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How to Select Pet Mice
Cages
Fancy mice are common pet tended for hobby these
days. Pet mice are easy to maintain and available in several colors. If
tamed from young, pet mice eat from the hand of human and get along with
humans comfortably. Pet mice are very active and love to run around and
play.
Pet mice cages are available in different sizes. Size
of the cage is decided by the number of pet mice to be held in the cage.
Small groups of mice or a pair of mice need a 24” square cage. The cage
must have several levels and the cage has to be tall to facilitate
climbing up and running around. Glass aquariums, cages with plastic
walls and wire cages are ideal pet mice cages.
Ammonia and other fumes build up quickly with plastic
walled cages and aquariums. Care should be taken not to allow the fumes
to build up inside the cage. If aquarium is used as pet mice cage, the
lid should be in mesh that fits tightly on the top. The tight fitting
mesh lid prevents the mice from escaping out and allows spreading of bed
through a comfortable thick layer.
Pet mice cages should be provided with toys,
furnishings, bed and tunnels. Horizontal bars within the wire cages,
allow the mice to climb around comfortably and facilitate easy fixing of
platforms and toys on the side. The gap between bars of the pet mice
cages can be 1/4 inches to prevent the mice from escaping. If the gaps
between bars are larger, the pet mice may get stuck when trying to
escape out.
The door of the pet mice cages have to be convenient
to allow human hand to catch and attend to the mice when needed. Pet
mice cages available in the market are small in size but larger cages
meant for hamsters make excellent option. Mice are comfortable with
solid floors and it is better to avoid wire mesh floors. In case of
modular plastic cages of hamsters, maintaining the cage clean is a
challenging task. Some models of cages do not have proper ventilation
and there is a hazard of mice chewing the plastic wall to create a hole
to escape.
A thick layer of wooden shaving or other substrate
should be provided for Pet mouse bedding. Shavings of the wood such as
cedar, pine have to be avoided as these woods release volatile oils that
are not conducive to the good health of mice. Paper as well as wood
pellet cat litter can also be used for bedding as they are absorbent and
provide effective control against odours.
Pet mice cages have to be
provided with nesting materials. A hand made box or a small cardboard
box is placed as nest box. Frequent replacement of the nest box may be
required as the mice shred the nest box often. It is good to provide
strips of soft facial tissues and soft paper towels in the cage to help
the mice to nest. It is better to avoid the commercial cotton bedding as
the feet of the mice may get stuck in the strands.
Mice love to play a lot and a wheel excites the
mouse. The wheel should be made of hard surface for the mice to get a
grip while running. Pet mice cages can be provided with tunnels made out
of plastic pipes and paper tubes. Ladder, cotton ropes, card board boxes
and wooden balls with holes can be placed in the cage to help pet mice
be active and playful. Pet mice cages should be cleaned and disinfected
frequently. It is better to opt for periodical cleaning to keep the mice
fit and healthy.
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