# Hi all



## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Hi, I am thinking of keeping two fancy mice and would like some advice and information please. Thanks Lynne


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## scosha37 (Feb 24, 2008)

hi and welcome to PF...hope you enjoy your stay...:thumbsup:


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Welcome to our madhouse!!!

What is it you want to know about mice? And is it fancy mice or one of the more exotic breeds? I'll try and help (I've 13 of the little fuzz balls!)


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## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

Hi and welcome to the mad house  i have just got some fancy mice after doing my research, i will be interested in what people say in this thread


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Zany Toon is the woman to ask for mouse related questions, I am down to 3 meeces now but they are surprisingly delicate creatures, they are amazing pets though and I highly reccomend them.


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> Zany Toon is the woman to ask for mouse related questions


:blushing: :blushing: THank you :blushing:


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## Lady Sol (Aug 20, 2009)

Welcome to the forum


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Ok, I'm an idiot and just noticed that you said it was fancy mice ut: Let me know what you want to know and I'll try to help, I'm sure others will be eager to help you too!


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies, I am thinking of keeping a couple of female mice, what type of cage or tank would I need to keep them in and are there any particular breed of mice that are good for beginners. Look forward to your replies. thanks a lot Lynne.:smile5:


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Aloha!!
okay so for your questions:
1. Cage or tank is really your preference. Whatever you decide to go for get the biggest and best you can and ensure that there is plenty of ventilation. It's generally recommended (I hope I remember this correctly!) that each mouse should have one square foot of floor space each. Any height or extra levels are not normally considered as being "living space" as they are usually used for playing and running around. Living space is termed as the area where the mouse will live, and it takes into consideration the fact that when mice are older that they prefer to stay on one level.
Pros of a tank: mice are less likely to escape if you get a secure mesh lid
easy to heat during colder months to prevent your meeces feeling the cold (being a bit of a nutcase I have a heating mat for my mice )
Cons: very little climbing unless your mouse can crawl along the lid like mine 
Pros of a cage: plenty of climbing space
easier to vary the layout to keep the mice stimulated
Cons: mice can escape very easily (speaking as some one who found a mouse wandering along her floor!!) Ideally look for one with bar spacing that is as small as possible (some have only 6mm bar spacing and these are ideal!)
if your mouse gets bored they will chew the bars which can drive you loopy :crazy:

2. Fancy mice don't come in breeds . They come in varieties which is the term used for the different markings and colours. Only ones I would avoid are red/ginger mice as they are prone to obesity (my poor "little" marx is the Marlon Brando of my meeces  ) and tailless ones (they are prone to health problems but are very hard to get thankfully.) Also avoid "dancing" or "waltzing" fancy mice. These are ones that have convulsions and fits that some people think are "fun" to watch because they look like they are dancing  
Fancy mice can come in two sizes. Show mice are generally quite large and have a set of characteristics that breeders have bred into them for shows ; and "pet/fancy" mice. They are the same thing. The pet mice or fancy mice are just mice that aren't up to show standard or are too small 

Other things to consider for your meeces:
1. Phone around as many vets as possible to find one who actually has experience in mice or is a rodent specialist. They don't need them often if you are lucky but speaking as some one who lost 3 (almost 4) mice due to a vet who didn't know what they were doing I would definitely recommend checking this out before you get any mice.

2. Think about where you will get them from. Try a breeder if possible so that you can ask about the history of the mice (look at the parents, what health problems have they had/the parents/grandparents etc.) Most breeders if they are good will let you check out all the mice before deciding and will give you details to contact them if you aren't sure of anything. Failing that try rehoming centre as mice are pets they often have problems rehoming :crying:

3. Consider the type of substrate you are going to use for bedding. Mice are prone to respiratory problems caused by phenols in soft wood (pine, fir etc) so woodshavings shouldn't be used. Paper beddings are better: [email protected] safe bedding, shreddybed, finacard, toilet roll, recycled paper, megazorb, carefresh.

4. Female mice are great (but I'm biased and think all mice are  ) If you have the space and time, try to get a trio instead of just two. Sounds silly but it means that if one passes on there will still be company for the other one. Female mice are very social but can be a little defensive of their territory if you try to introduce them to new females later.

5. Aim to get a mouse only food. If you can't get one you can make your own (highly recommended as it is much healthier and is much more fun for the mice :thumbsup then you can use a rat muesli - just bash it down as some of the bits will be too big for a mouse!! Avoid mixes with peanuts as mice are mostly intolerant to them (it can cause swelling, itching, lethargy just like in us) but they make great occasional treats. Don't give a hamster food as it only contains small amounts of the foods that a mouse will need.

