# "Mice are Nice" Mansion (new pics!)



## LizardGirl

Hahaha, I'm quite proud of this so I figured I would share it with you all. It's a 40gal tall tank and I've filled it with lots of MES (mouse entertainment system) goodies, which I planned out one night after eating too much coffee ice cream (bad idea, I was up all night). It's currently empty, but I will be moving a group of 5-6 retired and pet girls into it. I'll be sure to get a video of them all exploring!


















The main house:
















The two sleeping houses I made have no bottom or sides where it faces the glass. You can't see it in any of the pics, but I put construction paper on the outside, so it's dark, but I can remove it to peek in and make sure everyone's okay. I'm overprotective over my mice. :lol: The little doodle on the inside was me testing out the sharpie.

The waterbottle holder:


















I was a little unsure about how this would work but it ended up looking nicely. There is a little "fence" around the nozzle to hopefully prevent them piling up bedding and making it leak.

The tree trunk:










This I made of a regular paper towel tube and glued craft sticks all around. I really like the little perch and I'm hoping they use it.

Another view of the smaller house and litter corner before I put shavings in:









The front again:









I plan on moving the TP tube aside (like they won't beat me to it  ) and putting a medium sized wheel there. No matter how many things you give them to play on, the wheel still gets lots of use.

Overall I think it looks like a lot of fun and I wish I was a mouse. I'm just praying it lasts a week or two before they demolish it.


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## APBTkisses

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Dang! I wish it longevity, it looks GREAT


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## Hedgiepets

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Man, will they be very happy in there! I can't wait to see it full.


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## Immortalia

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Wow! That looks totally awesome!!!

Kind of reminds me of this show I was watching, and the zoo people actually baked bread for their mice and carved doors, and windows into the huge bread.

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/most-outrageous-mouse-house.html


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## Vortex

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

that is sooo cool!!!! haha i wanna be one of your mice in there :lol:


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## Nancy

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Awesome! They will have a great time I'm sure. The best thing is, once they chew it to pieces, you can build another. Years ago, I used to build my mice things out of popsicle sticks. Lots of fun.


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## Tasha

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Wow! Looks amazing. Where do you find the patience to make it?! :shock:


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## gyaku

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Nice work on the mes lol


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## knitfreak

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

OMG! You and I should get together and have a rodent day :lol: I just spent several hours last week setting up my hamsters cage. She's so active and easily bored, so she has a bunch of wood bridges and stuff to play on as well! I'll have to post pics 

I love the craft stick ideas you have, what type of glue did you use?


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## Hedgehogs

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

WOW. Lg that's AMAZING! I wish I could do some thing like that for my hamster. hahaha. :lol:


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## LizardGirl

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Thanks everyone! It was a lot of fun to make (took about 6 hours...). The girls I'm putting in it are pretty docile and not too crazy, my favorite mouse Iris is going in there, she's getting older and I think she'll definitely appreciate it (and she's not a chewer! lol)



> Kind of reminds me of this show I was watching, and the zoo people actually baked bread for their mice and carved doors, and windows into the huge bread.


Haha, that was neat. I hadn't seen it before... It'd be an interesting thing to try *but* when they eat bread it makes them smell *awful*. :shock:



> The best thing is, once they chew it to pieces, you can build another.


I love that about cheap mouse toys. :lol: I actually have plans for next time, it will be completely different!



> OMG! You and I should get together and have a rodent day I just spent several hours last week setting up my hamsters cage. She's so active and easily bored, so she has a bunch of wood bridges and stuff to play on as well! I'll have to post pics
> 
> I love the craft stick ideas you have, what type of glue did you use?


I've had a lot of hamsters, and did the same thing! I had one Campbell's dwarf who had malocclusion and couldn't/wouldn't chew anything, so she actually had a 6sq ft cage made of interlocking cardboard boxes, it was the coolest thing. I'm kicking myself for not taking any pictures... You can get 1000 craft sticks at Michaels for $4, and I use regular hot glue (school glue takes WAY to long to dry). The rodent community has deemed hot glue safe.

I just have a few weeks to wait... one mouse going in has to wean a litter and one has to finish her quarantine, then introduce everyone and plop them in! Let's hope that they use everything for what it was meant for. :lol:


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## hedgielover

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Wow it looks great, I didn't know hot glue was deemed safe.



LizardGirl said:


> Let's hope that they use everything for what it was meant for. :lol:


Haha they really won't, I have a mouse and she is always coming up with new and interesting uses for everything. When her wheel was beside her shelf she used to climb on top of it and ride around to the bottom of her cage. Either she forgot that she would make it move or she just had fun riding it on the outside.

Out of curiosity how old is your oldest mouse? Mine is a year and 8 months. I've been thinking about getting her a mansion and a couple of play mates but she gets lots of attention from us and I thought she would be too old.


