[Autumn2005]

I know there's a lot of debate over cage sizes, and breeders vs pet owners and such, and so instead of asking is my cage too small, I'd rather find out what are the signs that my mice think it's too small? I have a couple RUBs that I hate, and I just bought a different kind I love, and I'm trying to figure how my mince are adjusting to the new RUBs. Also, everyone says never house male mice together because they'll fight, except for some that are bred for docility, but at the pet store, they have 20gal tanks filled with mice. I just got two (boys) and I'm wondering if they'll start fighting or will be fine until I breed them.

So... the main question is (I tend to ramble, sorry) how can I tell if the mice feel overcrowded or feel their homes are too small?

 

[windyhill]

Everyone has a different idea on how many to a cage,etc but I go by the way they act.
If they are overcrowed then they tend to fight alot and it depends on how active they are.
I have some cages with several laid back girls in them and they are fine, but to most people they would say there was too many in there and in some other cages I feel like 3 is too many.
It just depends on the mice I guess.

 

[Cait]

If the tank becomes dirty too quickly that is a good way to spot overcrowding - too many mice in a space and of course you get more urine and therefore more ammonia and damp bedding.

 

[Jammy]

I have a large group of girls in a 64 litre RUB and they seem really happy but 7 of them are really little still so i Think in a few weeks i will need another RUB to make 2 groups possibly !!

 

[cat]

does anyone have rat racks on here????? or is there anyone like me who have cages atm but may have to look into building racks due to the mice being down stairs.....(snakes in bedroom)really dont want to go the rack route as i think mice should have the freedom in their cage to socialise with others and trash their hides and knaw blocks and to be able to see whats going on around them.But lacking space till i hear from council about gettin permission to poss board loft out and bung some skylights in..

 

[Cait]

I have shelving (my mice are in our 'garage' though it hasn't seen a car since we moved in) and use plastic cages. You don't need to use lab cages to do this, I don't. Most of my tanks are Marchioro but I have made a few plastic storage box cages as well for running on as they are larger.

 

[Matt Haslam]

I have shelves in my so called 'garage' too. I use plastic tubs at the moment for all my mice.

My rats are kept in there too and are housed in large cages or 3ft aquarium tanks if nursing.

 

[WNTMousery]

I agree that the best way to tell if cages are overcrowded will depend on how quickly the bedding is soiled or damp. Moisture is bad for the mice in a cage environment so you want it to stay dry. If it gets damp before a week's time, I'd say the cage likely has too many mice.