Pet Mice Cages Australia

Pet mice cages are the natural home that any pet mouse is brought into, when bought from a breeder or a pet store. But just having pet mice cages is not enough to keep a mouse happy and healthy. It is important to know the kind of pet mice cages available out there and to pick one that is ideally suited to your pet mouse - something that depends heavily on the age, size and variety as well as number of mice you plan to keep.

There are many pet mice cages available and in varied forms and materials starting with the glass aquariums. These aquariums are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and come with wire mesh lids, allowing ventilation. They can be easily found at most pet stores while garage sales are also a promising place to locate a few nice options.

Glass aquariums are a great option as pet mice cages as they are inexpensive, easy to clean and allow you to see the mouse clearly. They are also quite easy to clean as the shavings do not get scattered easily. However, they have a downside too. Pet mice cages need to be well ventilated to allow the mouse to breathe fresh air, something that glass aquariums lack. They also tend to get a bit stuffy in hotter climes while developing condensation on the inner walls in others.

Pet mice cages also come in the form of plastic carriers that serve dual purpose of being a home for the mouse as well as being light and easy to carry around and shift location. They normally come with plastic lids which do not offer much ventilation, leading to a replacement with wire mesh lids. Although similar to glass cages in terms of cleaning and viewing convenience, they have the same drawbacks with inadequate ventilation and stuffiness. The plastic also gets scratched over time and can get brittle if exposed to sunlight. At best, plastic carriers are good as long as they are used as temporary pet mice cages.

Tube systems are another popular form of pet mice cages however, it must be said that they are probably more popular amongst humans than amongst the mice themselves. Extremely colourful and pretty, tube systems come with a number of gadgets for exercise and have a number of nooks and crannies designed to replicate the underground housing system of mice.

Tube systems have a major drawback in terms of their holding capabilities. Firstly, it is inevitable that the mouse will try and chew on its pet mouse cage and as they are mostly made of plastic, escape routes can be easily created. Mice are extremely intelligent creatures and in a tube system, chances are that they will figure out how to escape within a few days. So although they are extremely attractive to humans, they tend to create a false sense of satisfaction as far as pet mice cages are concerned.

Lab cages are perhaps the best bet when it comes to pet mice cages. Although they are rarely used as homes for house pets, they are extremely convenient and are great with litters also. A plastic dishpan with a wired lid forms the average lab cage. A separate section houses the food and a water dispenser is also at hand for constant water supply.

Although lab cages have low headroom, any shavings inside rarely comes out unless you have an overly enthusiastic mouse. There is plenty of ventilation while the animal can also be viewed easily. However, lab cages are quite expensive in terms of the average pet mice cages and do not have much option for holding accessories like exercise equipment.

Wire cages are the next best bet for pet mice cages and are probably the most popular ones too. Not only are they extremely well ventilated, they have many places where you can hang accessories and essential items such as water dispensers and food trays. Most wire cages come with a number of floors and ramps, which provide exercise and a nice vantage point for its inhabitants. The only drawbacks to this type of pet mice cages are that mice can, at times, get their feet stuck in the wire mesh and there is also the problem of shavings falling through the gaps, and worse still, new-born kittens (still small enough to pass through the mesh) being kicked out of the cage.

Fern cages are an extremely useful but unfortunately, they are not manufactured any more. Looking for a used fern cage is worth the effort as they are metal wire cages with powder coated mesh and have solid metal floors that at all levels (also powder coated). They are quite rare though as they haven't been manufactured for some time now.

Housing for pet mice and rats are quite different mainly due to the difference in sizes of the two species. However, the basic requirements of each species are quite similar. If you are looking for pet mice cages then the basic rule is "Size does matter". The bigger the space you have, the happier and healthier your mice will be. So don't just go out and buy the best looking pet mice cage, buy the one perfect for your pet mice.