Animal Veterinarian

A animal veterinarian once gave me some great tips about keeping mice as pets. The size of the cage you will need depends on how many mice you will keep together. For a pair or small group of females, a 2-foot square cage is ample space. Mice will appreciate a cage with multiple levels as they do like to climb, and it should be fairly tall. The most important thing is to make sure the bars are not too narrowly spaced so that the mice can escape and that the doors are placed to allow easy access to the entire cage for when you need to catch the mice. Wire cages marketed for mice are generally quite small, so larger hamster cages or even bird cages are preferable, but ideally the bar spacing should be 1/4 inch. Do not underestimate how small of a space a mouse can squeeze through. Glass aquariums and wire cages are the best types of cage for mice. Avoid using cages with wire mesh floors; solid flooring is a lot easier on the mice's feet. Aquariums will need a tight fitting mesh lid and lots of furnishing supplied for climbing and playing. It is also important to remember that ammonia and other fumes will build up faster in an aquarium or plastic sided cage than in a wire cage. However, as long as the lid is tight fitting they are pretty much escape proof, and have the added advantage of allowing a deep layer of bedding that the mice cannot spread all over your floor. Wire cages with horizontal bars are nice because they provide lots of climbing opportunity on the sides of the cage, and it is easier to fix furnishings, platforms and toys to the sides of the cage. Always ask your animal veterinarian if you have any problems or questions about your pet mice.