the hanging platform! Just remoce the few bells there are and theres nothing wrong with it! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RSV1VJ6/?coliid=I28F5DN58911LH&colid=2MBRCC0QH2E8J&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I have only flown puppies myself. Check with the airlines you want to fly with before buying the tickets, see if they allow them in a very secure caging as a carry on pet. There might be a fee and it might depend on what they consider 'small pet'. That is a short flight, so provide water before you leave home and then as soon as you get to your location (~3-5 hr.). I'd offer some stiff food like biscuits or blocks to nibble on that isn't too crumbly or small like seeds. Check with what bedding the airlines allow as well. You might want to toss in a toy or two or a paperboard tube to distract them or for them to hide in. Planes are loud and scary to most animals.

Note: don't show them off in the airport or plane, keep things subtle and on the down low. Most of the general public does not share our love of rodents and it might spark fear, controversy, or even worse things in the wrong person.

They make small pet carriers by Kaytee/ Super Pet like 'Take Me Home' (wired travel cage) and 'Come Along' (soft mesh travel carrier). The latter is certainly the most appropriate and subtle, and some pictures show using both together for security (can't chew out) and privacy. You might have to hunt the internet or stores for them. Hagen makes a Living World carrier that is hard sided [https://www.amazon.com/Living-World-Carrier-Purple-Grey/dp/B006JVPL6W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1491533314&sr=1-1&keywords=small+animal+carrier -as an example, not an endorsement]. I'd add a strap for support on that one, just so it doesn't pop open, and carry it by the base not the handles. Nothing worse than a cage coming apart feet above the ground and even worse when on the go. Finally, make sure it will fit under the seat of the airline chosen, some have little room as it is. Good luck!

Best thing I could find (10.7 x 18.4 x 8)

The only thing I would worry about is the little ones chewing on the coating, this size should cover 1/3 long ways.

Also you may be able to use the hooks on this not only as a stand but you could make very small holes and hook it to add even more room.

However if this doesn't work, you could add adhesive hooks so you can use cage hooking items like this

If the hooks aren't what you want then you can add items like these:

Best Option

Wooden Balcony

Platform

Platform and Swing

Platform and Swing - The Squeequel

I really hope this will help you and the little ones out!

Edit: Forgot to add this one

fish tanks work great! i'd definitely recommend them especially for short term. i believe petco is having a "dollar a gallon" sale right now, which is a great discount. you can also often get them second hand on craigslist, but be sure to scrub em well.

downsides of fish tanks:

1. you can only reach down from the top, which can be an issue with shy mice because their tiny brains instinctively read LARGE THING FROM ABOVE = DANGER = HIDE
   
2. reduced airflow can cause respiratory issues. this is completely individual to mice: i had three girls in a fish tank, zero issue, added a new friend, she wouldn't stop sneezing.
   
   rules of thumb if you DO wind up getting a wire cage:
   
3. wire spacing should be no bigger than 1/2 inch for an adult mouse or 1/4 inch for a baby mouse
   
4. no wire ledges -- which your link did have -- their tiny feet can get caught in the wire and apparently it's uncomfortable for them to stand on.
   
   for what it's worth, i keep my adult mice in something very similar to this https://www.amazon.ca/Super-Pet-Deluxe-First-Home/dp/B0002DJ28G/ref=pd_sbs_199_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=KDCE6QZGDMTHEJBX5YT9 , although the bars are probably spaced too large (1/2 inch) for a young mouse.
   
   good luck!

Thanks for the lengthy response! Knowledge is always great. (: Yeah, two is definitely my limit for beginning, but it's good to know they'll be okay with two. I intend to get them a wheel, the local pet shop where I'm going has them, so that's not an issue. Do you think I should get two, or would that just be too crowded..?

Where do you buy your fleece? Could I just pick some up at Walmart/Target/etc?

http://www.amazon.com/Kritter-Keeper-Large-Rectangle-Colors/dp/B0002APZOO

That's the sort of keeper I'm thinking of using - no pesky side holes for the mice to get out of or my cat's claws to get in, but the top is entirely ventilated.

Try something like this hooked up to one of these. You can get them from any pet store that stocks supplies for keeping reptiles.

You'll also want some auxiliary probe thermometers because you want to put the thermostat probe between the mat and the cage so that you can ensure the probe is touching the mat and won't get moved, but that will only tell you how hot the mat is getting, not how hot the floor of the cage is getting or how the ambient temp/temp inside a hide is. Then you set the temp on the thermostat so that the temp on the probes looks good. I keep mine at 96f and my probe mounted to the ceiling of my mouse's hide stays at a solid 75f-80f.

I'm glad I have some experience keeping reptiles, because otherwise I would have been completely at a loss as to how to keep my baby mouse warm. The heat in my apartment barely works half the time, and it's not uncommon for the temp to dip down to below 60f.