6. Start putting money aside now because you will get addicted and spend copious amounts of money on new toys and additions to their cage :thumbsup: :laugh:

If you want ideas for cage/tank layouts there are some in the "Show me your cages" sticky at the top of the rodent section :wink5: If I've missed anything or you think of anything else you want to know please ask!!! I can talk about my meeces and meeces in general _all _ day  :lol:

Please bear in mind though that you absolutely have to post piccies as soon as you get them


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks very much that has been a great help, as soon as i get my meeces i will post piccies:smile5:


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Does anyone know of any pet mice breeders in Surrey as I am finding trouble looking for any on the internet, many thanks Lynne:smile5:


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Yay!!! Piccies!! And glad I could help 

As for breeders, I don't know any personally as being in Scotland I'm a little out the loop up here :001_tt2:
However, I've found a few adverts on preloved for baby mice by people who claim to be breeders who have baby mice available. Here are the ones I found (going by google maps they seem to be about an hour or so from you? Not sure if that would work out for you):
Preloved | baby fancy mice for sale in Queenbourogh, Kent, UK this one was only posted yesterday
Preloved | mice for sale females and males for sale in Arundel, West Sussex, UK this one is from yesterday too
Preloved | fancy mice cheap!!! for sale in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK this one is from today with piccies 
Preloved | for sale - mice - bognor regis for sale in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK from 2 days ago (this is the one that claims to be a breeder and some one who shows their mice)


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

I'm an idiot!! Here is a breeder that I had the details of already        They are 45 minutes from Surrey and I have heard of them from other people who say they are really good (but again I'm only going by what I have heard)

Woodland Mousery


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks for finding woodland mousery for me, have been on the website and it looks very good, I think we will be going over there after christmas. Once again thanks very much for your help:smile5:


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

lynnep said:


> Thanks for finding woodland mousery for me, have been on the website and it looks very good, I think we will be going over there after christmas. Once again thanks very much for your help:smile5:


Glad to help!! They do seem good going by their piccies and what i have heard about them but definitely quiz them and check their mice when you get their before you arrange anything :wink5: And remember you promised piccies when you get them


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Hi, Will make sure that I lots of questions when I go to woodlands mousery, and will also post up piccies when I get them. Thanks again for advice I have certainly learnt a lot about pet mice from you. Lynne:smile5:


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

Dom and Fae are great ( Woodland Mousery ) Dom runs the Fancy Mice Breeders Forum - Mirgation Complete forum and there are quite a lot of show breeders on there if you wanting a specific varitey.


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

lynnep said:


> Hi, Will make sure that I lots of questions when I go to woodlands mousery, and will also post up piccies when I get them. Thanks again for advice I have certainly learnt a lot about pet mice from you. Lynne:smile5:


:blush: Thank you and you're welcome!!



Yorkshire_Rose said:


> Dom and Fae are great ( Woodland Mousery ) Dom runs the Fancy Mice Breeders Forum - Mirgation Complete forum and there are quite a lot of show breeders on there if you wanting a specific varitey.


Thanks - I was hoping some one could confirm what I had heard about them  I'm trying to arrange a "holiday" down that direction. Which won't at all be for the purpose of getting more meeces  Nope. Not at all :laugh:


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Hi, I am looking for mice cages with a 6mm bar space, does anyone know of any where I can get one, most of the ones I have seen have about a 10mm bar space and I am concerned that mice can get through that space, any ideas much appreciated.

Lynne:smile5:


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Personally, I find the Imac Fantasy cage ideal (especially if you have girl mice - avoid like the plague for boys as it isn't big enough.) It allows you to add extra layers for more toys and running space. If I remember correctly the Mickey Max cage has a 6mm bar spacing so that is also an alternative for mice (will depend on how many mice you are getting though.) Some people have used a cambridge cage successfully but again this one has a spacing of 10 mm.
If you can't find a cage with suitable wire spacing, you can attach wire on the outside. I've done that with a few of my cages (just get a wire sheet from somewhere like B&Q - they normally have them in the gardening section - some wire cutters and use plenty of cable tidies, evenly spaced to hold it in place.) Doing this will allow you to look at a wider range of cages than you would do normally. Some of the smaller rat cages or even bird cages can be picked up pretty cheaply on the likes of Ebay and a majority are larger than the suitable mice cages that are available. Unless you are insane like me and buy a big cage like this: Large 3 Storey Leon Hamster Gerbil Cage on eBay (end time 06-Jan-10 17:39:58 GMT)
More space =more mice + more toys 
Or, if you feel really adventurous you could make a bin cage. (Would involve buying the largest plastic box you can and adding a wire front or top to it. There are some examples in the "Show Me Your Cages" thread.) 
Places you can look at for buying cages include:
gumtree.co.uk
freeads
ebay
ukpetsupplies.co.uk
equinecaninefeline.co.uk
zooplus.co.uk (this and ebay are the only ones I've used - zooplus is a great site.) You can also go to their Euro site (zooplus.com) and it has some different cages, toys, foods etc. than the UK one and they still deliver to the UK.

Good luck!!! Give me a shout if I can be anymore help.


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks very much for those idea's, especially adding wire to the cages never thought of that. Once again thanks for that Lynne:smile5:


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Have found this cage any opinions on this one Cages : *SALE* Ferplast Tube Line Paula Hamster or Mouse Cage : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

I don't know about mice but to me it looks very small... But I have hamsters so maybe mice are different? Bigger is probably better though


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

lynnep said:


> Have found this cage any opinions on this one Cages : *SALE* Ferplast Tube Line Paula Hamster or Mouse Cage : www.EquineCanineFeline.com the place to buy all your Pet Products, Horse Products and Pet Supplies online


If you want to check if a cage is large enough then you can put the dimensions in the mouse cage calculator Mouse Cage Calculator Please be aware though sometimes cages like that which have a tube sticking out of the side are measured from the end of the tube, the measurements that you want to put into the cage calculator are the base of the cage only.


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## lynnep (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks for that.Very useful.


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