Housing Suggestions

by TorachiKatashi Fri 21 Jun 2019, 6:40 am

I apologize in advance as I'm sure this question gets asked daily, but hoping I may get some advice.

I've never owned mice before; I previously owned seven rats so I do have some small animal experience. I'm considering bringing home some mice in the near future. The main reason I decided against more rats was because sourcing an appropriate cage that wasn't going to cost me $$$ in shipping was proving impossible (I live in a remote area.)

I am not nearly as familiar with the requirements of mice. I did read the tagged post about housing, but admittedly it left me with more questions than answers!

What I'm looking for is:

- NOT a tank - I do have serious air flow/quality concerns with using a tank.
- A cage that doesn't have wire shelves/flooring - concerns of foot issues.
- Large enough with appropriate bar spacing for three young females.

I don't mind ordering online if I can find something appropriate, but I'm seeing a lot of wire shelves which make me very nervous of foot problems. I'm also finding that a lot of websites don't list the bar spacing of the cages, which I'm guessing are likely too wide anyways.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

by Robin~ Fri 21 Jun 2019, 11:56 am

What I'm using currently is the 50 gallon sterilite container from Walmart. I meshed out the top and front and it works fine. Floorspace at the ground is 600sq in, which could fit in more than three females if you wanted but the extra space (provided you made it busy) wouldn't be put to waste. It would cost about $40 plus you'd have tons of extra mesh.

There's also the prevue 528 (typically found on amazon), but it's about $75. It has bar spacing of 3/8" and 470sq in at the base.

You could also mesh over a rabbit/guinea pig cage. That tends to be a bit pricey as those cages tend to be expensive, but a decent sized cage could be $30 and 1/4" mesh is $15 so that's only $45. Here's the cage I used before I upgraded:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/ware-small-animal-habitat?rrec=true
It has about 300sq in at the base.

If you want more commercial ideas let me know Smile

by CallaLily Sat 22 Jun 2019, 12:41 pm

If you are in the U.S. good luck! It seems most cages available here are too small or have too large wire spacing and can be $$$ for the size/quality. This is one reason many choose tanks, bin cages, or other DIYs.

Sorry I’m not really any help. I believe @Peachy has found a few suitable options but I think most were kind of pricey.

by chiroptera Sat 22 Jun 2019, 3:22 pm

I think a bin cage might be your best bet!! I personally LOVE bin cages, all my mice are in bins. No wire floors, you can add as much ventilation as you want, easy to customize, super lightweight - the sky's the limit imo Smile

If you want any help building a bin, feel free to send a DM my way, I'd be happy to help~

by Oreoandfriends Sun 23 Jun 2019, 12:50 pm

I keep all of my mice in bin cages! You can add mesh to the sides and the top for optimal air flow. Bin cages are cheap, easy to move and can look amazing when finished. I have 3 females in a 50 gallon bin from Walmart but a 110 quart bin (over 450 square inches) can also house 3 females comfortably with all the needed toys and wheels.
If you find a wire cage that is perfect other than wire levels, you can cover those with replaceable cardboard or line them with fleece if your mice won’t chew it. I personally prefer bins and tanks over wire cages because there is a much smaller risk of them escaping and I think bins/tanks look a little better than wired ones.
I have heard that the Mickey 2xl on Amazon is a good cage for mice so maybe check that one out, also try checking eBay for the Barney pet cage (it is originally sold in Europe but I have found it for sale on eBay, it’s a very beautiful cage).
Also when looking for a wire cage, make sure the bottom pan can hold at least 3 inches of bedding (I personally recommend providing 6+ inches). And of course steer clear of any cages similar to crittertrails or tiny tales cages.
I hope I could help and good luck! Mice are so fun to keep Love

by Peachy Mon 24 Jun 2019, 9:46 pm

There’s a couple good cages available on Amazon. I paid $75-$160 for mine. There’s links in the Housing stickie.

But large cages intended for guinea pigs etc that have been meshed over with 1/4” mesh is one of my new favorite ideas. If I ever need a new cage I’m going for that idea!

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