Polski
Basic Setup for a Mouse
Life with mice: A fragrant challenge
Mice are social animals that love to climb and explore. However, one of the biggest challenges in keeping mice is the smell of their urine. Mice have a specific urine smell and mark their territory with small puddles throughout the enclosure. To address this challenge, we have integrated solutions into the basic design:
Mouse cage / Terrarium
For an ideal living environment for your mice we have chosen a glass enclosure. This has several advantages:
- Optimal ventilation : The cage has two gnaw-proof grids for good air circulation. This is crucial to ensure air quality in the enclosure.
- Visibility : A glass cage allows you to observe your mice and track their behavior. It is always fun to watch them play and interact with each other.
- Dimensions : The minimum dimensions for a mouse enclosure are 80 x 40 cm for two mice. For four or more mice, an enclosure of 100 x 40 cm or 100 x 50 cm is recommended.
Ground cover
As a ground cover, we have chosen Cotton N Cotton below. This dust-free ground cover is very pleasant for mice and is well accepted. Mice often suffer from respiratory problems, so a dust-free ground cover is essential. The excellent absorption of cotton also saves you a lot of time and money, because it effectively neutralizes the odor and makes maintenance easier.
Mix and mingle the ground covers together so that the mice can dig beautiful tunnels that will also remain standing.
As a base layer we recommend Cotton N Pellets . These SUPER absorbent pressed cotton granules absorb moisture and odors as the best and ensure a clean and dry surface.
Below is an overview of approximately how much ground cover you need to reach a certain layer, it is a guideline.
Foraging / Play Layer
The ground cover is one thing, but the foraging and play layer is something completely different and just as important as a good bedding! This top layer, also called the upper layer, offers an extra challenge for the animals. For example, by sprinkling 3 to 5 cm of coconut fibre over the basic ground cover, you create a layer in which they can play and search for food. Sprinkle some treats or their own food around, and they will eagerly search and search the entire layer for all those treats. This play behaviour imitates what they do in the wild and stimulates their natural behaviour, which is very important.
Especially for this layer we have developed a Foraging Menu for small rodents such as mice. This menu can be found below in the list. Sprinkle a small handful of the treats over the entire top layer and let the animals enjoy their playful adventure!
Sleeping houses
Mice prefer one sleeping house and several hiding houses. Mice are social animals that generally like to sleep together. Therefore, at least one house must be large enough for the entire group (the basic house). As a basic house, we have two multi-room houses below. The handy thing about these houses is that the roof is removable, so that you can always take a look at the animals if necessary.
Even varnish! We recommend varnishing the houses with clear varnish that we have also mentioned below in the list. This ensures a longer life of the houses and easier cleaning.
Shelters
Hiding houses are important. Mice do not like to walk around in the open, they want to have a station here and there where they can hide for a while. Small hiding houses provide this, but a tunnel is also ideal for this, that is why we have added both hiding houses and tunnels to the basic design.
Nesting material
Mice are real nest builders, so the animals always need nesting material to be able to show their natural behavior. As nesting material we have chosen a combination of Cotton (Exotic N Colors) and Paper (Paper Shawings). Paper absorbs moisture very well and is also very playful. The animals can not only make a nest of it, but also play with it.
TIP! For example, create a play and digging area in the enclosure by filling a box with Crinkle Nesting Material and sprinkling some treats in it. The animals will love it!
Running wheel
We have chosen the Silent Spinner 24 cm. In terms of size ideal for mice and in terms of hygiene even better! Because mice regularly pee in their running wheel, the Silent Spinner is ideal and easy to clean. The urine does not soak into the running wheel as is the case with wooden running wheels, you do not have to varnish anything, so a saving of money and time!
Mouse food
Of course your mice also need food, but not just any food, the best food! We have researched for you which food this is. We have listed all the foods and compared the compositions with each other. The Bunny Nature Muizen Expert has come out on top and therefore it should not be missing in the basic equipment.
Harvest
In the wild, mice spend a large part of their time gathering food. They often go into the fields and take different types of seeds with them. Gathering (also called harvesting) seeds is part of the animals' natural behavior. We have looked very specifically at which plant species promote this behavior and the linseed plant is one of them, so let the harvesting begin!
Rodent material
As gnawing material we have chosen responsible gnawing material consisting of 100% natural hazelnut wood sprinkled with dried vegetables and herbs. The animals like to nibble on it and can also frame their teeth in this way.
Snack
As a snack we have pumpkin seeds. Mice love pumpkin seeds and these are also responsible and healthy! Because mice can quickly develop overweight it is important to give the animals responsible and preferably natural snacks. Pumpkin seeds are very healthy and contain good fats that ensure a radiant coat.
Drinking bottle
They are the simplest bottles, but they work the best! Depending on the group, the ideal drinking bottle has a capacity of 75 - 150 ml.
Drinking bottle holder
Nowadays we mainly keep mice in glass enclosures and it is a nightmare to put a bottle in there, which is why we have developed special drinking bottle holders that you can easily attach to the glass with a magnet.
Cork tunnel
Why a cork tunnel? A cork tunnel is a very versatile item! You can simply place it on the ground cover, but you can also dig it diagonally against a higher part or under the ground cover so that the animals have an underground den. In short, you can do anything with the cork tunnel. Of course, there is also a challenge here with keeping the tunnel clean, because mice pee everywhere, but that problem has also been tackled thanks to the CSI Spray.
Playground
Mice are real climbers. In our basic design, we assumed that the mice would live in a glass terrarium, which is why we have a playground here that you can place on the floor or a plateau. As mentioned, mice love to climb. Thanks to their long tail, they can keep their balance wonderfully and clamber around. The playground that we have chosen can be filled with another ground cover to increase the playful effect even more. For example, you can also fill it with the Crinkle Nesting Material and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds in it.
Below you can view the products and easily order what you like! If you have any questions or need help, we are of course happy to help you!
