Lots of questions

by WangJi Tue 08 Sep 2020, 11:51 am

How deep should a mouse's bedding be? I'm planning a bin cage for 3 females.
Is a 30 gallon bin large enough for 3 females? Or is this too small?
Should I have 2 running wheels? Upright wheel or flying saucer? Both?
What should I have duplicates of (bottles, food bowls, etc).
How frequently should I do a deep clean? I know a cage needs to be cleaned weekly but is this cleaning soiled areas and wheels or is this removing all bedding and scrubbing everything? Confused

by chiroptera Wed 09 Sep 2020, 2:21 am

In my experience, you can't have too deep bedding - they will burrow and play in as much as you give them. However, they don't need as much bedding as hamsters or gerbils need. I believe 3 inches is what's usually recommended, but I'm not entirely sure, I just play it by eye at this point.

A 30 gal would be a great size for 3 females! More room is never bad, but 30g is definitely a roomy house for a trio.

You could get away with one wheel for a trio, but if you have room and funds for more than one, I'd go for it. My personal preference is to try to offer an upright wheel (I generally use silent spinners) and a flying saucer if I can, but each mouse will have their own preference. I've had mice who won't touch a saucer if there's a regular wheel for them to use, others prefer the saucers, some like both - so if you're able to, I say offer variety.

Doubles never hurt. I'd say that you definitely want at least two hides (I'd say even three, in case everyone wants their space), but these don't have to be purchased. A cardboard box is just as appealing to a mouse as a purchased hidey house (usually they prefer the trash Laughing

). I only usually have one water bottle and haven't had issues so long as it's refilled frequently. I currently have two food bowls just due to having two levels, but you can have as few as zero food bowls if you scatter-feed instead. The only time I'd say you really need two of anything is if you notice some of the mice are fighting and one of them is being bullied away from food/water/shelter etc., in that case you'll need to provide more so everyone can have their needs met safely.

It's generally recommended to do a deep clean weekly, though it's not the end of the world if you're not able to do it every week BUT if your enclosure does not have good ventilation, it can get very dangerous very fast if you're not keeping up with cleaning due to ammonia buildup. This is why I personally am not a huge fan of tanks, it's hard to provide enough ventilation.

by SarahAdams Wed 09 Sep 2020, 6:57 pm

You can make so many hideys with toilet and paper towel rolls or just with cardboard and child-safe glue. I did make this multi-tunnel toilet roll thing for my mice and they really like it. Cost:Zero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuPeyD6w-CI

by chiroptera Thu 10 Sep 2020, 12:16 am

@SarahAdams Ahhh I love Erin! Love

by WangJi Fri 11 Sep 2020, 12:23 pm

Oh, I know Erin's channel. Love her videos!

I know a lot of people make a layout with the hideaways. What if I took a big cardboard box (as a super big hideaway) and filled it with empty rolls. Just tossed the rolls in so it's full of nook and crannies. Would that be good mental stimulation? Even if the rolls shifted, since it's so light, it shouldn't cause any harm to the mice. Or would it still be too much a risk?

by SarahAdams Fri 11 Sep 2020, 2:44 pm

WangJi wrote:
I know a lot of people make a layout with the hideaways. What if I took a big cardboard box (as a super big hideaway) and filled it with empty rolls. Just tossed the rolls in so it's full of nook and crannies. Would that be good mental stimulation? Even if the rolls shifted, since it's so light, it shouldn't cause any harm to the mice. Or would it still be too much a risk?

I don't know about the box filled with toilet rolls. You'd have to watch to make sure the mice don't chew their way out of the box, which if hidden, they could do pretty quickly. I just today got an x-large storage bin and after watching Erin's videos, I'm going to put 3 sections of some potting soil, dried Aspen and paper bedding on the bottom, and just fill it with stuff. They have little plain, unstained pine boxes/birdhouses at the Dollar store that need only to have the holes enlarged. I"m going to make some of the things Erin showed, put ropes, hanging stuff, ladders, perches, maybe a real plant, etc, and that will be their playground. It should be pretty stimulating and inexpensive. Very Happy

by WangJi Fri 11 Sep 2020, 4:21 pm

SarahAdams wrote:
WangJi wrote:
I know a lot of people make a layout with the hideaways. What if I took a big cardboard box (as a super big hideaway) and filled it with empty rolls. Just tossed the rolls in so it's full of nook and crannies. Would that be good mental stimulation? Even if the rolls shifted, since it's so light, it shouldn't cause any harm to the mice. Or would it still be too much a risk?

I don't know about the box filled with toilet rolls. You'd have to watch to make sure the mice don't chew their way out of the box, which if hidden, they could do pretty quickly. I just today got an x-large storage bin and after watching Erin's videos, I'm going to put 3 sections of some potting soil, dried Aspen and paper bedding on the bottom, and just fill it with stuff. They have little plain, unstained pine boxes/birdhouses at the Dollar store that need only to have the holes enlarged. I"m going to make some of the things Erin showed, put ropes, hanging stuff, ladders, perches, maybe a real plant, etc, and that will be their playground. It should be pretty stimulating and inexpensive.

Ah, don't think I said that properly Laughing

The box would be inside the enclosure, but not be the whole enclosure. Would it be bad though if they did chew their own openings in a play box (inside their enclosure)? Thinking