What size tank to get?

by FuzzyMouse Sun 02 Sep 2018, 6:12 pm

I am looking into getting mice ( again) I have been wish washy between them and rats for a very long time..... I just love them both so much ( I have not owned either before). I was wondering what size cage to get. I have been looking at a 40b or a 55g. I know the 55 is bigger, but I find it’s width to be kind of skinny so I am kind of leaning towards the 40 gallon breeder. I have a dresser that is about 55 inches by 17.5. What would be a good tank to put there? Budget is not too much of a problem, but I don’t want it to be over the top. If I get the 40b I am thinking of connecting it to another tank I would put next to it with tubes, but I don’t think that I could fit any tank on the same dresser with the 40b much less it would be hard to attach tubes through a mesh top.
I have been looking at the Aquion tanks, the 40 is 36 by 18 by 16 and the 55 is 48 by 13 by 20. So which would be better? I know the 55 is taller, but only by 4 inches which is why I am kind of leaning towards the 40. Btw I do have a old 20 long which I would plan to use first to help with taming. Also what would be the amount of mice I could have in either one? Sorry for so many questions

by CallaLily Sun 02 Sep 2018, 6:24 pm

A 55 is so skinny it’s kind of annoying but works. I personally loved my 40 breeder for mice but your looking at a tiny bit of overhang with your dresser. Either would really work just fine.

Keep in mind if you’re getting a group of girls, connecting two tanks/cages with narrow passageways (tubes) may lead to a split colony and fighting. This is because it makes it easier for one or more girls to lay claim to one side, blocking the others from entry.

There’s a cage calculator here: https://www.petmousefanciers.com/portal. Keep in mind this tells you the bare minimum space for the number of mice. IMO, with it being their permanent home you’ll want to have less mice in the group than the calculator recommends. And of course just to be safe I’ll add the usual reminder that male mice should almost always be housed alone. Smile

by FuzzyMouse Sun 02 Sep 2018, 8:16 pm

CallaLily wrote:A 55 is so skinny it’s kind of annoying but works. I personally loved my 40 breeder for mice but your looking at a tiny bit of overhang with your dresser. Either would really work just fine.

Keep in mind if you’re getting a group of girls, connecting two tanks/cages with narrow passageways (tubes) may lead to a split colony and fighting. This is because it makes it easier for one or more girls to lay claim to one side, blocking the others from entry.

There’s a cage calculator here: https://www.petmousefanciers.com/portal. Keep in mind this tells you the bare minimum space for the number of mice. IMO, with it being their permanent home you’ll want to have less mice in the group than the calculator recommends. And of course just to be safe I’ll add the usual reminder that male mice should almost always be housed alone.

Ok thank you calla Lilly that helped a lot. Just to assure you I was planning on keeping females as I know about the male territorialness. I think I got the idea of split tanks from Anna’s Animals ( which I know you should not just do something because you see it) but she had multiple tanks because she only had 1 female living in them. I think I like the idea of the 40.
I also wanted to mention that if anyone knows of a tank that is bigger then I would love if you mentioned it. I looked at a 75 gallon, but it did not seem like the size was worth the price as I think it was just about about as long as the 40.

by CallaLily Sun 02 Sep 2018, 9:32 pm

A 75 gallon is usually 48 inches long by 18 inches wide and the same height as a 55. Keep an eye out on sites like Craigslist for used tanks for cheap.

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