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an experiment in mouse housing

ghosthousecorns

ghosthousecorns

Well-known member
I made this little "condo" for my mice as I am getting tired of ten gallon tanks all over. It's still experimental, I think I may have to hopper proof the sides somehow since there is a gap at the top of the drawers. I had been googling how to build a rodent rack and came across something similar, and since I already had a three drawer sterilite unit sitting around and extra water bottles, I figured what the heck. I think the photos are kind of self explanatory ;)
 

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Nice and compact :)

The only downside I see if having to move the waterbottles of the drawer below everytime you want to open one :(
 
Yeah, that will be a hassle... but at least I got the holes for the nozzle to go through tight enough that I can just turn the bottles and they stay in place so I don't have to take them all the way off.
I know... it's ghetto! I wish I had the $ to get a nice freedom breeder...
 
Good Job, Jen

I've walked by those same drawer units and thought the same thing, but . . . I'm old and slow. Nice job. Saw some tubs over on a British site that MIGHT be of interest to you and others. Check out:

http://www.captivebredreptileforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17470

Becuase the suggestion there was to heat washers and place them (from the inside) on the plastic for holes. Then drill out the hole AFTER the washer is embedded in the plastic. Why? Mice will chew where they can, usually at the holes in the plastic. You've got excellent ventilation in your trays. IF the mice start chewing, try heating washers (or 1/4 inch mesh) and placing them (that) over your air holes.

Again, great idea.

Shannon:dancer:
 
Thanks..LOL although with the amount of holes I drilled, that would probably make it weigh a TON! I kind of figured you can't have TOO much ventilation when it comes to mice. I once had a couple of fuzzies suffocate in a little deli cup with small holes so I kind of went overboard.
I found quite a few sites with the plans for a rack with hardware cloth top and cat litter or masonry tubs, and I do still plan to build one some day.

I think what I am going to do is put older, bigger fatter, closer to retiring breeder mice in this thing - hoping they will be less likely to chew and climb and get in trouble.

I have almost as much fun with the genetics of my mice as I do the corns... I just found this great site with pictures of many cultivars-I can't believe they actually have mice shows and give out ribbons!
 
Mesh for your tubs

LOL, the number of holes you have drilled in your tubs warrants the use of mesh, methinks. But NEXT time, try the washers BEFORE you drill holes as noted by the Brits.

And, yes, I know what you mean about mice and mouse colors: Check a former post of mine:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?p=29061&highlight=Shannon+Hiatt#post29061

Time for the gift exchange; have to run. I just needed a bit of quiet time BEFORE the chaos begins. But Grandpa wouldn't have it any other way (at least a few times a year, that is).

My recent tub project was with dish washing tubs. But I still use the lab tubs for most of my mice.


Shannon
 
I had some of the prettiest Fancy Mice for about 2 years.
I loved those buttfaces.
They were lesbians, too! Bahahahaha!!
Anyways, that's why I thought I could never handle a snake.
I didn't know about the wonders of f/t at that time, though.
I'm thinking about getting some more fancies. -ponders-
 
You know you want some! These two are longhaired "tan" and "satin" morphs... I have very few boring white mice. I usually hold back the ones from the better moms with bigger litters, but also if something different looking pops up.
 

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I have noticed that if you give them things to keep occupied they are less likley to try and chew out. I breed mice/asf rats for my snakes and also sell to friends and local stores on occasion. I make sure every tank has a wheel, some paper towel/TP tubes and a block or 2 of scrap wood and that helped immensly on them chewing. Good job with the sterilite rack but keep an eye out for them chewing the air holes.
 
ghosthousecorns said:
You know you want some! These two are longhaired "tan" and "satin" morphs... I have very few boring white mice. I usually hold back the ones from the better moms with bigger litters, but also if something different looking pops up.
Click to expand...

I do! I do!
They're so cute. Gah!
I'd like to have a rat or two, but I don't have a cage big enough.
And yeah, if you keep enough in there with them they shouldn't chew.
 
may i make a suggestion about the bottles? i use velcro to stick on my bottle. so much easier to take it off instead of using twist ties. hope that helps. :)
 
Well that thing worked great while I had it going, I had a pair of older breeders in each of the drawers and they did fine. I still think hoppers could have gotten out but I have woken up my brumators and I needed some adult mice for them so I have downsized and not using it any more. However in a pinch, it would work if I should get mouse - heavy again. Velcro is good idea thanks!
 
ghosthousecorns said:
Well that thing worked great while I had it going, I had a pair of older breeders in each of the drawers and they did fine. I still think hoppers could have gotten out but I have woken up my brumators and I needed some adult mice for them so I have downsized and not using it any more. However in a pinch, it would work if I should get mouse - heavy again. Velcro is good idea thanks!
Click to expand...

yw. works wonders for me. lol
 
Yea that's the reason I put older breeders in it, figured fatter older mice would be less likely to try and escape. Kind of like me, food, drink and place to crash... who needs to go anywhere :)
 
yeah go careful with the mice chewing the holes, mine are in tubs with a hole where the bottle is I had to take some hoppers out the other day to feed some mice and the water bottle was off, went back literally 10 mins later and they had chewed a big hole and where trying to escape, bless it doesnt take much.
 
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