# New tank for harvest mice



## Skunkygirl (Oct 20, 2012)

I got a really good deal on a huge tank, so i decided to make it into a new harvest mice tank!

This is the tank when i got it:


After i removed everything: 


Cleaned up, doors attached, vents covered and soil in!


Finished!




And a few of the mice exploring


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## grizzlymonkyboy (Jan 15, 2011)

awesome i miss my harvest mice there cool as


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Fascinating. How many would you keep in there?


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

That looks fabulous. I'm thinking that I might move onto harvest mice when my APDs die, cos I never see them, whereas I think the harvest mice will be more interesting to watch.


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## Skunkygirl (Oct 20, 2012)

Ron Magpie said:


> Fascinating. How many would you keep in there?


Thanks, I have 5 in there at the moment. Four females and one male.




feorag said:


> That looks fabulous. I'm thinking that I might move onto harvest mice when my APDs die, cos I never see them, whereas I think the harvest mice will be more interesting to watch.


Thank you! They are really interesting to watch, very nosey little things. Always at least one or two running about!


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Presumably you have to remove babies on a regular basis? I used to keep voles, which were fairly peaceful, but males in particular had to be hoiked out and set up seperately before they started to squabble.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Skunkygirl said:


> Thank you! They are really interesting to watch, very nosey little things. Always at least one or two running about!


Yes, that's what I've been told. My APDs are very reclusive and I barely ever see them, except if they're hungry and they've got mealworms, then they come out, grab one and run away again, so not a great deal of spectator interest. :sad:


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## Skunkygirl (Oct 20, 2012)

Ron Magpie said:


> Presumably you have to remove babies on a regular basis? I used to keep voles, which were fairly peaceful, but males in particular had to be hoiked out and set up seperately before they started to squabble.



From what i've read online, there should only ever be one breeding pair and they are dominant so in theory if the cage is big enough you can leave the babies in there with no risk of inbreeding.
However, i have had three pregnant females at the same time.
In harvest mice, the females are dominant so they are more likely to fight but i have separate nests, food and water bowls to keep squabbles to a minimum. 

I personally separate the babies when they are old enough, into separate sexed groups ready to go to their new homes


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## s6t6nic6l (May 15, 2010)

that is some home you have got there for em :2thumb:

always a welcome sight seeing a decent size enclosure :2thumb:

well done


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

You have done a great job and what a lovely little home they have


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

Nice setup, they have lots to do in there 

I'm looking into possibly getting some harvest mice for an arboreal display viv we are making. The only concerns I have with them after doing lots of reading is their potential to suddenly fall out and kill each other, due to them being naturally solitary. Some places I've researched say you can keep groups of males together other say they are more likely to fight so it's a bit contradictory as usual. I have seen colonies of harvest mice in zoos/animal parks so it must have the potential to work, although I don't know if they are male and females living together. Most sites seem to recommend separating the dominant breeding pair from the rest of the group once you've found out which ones they are, they seem like complicated little critters the more I read about them.


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

Love harvest mice! Lovely setup you have. We've got a couple at the moment. We call them furry fish because they're always doing something and you could watch them for ages!


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## Skunkygirl (Oct 20, 2012)

samurai said:


> Nice setup, they have lots to do in there
> 
> I'm looking into possibly getting some harvest mice for an arboreal display viv we are making. The only concerns I have with them after doing lots of reading is their potential to suddenly fall out and kill each other, due to them being naturally solitary. Some places I've researched say you can keep groups of males together other say they are more likely to fight so it's a bit contradictory as usual. I have seen colonies of harvest mice in zoos/animal parks so it must have the potential to work, although I don't know if they are male and females living together. Most sites seem to recommend separating the dominant breeding pair from the rest of the group once you've found out which ones they are, they seem like complicated little critters the more I read about them.



Hi and thanks. 
I've also heard and had experience with groups suddenly breaking down. As far as i'm aware its something that's very difficult to control in captivity. 
In this tank there are enough hides and nests for all the mice to sleep separately if they want to and to get away from one another. I also have multiple food and water bowls to try and minimize fighting. 

I've read somewhere that groups of males are less likely to fight if they have never been around females. Out of both sexes males are less likely to fight as in groups it is the females that are dominant. 

Despite all this, i would definitely recommend them to anyone. They are so interesting to watch throughout the day and night. Watching them climb all over the ropes and run as fast as possible through the bamboo root is always entertaining.


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

We plan to get a pair of males if we do get harvest mice (which is pretty likely ) There will be lots of nest and feeding stations around the viv so hopefully they will be ok like yours are. I've always really enjoyed the displays when I've seen them at zoos, they are always busy doing something and just sooo cute  

Do you find then quite tidy little animals? Lots of sites suggest only cleaning them out every 3-4 months and cleaning water and food bowls more regularly


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## Skunkygirl (Oct 20, 2012)

samurai said:


> We plan to get a pair of males if we do get harvest mice (which is pretty likely ) There will be lots of nest and feeding stations around the viv so hopefully they will be ok like yours are. I've always really enjoyed the displays when I've seen them at zoos, they are always busy doing something and just sooo cute
> 
> Do you find then quite tidy little animals? Lots of sites suggest only cleaning them out every 3-4 months and cleaning water and food bowls more regularly



A pair of males with separate things should be fine. I hope you enjoy them!
Their water bowls in particular get incredibly messy, i change them twice a day. Food bowls are slightly better but again, i wash them more frequently than other animals. 
In general though they are very clean, they have virtually no smell to them and because they are so tiny, so is their waste so cleaning is minimal. 
The old tank i had them in i cleaned out every few months, this big tank i'm hoping to leave it a bit longer. There's too much soil in there to take out every few months! 
I tend to wipe the glass down every couple of weeks as it gets pretty grubby from either urine or water from dipping their tails in the water bowls.


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