# mice boxes



## -matty-b- (Dec 13, 2007)

is it cruel to keep mice in plastic storage boxes becase theres alot more worse than them???


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## pecks (Dec 29, 2007)

As a base container i would have said no, however you would have to loose the plastic lids and make yourself some mesh ones. Without good ventalation they will sweat, smell and all the problems that go with poor ventalation and damp. Despite the fact they may end up as someones dinner its good to make sure your livefood and food animals get the same husbandry standards and wellfare as anything else we keep.


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## chellenjon (Aug 26, 2007)

it's no different to any other cage if it's got plenty of ventilation and things for them to climb on and hide in.


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

Yeah i would make a mesh top - or just cut all the middle part of the lid and add mesh so you can still keep the box lid's edge to fasten the 'cage' back up.


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## chellenjon (Aug 26, 2007)

stephenie191 said:


> Yeah i would make a mesh top - or just cut all the middle part of the lid and add mesh so you can still keep the box lid's edge to fasten the 'cage' back up.




this is what we've done and it works fine!


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## chellenjon (Aug 26, 2007)

how about that........we have some babies emerging right now!


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

Here's apic of some of my RUB cages.

A 64ltr I use as a birthing box for rats.









The top of an 18ltr box that holds 1.3 mice for breeding. I know there's rats in there but they are babies just being weaned.









I dont' have aproblem with condensation at all and I fit a water bottle to the side by making three holes, one for the bottle spout and two higher up to thread cable ties through to hold the bottle on, I have some food hoppers on the bigger as well.


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## blue-saphire (Oct 22, 2007)

should be fine, be sure to feed them nutricious food as you know what they say 'you are what you eat'. so if the mouse is healthy then it will be better for the animal yout feeding them to.


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## tiffa (Jan 17, 2007)

kool that realy helps what size do u have your adult rats in


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## Natrix (Dec 9, 2006)

-matty-b- said:


> is it cruel to keep mice in plastic storage boxes becase theres alot more worse than them???


I don't see why it's cruel. There's no difference between an adapted storage box and a perpose built lab breeding box.

I cut a large hole to the front and fix in a wire panel









And a small one to the back for ventilation









Fit in a wire box for front feeding and hang the drinker on the wire








I find they work excellently and are easy to keep clean


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

tiffa said:


> kool that realy helps what size do u have your adult rats in


I keep my adult rats in cages, males and females seperate, I use RUB's for birthing. I use the 64ltr RUB's as these are big enough for the female to get out of the way of the young when they start running around. You can easily fit a hammock so she can jump up to get out of their way.


Natrix,

I found my multi's chewed the tubs you are using. The mice did as well after a time. If they're the same ones I started with, the inside was shaped so the rodents could get to it, whereas the RUB's have no part of the inside that they can chew.


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## Natrix (Dec 9, 2006)

saxon said:


> Natrix,
> 
> I found my multi's chewed the tubs you are using. The mice did as well after a time. If they're the same ones I started with, the inside was shaped so the rodents could get to it, whereas the RUB's have no part of the inside that they can chew.


I've not tried multi's so can't comment but my mice have not done any damage worthy of note in the year I've been using the box's.
The only problem I had was when looking after a friends Degu's. The dam things escaped one night and chewed their way into several of the boxes to get at the food. 
I wouldn't recomend any plastic boxes for degu :lol2:

Natrix


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

That goes for hamsters as well.
I currently have a pregnant female running round my house somewhere.
I put her in a RUB so she had a bit more space and she chewed through it the first night.
I have no idea where she is so I hope I find her before the babies are big enough to breed!!!!!!!!
If I haven't found them by next week I'm going to have to let the cats find them. I can't have hammies breeding in the house.


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## -matty-b- (Dec 13, 2007)

saxon said:


> That goes for hamsters as well.
> I currently have a pregnant female running round my house somewhere.
> I put her in a RUB so she had a bit more space and she chewed through it the first night.
> I have no idea where she is so I hope I find her before the babies are big enough to breed!!!!!!!!
> If I haven't found them by next week I'm going to have to let the cats find them. I can't have hammies breeding in the house.


:lol2: that would be fun:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## chellenjon (Aug 26, 2007)

our degu tried all it's life to chew through a metal lock, poor thing died without ever living his dream of eating that lock and destroying our house.


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

-matty-b- said:


> :lol2: that would be fun:Na_Na_Na_Na:


I found her shortly after posting. I was sat at the pc and heard a 'munching' sound.
The little b'stard was chewing her way through my new velvet curtains.
They now have a hole about 5 inches in diameter in them.
She was only about 2 ft from where she escaped how I didn't find her before god only knows.
She is now safe in a 3ft tank with mesh lid. If she gets out of that I'm feeding her to the damn cats.


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## hermanlover (Jul 8, 2007)

had she had the babies?


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## -matty-b- (Dec 13, 2007)

didi she have her babies then???


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

No thank god.
I'd misjudged, I've been that busy I'd lost a week, she's not due until next Wednesday/Thursday.
They're only pregnant 16 days and I'd mated her on the 14/01.
I thought she was due this week.


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