i agree with cait, unfortunately there are good points and bad points to keeping your mice in your house, goodside u can watch them when your hanging about (me and my otherhalf call it mouse tv) bad point - they smell and visitors and tradesmen alike think your weird-really weird! :lol:
at the moment mine are in my living room on some shelves, my living room is very long and open plan so i get a good amount of air coming through, i clean out once a week and i think its fine! i would like to shed them but at the moment i cant afford to put heating outside in the shed so i will share my heating with the mice :roll:
a few things that help is:
no toys made from material or wood, or if you do, wash them regularly in a pillowcase in the washing machine, or air wooden toys outside. wood is the worst they pee all over it and in sinks in and honks.
i use plastic stuff instead as its easier to keep clean and doesnt absord the stink
i also use hemp instead of shavings which smells cleaner.
i have tried vanilla essence - waste of time.
i heard if you put bicarb of soda with a little water in a pot it absorbs smells (could try it outside the tanks) we once did this when i still lived at home and our cat got trapped in our tiny little front porch over night by misstake and pood in there, and it was so rank so that helped anyway!!