Problem with poo

[howhigh402]

hi i have a breeding colony with 1.1 mice....i have only had them for about a month they have given birth to the first litter and they have plenty of hides....but i have a problem with them going poo in there food dish...they make a big mess of it...they also poo by their water...is there any way i can do anything to make them stop because i have to clean out the dishes almost every day because it is so gross....thank you so much

 

[texastailfeathers]

Switch them to a water bottle. Dishes are too messy. Pet stores carry all kinds of water bottles...big, small, made for wire cages, made for glass aquariums, etc.

 

[darkmorning1]

yes a water bottle is so much better. also they make feeding bins. witch come up and around that hook on to a wire or low glass tank so the mice have to push out some food then eat it. cuts down on sickness if the mice drink or eat the food they go to the bathroom in.

 

[Flagg]

I use lab block feeders, some commercially made (no longer manufactured) and some home made.

Here's a well worn commercially made lab block hopper

Here's another version of the same food hopper in my male rat cage, not so worn as the ASF rat tank

Here's a homemade copy made from 1/2" PVC coated hardware mesh. Sill need to figure out a decent lid for it.

for water, get a water bottle with a tank hanger. WalMart sells a cheap 8 oz one for about $2

For mice, I prefer using lab cages with wire tops that incorporate the bottle holder and food hopper in the lid. I obtained a bunch of these from my local reptile show for $5 each including the water bottles.

 

[howhigh402]

ok i already have th water bottle but im gonna go and get a holder for the lab block....thanks alot

 

[Flagg]

I've heard that some suet feeders are the right size mesh and can work as a lab block feeder.. Never found one the right size myself though, or if they are the right size they are made of plastic