# Male Mice? Help please!



## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I keep reading conflicting reports on the internet about keeping male mice together, etc, etc so I was hoping someone on here with some experience could help out. Today my neighbor dropped off what she said were baby male rats for us to foster and find homes for, but they are DEFINITELY mice. I've seen baby rats as young as three weeks and these guys look nothing like them. Anyway, I'm happy to keep them and handle them and care for them until we can find home for them--this was the original agreement even if they were rats. I'll have to run out and get some extra supplies, but what I"m really concerned about is how to keep them. She gave them to us in a shoe box, and there are five of them. They seemed fine in there, but as they were probably freaked out of their minds I bet fighting was the last thing on their mind. Can I keep them together? If so, is a bigger or smaller space recommended? I have several hamster/gerbil cages and a small QT cage for our rats as well as a 20 gallon tank and I'm not sure if I should try to split them between a few of the cages or keep them together, and if I keep them together which cage should I go with?
Tank is a 20 gallon long
One cage is a 12 in by 12 in square but is super tall
one cage is the PetCo Rainforest hamster cage with wheel
and the QT cage is 30 in by 14 in and is 16 in tall

Thanks for the help!


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Male mice can Not be kept together, male mice are very territorial and will fight to the death even if there are no females in the house. It's probably better to separate them now then later. (Note: some people have kept male mice together, but normally it was a pair that when one died the other couldn't be introduced to another mouse, in a Very large cage, I'm talking over 40 gallon breeder, but this is Not the norm).

Tanks are the best housing for mice, you can probably get some 1/4 inch hardware cloth to split the 20 gallon in half. if the cages do Not have 1/4 inch bar spacing I would make some bin cages, which are better then tanks since they are lighter and easier to clean. Mice can get out of 1/2 inch bar spacing.


----------



## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Okedoke. I'll head to the store tonight and pick up some bins to make bin cages. I was thinking about doing that anyway, as it will make it easier for them to find homes if I have them in something I'm willing to send them off with. Regular hardware cloth will work to keep them in, right? Once I've got them settled in I'll try to post some pics, but right now I don't want to disturb them or take one out and put him back in later and risk starting a fight. 

Thank you for your help!


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Regular hardware cloth will work, just try to make sure that it's 1/4 inch. I think Homedepot has a 2 ft x 5ft roll for $9. should be able to do the tops of 5 bin cages.


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

If you are very handy, you know what is an awesome way to house males and have everyone have space?
http://images.containerstore.com/catalogimages/131378/SmallTintStackingDrawer_l.jpg
Get you a set of drawers that are large enough for one male mouse. Cut out part of the front panel and attach hardware cloth to it  It makes cleaning very easy and allows you to stack. I have done it before with 3 different males and it worked AWESOME!!! 
Let me warn you tho. young males go through about a month where they pee and mark on EVERYTHING. They went nuts, I guess you could call it mousey puberty. But after that they calmed down and the smell was hardly different than female mice. So when they start to smell god awful, just remember that they may end up stopping a few weeks later.


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?117299-sterilite-drawer-carts-vs-storage-bins
I quickly search google to try to find a pic that sort of explains what I am talking about. There are some pictures at the bottom of that topic that give you an idea. WARNING: That is a reptile website although there is no bad feeding discussion on that particular page. I just wanted yall to see the drawers.


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

May I add my 2 cents on the drawers? (not to be rude Korra)

Only issue with the drawers is that you want to make sure that they are tall enough so they can't jump out. You'd want to put wire Above each drawer to keep them from jumping out. I've seen them used without the wire, but might be best to put wire Just in case. Though you'd be better off making a rack. But since this is temporary might be better to go with the tubs, since bin cages can be used for rat travel cages.

Hooray I'm not the only one who uses Ball-pythons for bin cage references. They actually had a really good one on making large bin cages for rats, and for mice. I've found that they explain the steps to making them better then most websites. Granite I'm always on there since I want to one day have a snake (Guess I can only dream for a years though)


----------



## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

OOOH nifty! Unfortunately I've already purchase some bins, but I might have to make one of those just in case something like this happens in the future (which it probably will, given that now everyone in my neighborhood thinks of me as the rodent woman).


----------



## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Oh no Lightning  You are not rude. I luckily bought drawers that didnt need modifying above as the drawers had an area above and below that made a tight seal, so I forgot to mention it


----------

