Hello Guys! +mouse supplies list help is appreciated

by Sneria Sat 01 Jul 2017, 11:40 pm

Hello guys! Some people from Hamster Hideout Forum linked me some stuff here on how to take care of a baby mouse. My friend had just rescued a baby who's colony (they were wild mice) had died. The information you guys provided here was amazingly helpful! Unfortunately the baby did not make it because of how little it was Sad

Anyway all sad things aside that's how I got here!

I could (potentially) be getting mice because there are some really little babies in a local pet store that someone dropped off. They are not old enough to be weaned so they are clearly not up for adoption but when they are we may just take some. I have some of the supplies and have tried to go off of the food and stuff recommended on here but I could be totally wrong about some of the items listed Razz

Alright so here's my list of mouse supplies! It's just the very basics so I will surely get more toys, treats, and hideouts. PLEASE correct me if anything is wrong or I need to add something. I have of course tried to do my very best to research but I myself have never had mice so I don't know anything from personal experience.

Cage: I have an extra 10 gallon tank but I was sort of leaning towards getting female mice and they need groups so if I need to I can get a 20 long. I pretty much always think the more space the better Wink

I have also heard that the ventilation in tanks is bad and wire cages are better but that didn't seem like a good idea to me because they could escape through the bars. I would have an extra mesh lid for a 20 long but would have to purchase one for my 10 gallon tank.

Wheel: I own a 7.5 inch flying saucer wheel and a 6.5 Silent Spinner. I figured each wheel would be fine for mice and if they didn't like one I could use the other or just alternate using both every few wheels of something like that.

Food:Brown's Tropical Carnival Hamster and Gerbil food

Chews: Basic wooden chews, sticks, loofa, and some of the rope type things (I forgot what those are called).

Bowl & Water Bottle: I have a 3 inch ceramic bowl for food and an 8 oz Kaytee water bottle.

Treats: I have Brown's Tropical Carnival Gourmet Treats in the Fruit and Nut variety for small animals. I'm not sure how good they are for mice and if I can use them I would take out the corn and give them only once in a while. There are a few ify sounding ingredient's like the corn and sulfur dioxide so I definatly wanted to check and make sure these are okay.

Hideouts: I have a wooden Kaytee hideout and a little pink plastic castle I ordered off of Amazon.

Toys: I wasn't sure if you guys had any recommendations so I only have some plastic tubes right now.

Bedding: CareFresh Complete "Natural"

If I made some newbie mistakes (and I bet I did) I apologize and that's why I'm having you guys help me. Note that I may or may not end up even getting the mice because anything could happen. If I don't end up getting them now though I will still likely be getting some at some point if they come into my local shelter or another situation were I'm not supporting pet mills Lovey

Any help will be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

by Peachy Sun 02 Jul 2017, 12:20 am

Welcome! Sorry to hear about your baby mouse. I hope you find domestic mice to be a hoot! We'd love to see pictures if/when they come home.

Your list is good. Smile

A 10 gallon is roomy enough for three females, but I would definitely go with a 20 gallon. This gives you lots of room for toys, and a bit of space to expand your colony if you want.

Check out the DIY section for tons of ideas about toys and hides that you can make. Mice are easy to please, and lots of fun to create for.

Some links to check out:
List of our info stickies- https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t1230-pet-mouse-care-threads

Diet thread with some nutritional info as well as recommended foods- https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t15-mouse-diet

Popsicle toys- https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t47-homemade-popsicle-stick-toys

by Sneria Sun 02 Jul 2017, 12:23 am

Thanks for the help and suggestions! I will be sure to check out everything you linked me! I will definitely be sure to post pictures ASAP:)

by CallaLily Sun 02 Jul 2017, 10:02 am

I agree, your list looks good.

Welcome Crew

by Rodents rock! Sun 02 Jul 2017, 10:54 am

Welcome! Your list sounds good. If you are getting a trio of girls, you could start them out in the 10 gallon tank and then once they are tame you could move them to a 20 gallon.

by seamischica Sun 02 Jul 2017, 12:29 pm

Hi, welcome, I hope some of these tips work for you!
My mouse loves sheep wool as nesting bedding! It's not only better for them, its cheaper too Smile

Adopting from a shelter is great, but be careful, sometimes the mice have been abused or not treated properly, so be prepared to tame it and figure out ways to handle bad mousey habits! Mind you, like you said getting mice from pet stores is often supporting a pet mill, and I have heard almost a thousand times about female pet store mice being pregnant, after all mice can reproduce at 6-8 weeks of age!
Male mice are often thought to smell a bit more than females, but honestly it's not a big deal breaker, go with whatever you think is best!
I hope you have lots of luck with your adoption and that everything works out!

by Rodents rock! Sun 02 Jul 2017, 4:18 pm

Adoption is a wonderful thing, I have adopted many pets through the years. That being said, buying mice from the pet store isn't a bad thing. The mice can't help that they ended up in a pet store and they deserve loving homes too. I got my male mouse from a pet store about a year ago and he is the sweetest little man.

by Sneria Sun 02 Jul 2017, 5:50 pm

Thank you all for being so welcoming and helpful! I'm glad my list is good! It would be a shame if I had to send back some of the stuff I got.

I don't have anything against buying from a pet store because my mindset is "it's not the animals fault for being there" but at the same time most of the animals from the pet stores near me are coming from pet mills. I know that not buying a few animals from a pet store isn't going to do much but I also don't want to deal with pregnant females nor do my parents Laughing

I also get that a lot of animals from shelters have their own personality issues but there are pretty much never any small animals available at my shelter so I would still totally try and tame them.

Thanks for all the amazing tips! Considering my age I don't have a proper job so all your budgeting and DIY tips are amazing Cool

The babies are so new I have time to go and get a 20 gallon long before they are even ready to be adopted out so I'm probably going to.

I love male mice but my mom was kind of reluctant to allow me to have mice in the first place and after she heard males have more of a smell she was kind of set on females. I love both genders with their own little attributes so I'm not really picky about which I end up getting if I end up getting them.

by Lanybhere Tue 04 Jul 2017, 4:35 pm

Peachy wrote:Welcome! Sorry to hear about your baby mouse. I hope you find domestic mice to be a hoot! We'd love to see pictures if/when they come home.

Your list is good. A 10 gallon is roomy enough for three females, but I would definitely go with a 20 gallon. This gives you lots of room for toys, and a bit of space to expand your colony if you want.

Check out the DIY section for tons of ideas about toys and hides that you can make. Mice are easy to please, and lots of fun to create for.

Some links to check out:
List of our info stickies- https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t1230-pet-mouse-care-threads

Diet thread with some nutritional info as well as recommended foods- https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t15-mouse-diet

Popsicle toys- https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t47-homemade-popsicle-stick-toys

Peachy where is this DIY section you speak of??? I must see it Bouncy