[Jack Garcia]

Sarah, I thought I was the only person who had tried to make my own and failed miserably!

Icedmice, in the US, most clubs also use small plastic Kritter Keepers (called Fauna Boxes in Europe, I don't know what they're called in Australia) for show.

If you're going to get Maxeys I recommend buying them from Brian or someone else who's had experience with them, or else, spending a lot of time and money on learning to create them yourself. At a Rodent Fest a while ago I saw a couple of homemade imitation Maxey-style cages (which were blue, of all colors lol) and they just looked weird. There's something that just screams "wannabe" when the Maxey is not only built poorly, but also the wrong color! It's like trying to eat a purple banana, just not right. lol

Yours look very nice.

 

[Jack Garcia]

From a design standpoint, the reason green works best (other than our shared tradition) is because there are no green mice, and the color opposite the color wheel would naturally provide for the best contrast, especially when photographing. In this case, that color is red.

Those primary-with-opposite-secondary color values would be green/red (like most Maxeys), yellow/purple, or orange/blue.

Even if you use a primary color such as blue with a neutral value such as black or white (or gray), you still run into the problem of the mice being judged also being black, white, and gray.

What do rat breeders in the UK use in show?

 

[Jack Garcia]

Yep, I'm something of following in Maxey's footsteps, since I am a postman (US: mailman) who breeds mice as well! I was born in the wrong era! :lol:

 

[Jack Garcia]

We actually have three official colors: primary red ("Old Glory Red"), blue, and white. If you've ever seen one of our delivery trucks, you've seen these three colors working with each other. They're taken from the US flag, obviously.

I'm certain the reason somebody in Maxey's day decided to paint mail boxes (and then show cages) red and green was due to their relationship on the color wheel. It could just as easily have been orange and blue or purple and yellow, but it seems red and green is more conventional (they appear together in nature more often, for one). Color theory is very important area in any kind of professional design, even mouse show boxes.

 

[Jack Garcia]

Don't worry, I was being lighthearted so I didn't take it negatively at all. I'm actually very hard to offend.

Regardless, your apology is accepted.

 

[Jack Garcia]

Yeah, the green was both the color of the railroad and the color of dark holly leaves...at least mine are that color of green. And when you add in bright red color of the berries, you have an exact match!

That mice cannot see red is a very good point I had never thought of.

The blue Maxey-like cages I saw at Rodent Fest were nowhere near as well-built as the AFRMA's seem to be, though. They look constructed of particle board and painted very unevenly. I should have asked the people who they were and where they got them, but alas I was too scatterbrained!

 

[Jack Garcia]

Well, I know mine are brand-spankin new. When I opened the package, I could still smell the paint Brian used! :lol:

I wonder how old the oldest Maxey still in use is? I would not be surprised at all if it's older than us.

edited to add the word "not." Such a small word, but so important to meaning!

 

[Jack Garcia]

Yeah, it's Brunswick green.

If I didn't already know what they were used for, I don't know that I would ever have any idea whatsoever that mice went in them!