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Original poster

Mouse cage?

2 replies

TheGreatSloth · 12/12/2020 22:05

Can anyone recommend a mouse cage? From looking on the internet my impression is they ideally need to be able to have a deep bedding layer, about 7 inches, with room for plastic tunnelling in it, and room above for ladders hammocks logs etc. Does that sound right and what cage would you recommend?
It will be for 2 mice. I do very much want to get one with room for enrichment activities. (I don't think I can make one myself like emiology did! but that's the kind of thing I have in mind in terms of activities.)

OP posts:
user127819 · 15/12/2020 14:23

The Barney cage is very good and popular but it's hard to find at the moment. If you can wait a few months it might be on sale at Zooplus again but there's a cage shortage at the moment.

If you don't want to wait but are willing to spend more, Zoostore.de has some nice cages. As they're based in Germany postage will be expensive. I recommend any of the Borneo cages.

You're right that they need deep bedding plus climbing space. You'll need to fill the base of the cage right to the top, and then stuff the rest of the space with climbing toys, ropes etc. Mice need a very busy cage setup with no open space. I wouldn't recommend plastic tunneling. It can be dangerous for mice because if they pee in it, there's no ventilation so ammonia builds up. Mice have very delicate respiratory systems. They can dig their own tunnels in the bedding.

I know you said it's for two mice, but mice really do better in groups. Most people do a rolling group which is when you add another 2-3 mice every few months to a year so that the ages (and hence veterinary bills) are spread out more and no mice are ever alone. One of the problems with two is that when one dies, the other will be alone, and even if you find another mouse there will still be at least a few days when the mouse is alone. 3 is better because if one dies you will still have a pair so you have a little more time to find new mice. Mice should never be alone. When you want to stop keeping mice the responsible thing to do is to wait until you're down to a pair and then rehome that pair to someone with a larger group. It's sad, but it's part of keeping mice.

If you want an animal you can keep in just a pair you could look into gerbils. It's considered less bad to have a lone gerbil for a few days or couple of weeks, and when a gerbil is elderly and its companion dies, it's usually ok for it to be alone for the rest of its life. You would need a very different style of cage for gerbils though.

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