RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:13 am

Is vet care usually very expensive for mice. Are prone to tumors and URIs as much as rats are. What size cage is appropriate for them?

I am interested in getting a pair of girly mice. Probably not gonna happen for a while, but I am gonna start researching them now.

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Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Last edited by Ellies_girl on Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:11 am

Well, a vet would charge about the same price for mice as they charge for rats. But there are some exceptions. Since mice are so small, if they have something like a tumor that needs removal, vets usually do charge more or may opt to not do the procedure.

As far as housing, a 10 gallon tank with a lid is plenty of room for 2 female mice.

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Shanna
~ Serendipity Rodentry ~

Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:46 am

Yup, and when you do get them, give me a nudge...I usually have several mice for adoption. wink

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--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:06 pm

Ratsicles-If I got mice, I was definatly planning on getting them from you. Are they as prone to URIs as rats?
Also, with rats I could get two boys, but I have heard that girls make much better pets, espesially for begginers. And for some reason I can not find much information about mice on the internet, and most of what I did find seemed wrong

"You can keep your mice in a wooden cage, or a cardboard box as long as you drill /cut some holes in it. For litter and bedding, sawdust with shredded newspaper works great"

I do not know much about mice, but that does NOT sound right!

I have heard some people saying that mice are not really a pet that you can interact with, but if they are handled from birth, like good mice breeders do (right?), than could you handle them some?

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Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:24 pm

Yeah...that's some pretty bad info.

Two male mice will probably life together if they've been raised together, but yes, girls make better pets. They're much less likely to fight and don't have that strong odor that the males do.

I haven't seen that they're as prone to URIs as rats, at least I haven't seen any in my mice...but I've only had these particular mice and been breeding them for a couple of months. As far as I know, its definately not as big a concern as it is with rats.

Basic mouse care...Mice need more space proportional to their size than rats do, since mice can't free range. A 10 gallon will work for two, but I use clear Sterilite containers. They're cheaper, easier to clean and move around, and stackable. For bedding, I use aspen...anything that works for rats is fine.

You really can't give them hammocks or blankies, since they won't know how to use them and will probably just tear them up...I usually just give mine either a small empty box or container with an entrance hole, and some sort of fluffy material or paper towels for bedding.

Foodwise, mice have very similar diets to rats, but I've found that mine aren't as willing to try new foods as my rats are. I feed my mice my own mix, the same one I feed my rats, with slightly less dog food, along with fruits/veggies, etc.

They need a running wheel for exercise, and some homeade toys - paper towel rolls, boxes, some bird toys, chew sticks, etc. are all good.

Most mice, at least mine, don't really like to be handled. They don't usually bite, but excess handling does seem to bother them. There are plenty of people though with some really tame mice though, so there are exceptions to every rule...this has just been my experience. Mice are just not really interactive pets. They can be really interesting to watch, but that's about as far as it usually goes.

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--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:37 pm

So, if I switched to Suebee's, I could feed basically the sam diet the rats and mice, if I got them?

I found a website that seems to have decent info, but it does not talk about mice health problems. I was thinking of using to of those big, clear bins (I think they are sterilite) linked together with pvc pipe or something. Can you use plastic bins to house mice in, or will they just chew through them. I have a 10 gallon aquarium, but I use that as a quarentine cage.

For toys, I was thinking of making a "jungle gym" for them to climb on (if I did not use a wire cage), a box or idloo, a solid wheel (the mice at petsmart seem to love there wheel), paper towel tubes, and chew toys.

I would not get mice if I was not able to take them to the vet when they were sick, but so far it seems that thye are not as prone to many health problems like rats are. Are female mice really prone to tumors?

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Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:17 pm

All of my female mice have had/do have malignant tumors.

As Ratsicles said, mice need more cage space than rats, since mice cannot usually free-range. A cage has been great for my mice since they love to climb, and some of them have liked hammocks, some haven't. I don't like tanks for mice since most of them are too small and the big ones are too large to lift for cleaning. They do love to nest and will shred just about anything you give them.

They require more seed in their diets than rats do, and seem to be fussier and don't like fresh food as much as rats do. None of my mice have been of the "I'll try it once, twice if I like it" mind for food.

They prefer the company of other mice to humans, but occasionally you'll get a mouse who is more ratlike and always wants out and to exchange kisses with you. Occasionally.

For tons of mouse info, try the RMCA.

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Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:23 am

Kate, I wish I could package up some of my chocolate spotteds and send them your way...we have been tumor free for 9 generations now, and the 10th gen look great! Last tumor was dotty spottie, three years ago on this line. Tumors suck...I am working at getting rid of them plus, temperment, some mice are really mean..then color, and of course my ears on my CSM. I know I know lets see some...comming up soon! In a seperate thread....getting back on track mice need tons of things to do, they are very active and love to climb, and hang, and chew...and jump. the more toys the better....and deffinatly a wheel. Mice will also eat lab blocks...and the suebees I give my rats. Shaz

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Tue Oct 11, 2005 12:57 am

It seems like mice usually cost less vet wise, than rats, but around how much do they cost for vet care.

Shaz- Are tumors common unless bred out, or are they not that common, but still occur?

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Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Tue Oct 11, 2005 3:21 am

My vet charges fees based on their office criteria: an office visit is X amount, anesthesia is charged in 15-minute increments, nail or tooth clipping is the same price for a rabbit as a mouse, etc., etc. Most vets charge in this manner, it usually has little or nothing to do with the size or type of animal. My mice haven't cost less than my rats for vet care.

Check the RMCA for more tumor information.

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Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Tue Oct 11, 2005 6:22 am

I think tumors can be nearly wiped out with breeding...but the occasional will still occur. I cant think of a line so far that hasnt had tumors. But I am working hard at getting rid of them, and as I said so far in this line nothing, and I have kept almost all of the babies. Shaz

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Wed Oct 12, 2005 1:26 am

Well, I would be getting from a good mouse breeder. I know that the main concern with surgery for rats is the anasthetic (sp?), and with mice I would think that it would be a bigger concern, because of there faster metabolisms.

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Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat