Bedding choices

Question
Hello Natasha! We have just gotten our 3 girlie albinos. What fun! They are just 4 weeks old now, so we are trying to leave them be for a few days and are spending time talking to them and putting a finger through the bars for them to sniff. In the meantime, we are trying to learn everything we can.

This question is regarding bedding. With so many choices available, how does a novice owner choose. Of course, money is always a consideration, but we want the best for their fun, safety, and odor control (we had a little situation with the tubes getting VERY stinky the first day or so--no more tubes and MUCH less smell). Any opinion?

Thanks for your time!!

Denise

Answer
Hi Denise,

Glad to hear about your new squeaky friends!

Now is the time to hold them a lot.  I hold them at least once a day starting at 8 days when they have fur.  The more you hold them, the sweeter they will be.  With a lot of love mice can be wonderfully sweet and develop great personalities.

When it comes to litter (what covers the floor), although some people will warn you that wood chips can spark allergies, I have never had a real problem with it and find them very very effective at odor control and also being a texture that the mice can happily landscape in.  The nicest tunnelling material is a kind of paper mulch, one brand being CareFresh, which holds its shape and lets them build networks of tunnels.  Don't buy the pretty dyed colors, though; these are attractive to us but the dye may not be good for the mice.  At the moment I am using some alfalfa hay, just because my bunny uses it too, and the mice are enjoying it as a refreshing change.  They like to eat it too.  There are a number of other kinds of litters out there made from corn cobs or nut shells or all kinds of things, but these are not as much fun.

When it comes to bedding and sleeping, they should have a dark place, probably a little box or house, with some soft material that they can chew up:  Small pieces of yarn, shredded cloth, kleenex, half of a sock split open, shredded inkfree paper, etc.  The material should be placed inside the house so they know what to do with it.

When you say the tubes smelled, I assume you mean plastic tubes such as Habitrail.  Mice like to leave their scent like a dog does, especially if there is cause to be territorial (other mice; moving to a new place).  Their scent stays beautifully (ick) on plastic, and so that is where they like to leave it.  I find when my mouse cage smells, I often can clear up the problem not by changing the bedding but by washing the plastic objects.  When the mice, all girls, are used to each other, feel at home in your house, and have no contact with other mice (house mice are a problem for me),  hopefully the marking will be less.  

They should have a lot of different things in the cage and it should vary.  They should always have a wheel and a toilet paper tube (they feel safe in it).  Little boxes, crinkled paper, toys you buy at the petstore such as wicker balls, use your imagination.  The cage should be large with good ventilation (but no drafts and no direct sunlight).  I like the three story wire cages (and so do my 'kids')

Have fun!!

Squeaks n giggles,

Natasha