Amber in AUS Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 We are thinking of getting DD a pet mouse for her 5th birthday in 2 weeks. Can you tell me the pros and cons and recommend a good cage. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Mice stink. Believe it or not rats are cleaner and friendlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingM Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Yes, mice smell a lot worse than most other rodents. You'll be cleaning the cage constantly and it will still smell. Gerbils are actually the best in this regard as they are desert animal that produce very little urine. They do like to gnaw their way out of plastic cages, so I'd recommend against that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Yep, stinky! When Frank's Nursery and Crafts introduced a pet department, we set up a cage with mice. My job was to clean out the cage. Almost every single day. :::gag, choke, barf::: That said, they were absolutely adorable. My friends and I used to walk around with mice in our vest pockets. Most customers did not appreciate that, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I'd go with rats. Get 2 females. You could get a medium sized multi-level cage (http://images.google.com/images?q=rat%20cage&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi). That is what we had for ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Huh. I had a mouse when I was younger, and don't recall it being any stinkier than the hamsters we had before and since (though it has been a while since we've had any variety of caged pet). Assuming my memory is just not that great (I am usually very olfactory-oriented), and that you are looking for something about that size and demeanor, I can tell you we had a little Siberian hamster who was just delightful. The only downside was that he was too small to reach the end of the hamster habitat tube things - we had to build a little stool for him so he could get up into the tunnels. (we kept him in an terrarium with a lid.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I feel like I can chime in on this one. We have had up to 8 mice at one time. This was not our plan, but it happened. Here are somethings that I have learned from our experience. Female mice do better with 2 other female mice for companionship. Pet stores do not always do a good job separating their females from their males at the right point in time. We bought a pregnant female, but didn't know it until 2 weeks later. Pregnant females tend to be a little aggressive. Many, if not most, pet store mice carry a disease called micoplasmia (sp?). It is a respiratory disease like pneumonia. I did not know this before we bought out mice. Five out of 8 of our mice died from this. This was very sad for my dd. One mice died from tumors and the other just died suddenly. I am not sure why. We didn't even have the 3 original pet store mice for over a year. The first one died 8 months after we got her. She was the mother of the babies. We expected more life span. We still have one little guy. He is almost 2 years old. He is one of the babies from the litter. He is great and shows no signs of respiratory problems. Yes, mice can be stinky especially when you have 8 in 4 cages in one room. However, I do not notice the stinkiness as much with one mouse. His tank is cleaned about once a week and that is plenty. Boys tend to be a little stinkier than the girls. All in all, I would get a mouse again. If I were to do it over, I would get ONE MALE. It is easy to take care of. There are no surprise babies. One male mouse could very happily live in a 10 gallon aquarium with a screened lid. Our guy lives in a 5 gallon critter keeper, but that is because he has always lived there. He has never tried to chew his way out of the top, but I know some do. So, I would go with the 10 gallon aquarium with the screen to and clips to keep it securely closed. I hope that helps some. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 We can't get hamsters here which is a bummer because that would be ideal. I'm not sure I could do a rat. From the little reading I have done it seems the boys are stinkier than the girls is that right? Would 1 female really need a friend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I was funny about rats. When I first went to work at the pet store, I was scared to death of the rats. And then they became my faves. I'm so weird. Anyway, when you start with a small one, you'll get connected and not realize when it becomes bigger. And they don't bite. And are great shoulder pets. Very social little things. But I definitely would want to get two (we got two as each kid got one then we two in two sisters with cancer also) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 I am sure I cod grow to like them but the thought makes me cringe. Maybe I should try meet some. Our local pet shop doesn't have rats or mice so I'll have to do some research to find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I'd try 2 gerbils. They aren't nocturnal like hamsters, they aren't smelly like mice, they are cute, and most of the time they can be handled. We have had the best luck with plain, brown gerbils--the fancy black and white kind seem to be genetically inferior and get sick. Whatever you do, make sure you have a secure cage, you give your rodent plenty to gnaw on (as rodents, their teeth grow continually), and you buy active pets that don't immediately let you catch them (being too complacent can mean they are on their last legs). Have fun choosing, and post a pic! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks Chris but gerbils fall into the same category as hamsters, we don't have them in Australia. I sure wish we did though, they are so cute!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Just thought I'd chime in because after The Tale of Desperaux movie my kids wanted mice. We bought a cage (metal bars with plastic base and tube system) for $50 and have 3 female mice. I use Corn Cob bedding and have found that I only have to clean the cage once every 2-3 weeks. To me they really don't stink anymore than any other rodent. I've also owned Rats and hamsters. The Rats were wonderful, but can take up a bit more space than mice. Yes the mice will gnaw on things but we just buy little chew twigs at the pet store and there have been no escapes (we've had them almost a year now) We don't take them out of the cage too much because they are fast and we have dogs as well. When we do take them out we have little exercise balls for them and they will run all over the living room and kitchen in those. I would never get a hamster especially for a younger child. They are not as friendly as mice or rats. Mice and Rats live in social groups so they love attention, hamsters, not so much. Just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Kangaroo Rats? lol jK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks Kel. The corn cob bedding sounds like a winner. Great joke Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 We are thinking of getting DD a pet mouse for her 5th birthday in 2 weeks. Can you tell me the pros and cons and recommend a good cage. Thanks We had 2 mice. Now we only have one because one died. I don't have problems with them stinking though. I keep our mouse that we have now in a 10 gal. aquarium with a little wheel, a water bottle, food bowl, and a house to sleep in. I use this fluffy bedding for the bottom of the cage so maybe that helps with the smell. We love our mouse. She is very sweet and easy to play with. We've never even had a bite. However, our deceased mouse developed some sort of skin condition that required me to do wound care on twice a day only to lead to us having to put her down. (yes, you can actually put your mouse to sleep) We had to take her to the vet for her to be put down humanely. That was hard for the kids. Our mouse now is a year old and is doing well. I think that no matter what you choose there will be some risks involved. Our experience has been good with them,with the exception of our sick one, but at some point I guess they all must go. We also have a hamster that is a lot of fun as well. Our last one lived for over 3 years and he was wonderful. Good luck on your choice. Oh yeah, the mice are very quick so being that dd's still young she may have trouble holding it without squeezing too hard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I'll jump on the mice stink train. We bought one of those huge plastic cages with all the tunnels and about four mice. That thing had to be completely torn apart and cleaned at least one a week. And then one of the mice got sick and the other mice started attacking it and killed it. A few of the others got hurt in the battles and eventually died until there was only one left so we bought more friends for her because we thought she would be lonely. But she (who knows, could have been a he) killed them too and which point I said enough and got rid of the whole thing. No more rodents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Con... they are mice!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 They seem to be born pregnant. If they do have babies, make sure the babies can't get out of the cage (smaller can fit through smaller mesh). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Skip the plastic habittrail cages, hard to clean and hold odor plus the plastic can be eaten(not safe and escape is easy). Get more 2 mice and females do smell less. Have fun. Corn cob bedding can help with the odor and frequent cleaning of chewable items can as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks Chris but gerbils fall into the same category as hamsters, we don't have them in Australia. I sure wish we did though, they are so cute!! Do you have cavies? http://www.oginet.com/Cavies/clinks3.htm I'd get these. We took care of my daughter's class ones and they were much better than the gerbils I had as a child. Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Anyone remember Fawlty Towers the British comedy show? We saw the one about the "pet rat" last night and laughed and laughed. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 This web site was very helpful to us when we first got our mice. The Fun Mouse Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 Carrie, cavies are a great idea, yes we do have them here. Are they ok as inside pets? I will have to look into them. Do they climb like mice/rats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Usually, they're called Guinea Pigs here. They are a bit more of a calm pet. Honestly, I'm not sure if a 3 year old would be old enough to play with them... a lot...(But then a little girl I babysat when I was younger..."hugged/loved" a gerbil to death....by squeezing to hard.) Are you planning to supervise all the playing? I think they're much more fun than a rat or mouse. I would only have them inside. I thought of building a cage and having a couple. Other's would have more information about gender and such...ours, we borrowed, were cute:-) Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 cavies make great inside pets but LOVE to kick their bedding all over the place, so they can be messy that way. They do not climb or jump the same way other rodents do but are quick and love to run. http://www.guineapigcages.com/ Here are some pictures of some inside cages for cavies/ guinea pigs. Have fun looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapax Legomena Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 When I was growing up I had two white mice, Zero and Zoro. They were no problem at all. When my aunt came to visit, I slept in my brother's room, and she stayed in my room. She mentioned that the mice kept her up for most of the night as they were running on the wheel. They never kept me up at night on account of their activities, but I might have just gotten accustomed to it. I don't recall any odor related problems either; at least they never complained to me directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 cavies make great inside pets but LOVE to kick their bedding all over the place, so they can be messy that way.They do not climb or jump the same way other rodents do but are quick and love to run. http://www.guineapigcages.com/ Here are some pictures of some inside cages for cavies/ guinea pigs. Have fun looking. We kept them in a cage, so no problem. The I had a kinda large box with no bottom and I could put it out on the grass. I hadn't heard about the fact that the sun was bad for them. I'm thankful that they stayed happy and alive! Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 DD is turning 5 and yes I do plan to supervise and assist. I have checked out some cages and it lookes like guinea pigs would take up a lot more room will have to discuss with DH as we have a small house. Still thinking a mouse might be the way to go with space constraints. It would also appear that most people DIY their guinea pig cages, my DH isn't very handy. Whatever we choose it will be well considered, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 :-) I understand:-) I hope you enjoy whatever you get... I do think that calling cavies "piggies" is cuter:-) Carrie:-) PS, ours was not an overly huge tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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