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## LizardGirl

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*



> Haha they really won't


Haha, I know. Only a handful of the hundreds of mice I've had will sleep in the place I made for sleeping, use the litter box for what it was there for, etc.

As for age, it sounds horrible but you asked... :? My mice were originally all feeders, and though now I spoil them all and everyone is named. I still have herps to feed, so when one starts getting older and such I will usually have them euthanized before they get tumors, get weaker and picked on, etc. My current oldest is Iris and she's around a year. She'll be staying in here for her full natural life, though.

Female mice are extremely social and many get depressed if they don't have company. Being held a lot helps, but they still like to have cagemates. She is a little old but I think if you got some very young (just weaned) babies, kept them in quarantine for a few weeks to make sure they're healthy, and introduced them it would do your girl good. If you introduced an adult, your girl would have more of a chance of getting picked on. With very young ones they will be less concerned and everyone should be bonded and comfortable with eachother before they are full grown.


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## hedgielover

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Thank you for the advice. The mouse has seemed content for as long as we have had her and also enjoys playing with our budgies but I know that a same species companion would be better.


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## hedgewawa

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Hi, my first reaction is, "Can I come over and play on the teeny tiny bridge?" LOL

Just wonderful. I can just picture all the exploring, climbing and bunching up that will happen with all your girls.

I am just dying to see pictures of "the girls" in action.


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## Bengall77

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Oh my goodness. This is amazing! Please post pics of it in use.


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## Kirby

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

That looks amazing! You have inspired me to make something for my Russian Campbell's. I'm sure the mice will love it. Oh, and I would love to know how you made that bridge.


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## LizardGirl

*Re: "Mice are Nice" Mansion*

Hahaha, new pics! Sorry I didn't get them up earlier. As for how I made the bridge, I just tied double knots between each stick, so I had a string of jute in perfect craft stick sized-loops, you just make two of them and fit the sticks in.

Porsche saying hmmmm, the bridge moves...









Tipsy testing out the tree trunk:









Smidge says find the mouse!









Porsche looking around...









The whole cage where you can see some of the wiggle butts:









Baby on the bridge:









Two just taking it all in:









Paper cruising along the ropes









Everyone chowed down as soon as they saw the food, silly things.









Then of course, gotta get some water









All for me?









Everyone snuggling:









Iris eating some corn, and a few babies nursing:









Aaannnddd... I thought this was too funny to leave out. Meet Wisteria and her three boys.  









Baby feets!

If anyone is wondering why Iris babies are sort of small and thin looking, it's because I didn't cull that litter. Lots of babies mean less milk to go around, which made them much smaller than they would have been...

Anyhow, enjoy!


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## hedgielover

The pictures look great, your mice are very cute. 

I don't think that using mice for feeders is horrible. I couldn't do it personally which is why I will never have a pet snake (even though I love them) but it is something that has to be done. 

Based on your advice we added two new mice to our family. It took some finding apparently mice are not popular pets in Toronto, only one pet store even carries pet mice and they didn't have young babies. We got two anyway they are a few months old. We will intro slowly and see how it goes, if it doesn't work out we still have plenty of cages should separation be necessary. I hope they will be friends though and Bianca will have some company in her old age.


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## LizardGirl

That sounds good.  Even if they don't get along, placing the cages side by side where they can see each other might make Bianca feel a little better. I have two bearded dragons (not much similar, I know :lol: ) who are both males and obviously can't live together. One day I rearranged the cages where they were not side by side, and they freaked out, scratching at the sides where the glass had faced the other. Put them back where they could see each other and they were just fine. Goof balls.


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## hedgielover

Aw that is such a cute story. I love bearded dragons. As soon as I convince boyfriend not be afraid of reptiles we're getting some. LOL


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## Bengall77

Adorable! I love the golden colored ones, so pretty. And it looks like they enjoyed themselves. How long did it take them to demolish it?


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## LizardGirl

Haha, I am pleased to say it is still standing! So far they've been in it for one week, and it has only been pooped on in excess, but no chewing or wild rampages (yet). I had to tape the tower in the back right to the tank, though, because Iris sat on the bridge and made it tip over. :lol: (not all the way where one could get hurt, but leaning).


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## hedgewawa

Thank you so much for posting pics of everyone in action enjoying their playground. 

I patiently looked at every picture late last night. When I got to the last "baby feets" pic I was laughing at 1:00 a.m. Too funny. Splayed feets and the tails are curled in the same way. I had no idea how babies looked when they nursed. :lol:

Would love to see an after picture of the destruction.


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## Vortex

awww thats so cute! it looks like they really like there new house =D


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## Kirby

I think it is fine to raise feeders as long as they are kept humanly and your mice certainly look like they're having a blast. Oh, and I love that last picture!

I'm actually thinking that I may be raising some feeders of my own (not any time soon though) so I would love to hear how you raise them (if that's not to much to ask).


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## LizardGirl

I raise all my mice the same regardless of where they're going to end up. If you have any specific questions, you can PM me and I can help.


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