Bird Cages for Mice?

by Quirkyvictorian Thu 05 Oct 2017, 9:51 am

I'm pretty sure I want to go with a ten gallon aquarium, but some things about cages still appeal (for example, being able to let the mouse come out on its own, having contact with it through the bars...) I don't like any of the cages offered at Petsmart or Petco for small animals, but I am kind of intrigued by some of the bird cages. Has anyone used/heard of anyone having success with bird cages for mice? What would I need to be aware of if I went with a bird cage? Or should I just stick with a 10 gallon aquarium?

I plan on getting a single male mouse, if that makes any difference.

Thank you!

by stephlisa Thu 05 Oct 2017, 12:44 pm

You definitely need to be aware of the bar spacing. Someone can correct me on this if its wrong but I seem to recall about 3/8" is good. (Here in the UK we recommend 0.6-0.7cm).

Beyond that I know very little about using bird cages for mice.

by stephlisa Thu 05 Oct 2017, 12:45 pm

You definitely need to be aware of the bar spacing. Someone can correct me on this if its wrong but I seem to recall about 3/8" is good. (Here in the UK we recommend 0.6-0.7cm).

Beyond that I know very little about using bird cages for mice.

Edit to add: oh and mesh floors are bad for mice feet.

by Peachy Thu 05 Oct 2017, 1:45 pm

1/4" is the usual recommended bar spacing. If your mice are adults (and not still tiny), you can get away with 3/8". Another idea is using hardware cloth to cover bars that are too spacey.

Like stephlisa said, wire/mesh floors are bad for feet. You also want to make sure that there's plenty of floor space, since a lot of bird cages seem to make use of vertical space. I would also take note of door sizes and such to make sure you can easily get in to access your mouse.

How much are you looking to spend? Amazon has a few appropriate mouse cages.

Another option if you're good at DIY is making a bin cage and incorporating bars into your design. Best of both worlds, plus a little roomier and much lighter!

by Quirkyvictorian Thu 05 Oct 2017, 1:49 pm

Peachy wrote:1/4" is the usual recommended bar spacing. If your mice are adults (and not still tiny), you can get away with 3/8". Another idea is using hardware cloth to cover bars that are too spacey.

Like stephlisa said, wire/mesh floors are bad for feet. You also want to make sure that there's plenty of floor space, since a lot of bird cages seem to make use of vertical space. I would also take note of door sizes and such to make sure you can easily get in to access your mouse.

How much are you looking to spend? Amazon has a few appropriate mouse cages.

Hmm, the one thing I did look at when I quickly poked around in the bird aisle was the doors, and they were pretty small. Maybe later on when I'm ready to upgrade, I could look at modifying a bird cage to be appropriate, but it seems like too much of a headache for a beginner like me.

Cheaper would be better (so I could spend more money on toys!) I'll take a look at what Amazon has to offer. For some reason, I always forget about the option to buy stuff online, haha. Thank you so much for your response! It's nice that everyone has been so helpful around here so far.

Editing Again! Argh! Didn't see the DIY option you mentioned. I DIY'd my enclosures for my tarantula and jumping spider, and thought about doing a DIY mouse enclosure, but the one thing I didn't like about bin enclosures is that they aren't very clear. I used acrylic boxes for my spiders, and they're super nice, but I'm not sure if I could get one with a big enough capacity for a mouse. And I like to have a really good view of my pets.

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Bird Cages for Mice?

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