Mouse trying to get out of cage

Question
Hello!  I have three female mice.  The most dominant mouse seems so anxious...constantly climbing the metal cage and biting the bars, sticking her nose out, etc.  it is really making ME anxious!  Is my cage too small for her?  Are some mice just more energetic?  I do have tubes on the cage so that she can run and play, but I am seriously reconsidering owning a caged pet!  Unfortunately I did not tame them early so they do not want to be held...I do let them run around in te bathtub when I am cleaning the cage.  Thank you!  Sarah

Answer
Hi Sarah,

You are absolutely right. She needs a bigger cage.

I had a mouse once who was happy in her cage until one day she got out. After that, she acted like your mouse. She spent two days gnawing the bars. It was a three level bar mouse cage. Luckily I was able to get a multi bird cage, converted into a four story mouse house. Thank gosh she was happy in it and didn't gnaw on the bars anymore!

So hopefully if you level up, she will be happier. However, be sure that what you get has bars close enough together that she can't get out. Hamster cage bars are often too wide apart. You might want to get her a 30 gallon tank, as long as she can satisfy her urge to climb with the tubes. The mouse I was talking about also spent time later in a 30 gallon tank, because her friend had babies, and she was fine there too.

Another thing you can do with a 30 gallon tank, for climbing, is fit a small bird playground in it. Many of these playgrounds are expensive but I have found them on sale at Amazon for about $20. Or you can take a look at them and, if you are handy, make one yourself, out of untreated wood or maybe popsicle sticks (use Elmer's glue). I am pretty sure I show this in the video referenced in my profile (My First Mouse). It's a good video to look at because I show a number of things to put in the cage. You will be jealous of how calm my mice are, though. My breeder has spent 15 years only breeding the calmest to the calmest, and now they just sit in my hand.

Best of luck! I hope this works out and she is a happy mouse.

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha