first time mouse owner with questions about bin and water bottle :)
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first time mouse owner with questions about bin and water bottle :)
by Moose Sat 01 Jun 2019, 4:04 pm
hello! my husband and i just bought our first male pet mouse (jasper) today! he's so very cute and friendly and we're in love with him already. i've taken care of hamsters before, but never mice so i have a few questions about housing and the water bottle i have for him.
i've always had my hamsters in bin cages, and i have my little mouse in one now. he has so much room to run around and play, a wheel, a hide house with a ladder so he can climb, and a toilet paper roll for now. i plan on buying him more toys as i learn more about him and his personality. my questions about his bin are; should i have a lid on his bin? i already cut two windows in the top and i bought some mesh wire in case he can jump that far so he doesn't get out, but i've been observing him all day and the pet store employee assured me that they don't jump. however, i just want to be safe. his bin is quite high and i've yet to see him jump.
also, i think i may have overshot the size of his water bottle, as it's rather large. it was the only glass bottle available, but if i don't see him drink from it i'll surely buy him a new one. it fits his bin perfectly, however.
he seems to be adjusting well over all, and i'll rest easy with answers to these questions, lol! he's already eaten and is grooming himself periodically so i think that's a good sign? he also shows little hesitance stepping on our hands already
thank you for your responses in advance!
i've always had my hamsters in bin cages, and i have my little mouse in one now. he has so much room to run around and play, a wheel, a hide house with a ladder so he can climb, and a toilet paper roll for now. i plan on buying him more toys as i learn more about him and his personality. my questions about his bin are; should i have a lid on his bin? i already cut two windows in the top and i bought some mesh wire in case he can jump that far so he doesn't get out, but i've been observing him all day and the pet store employee assured me that they don't jump. however, i just want to be safe. his bin is quite high and i've yet to see him jump.
also, i think i may have overshot the size of his water bottle, as it's rather large. it was the only glass bottle available, but if i don't see him drink from it i'll surely buy him a new one. it fits his bin perfectly, however.
he seems to be adjusting well over all, and i'll rest easy with answers to these questions, lol! he's already eaten and is grooming himself periodically so i think that's a good sign? he also shows little hesitance stepping on our hands already
thank you for your responses in advance!
Moose- Jr Member
- Join date : 2019-06-01
Posts : 43
Re: first time mouse owner with questions about bin and water bottle :)
by Sparrow Sat 01 Jun 2019, 6:32 pm
First off, welcome to the forum! You might want to have a look at the past questions, especially around food, housing and behaviour.
I find mice to be somewhat easier to care for than hamsters as they are far more friendly, can be trained and are easier to satisfy.
You absolutely do need a lid. Mice can jump extremely high. What I found with my mice is that they leap for the edges of the cage if they know they can leave from there. All it takes is you taking your boy out once for him to realise that that is an escape route. A lid is absolutely necessary.
Once you get a lid, pack the cage completely with toys. Leave no floorspace uncovered if you can. The busier the cage the better, especially since you have a male mouse - so no company to keep him busy. There are some phenomenal DIY toy idea threads on this site. Also have a look at some mice setups to see how busy they need to be.
I owned hamsters before owning mice and was quite shocked at how packed their space had to be. Just to give you an idea, I'll post a picture of one of my first setups when I only had two females, as it shows pretty well how stuffed the cage needs to be:
It basically looks like a teenagers bedroom...
As to the water bottle, just keep an eye on him, see if he is drinking by tracking the amount of water inside the bottle. As long as it doesn't leak, it should be a good indication of whether or not he is able to use it.
I find mice to be somewhat easier to care for than hamsters as they are far more friendly, can be trained and are easier to satisfy.
You absolutely do need a lid. Mice can jump extremely high. What I found with my mice is that they leap for the edges of the cage if they know they can leave from there. All it takes is you taking your boy out once for him to realise that that is an escape route. A lid is absolutely necessary.
Once you get a lid, pack the cage completely with toys. Leave no floorspace uncovered if you can. The busier the cage the better, especially since you have a male mouse - so no company to keep him busy. There are some phenomenal DIY toy idea threads on this site. Also have a look at some mice setups to see how busy they need to be.
I owned hamsters before owning mice and was quite shocked at how packed their space had to be. Just to give you an idea, I'll post a picture of one of my first setups when I only had two females, as it shows pretty well how stuffed the cage needs to be:
It basically looks like a teenagers bedroom...
As to the water bottle, just keep an eye on him, see if he is drinking by tracking the amount of water inside the bottle. As long as it doesn't leak, it should be a good indication of whether or not he is able to use it.
Sparrow- Full Member
- Join date : 2018-09-20
Posts : 72
Re: first time mouse owner with questions about bin and water bottle :)
by Moose Sat 01 Jun 2019, 7:11 pm
Sparrow wrote:First off, welcome to the forum! You might want to have a look at the past questions, especially around food, housing and behaviour.
I find mice to be somewhat easier to care for than hamsters as they are far more friendly, can be trained and are easier to satisfy.
You absolutely do need a lid. Mice can jump extremely high. What I found with my mice is that they leap for the edges of the cage if they know they can leave from there. All it takes is you taking your boy out once for him to realise that that is an escape route. A lid is absolutely necessary.
Once you get a lid, pack the cage completely with toys. Leave no floorspace uncovered if you can. The busier the cage the better, especially since you have a male mouse - so no company to keep him busy. There are some phenomenal DIY toy idea threads on this site. Also have a look at some mice setups to see how busy they need to be.
I owned hamsters before owning mice and was quite shocked at how packed their space had to be. Just to give you an idea, I'll post a picture of one of my first setups when I only had two females, as it shows pretty well how stuffed the cage needs to be:
It basically looks like a teenagers bedroom...
As to the water bottle, just keep an eye on him, see if he is drinking by tracking the amount of water inside the bottle. As long as it doesn't leak, it should be a good indication of whether or not he is able to use it.
thank you!!! my husband and i just assembled the lid and put it on for him, so we got that under control
and thank you for the information on toys and floor space, we’ll be getting him more toys and ladders tomorrow. i’m so excited to learn more and to see there’s a community for pet mice. thank you again for the warm welcome! 
Moose- Jr Member
- Join date : 2019-06-01
Posts : 43
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