# Outdoor mouse setups?



## Norm (Sep 9, 2013)

I`ve recently got together a small group of mice to breed fuzzies for this years expected hatchies but my wife is complaining about the smell in the garage. So I was curious if anyone has tried keeping their rodents outside and if so what sort of setup did/do you use? 
I currently have them in lab cages with newspaper on the bottom and wood shavings on that. I`m thinking of trying a commercial litter of some sort, any advice on that?


----------



## Blake182 (Sep 9, 2013)

iv breed my mice and they just stink! no matter what there still gonna stink if you want to try and keep them smelling nice you most likely have to change them every 2end day? I have used other brand of littler's and wood shaving work the best, most newspaper kinds of litter end up like a clay type and hard to clean but if you can! try and find a cheap garden shed off gumtree and the bigger you get the more you can breed! ahha


----------



## Jimie (Sep 9, 2013)

i use to have rats and found that chook pelets worked as a realy good litter as it absorbs alot including smells and can get it from any foder store fairly cheap i pay bout 15 bucks for a 20 kilo bag


----------



## Norm (Sep 9, 2013)

Blake182 said:


> but if you can! try and find a cheap garden shed off gumtree and the bigger you get the more you can breed! ahha



I been told, and I agree with this, that if kept in a garden shed over summer they`ll almost certainly die. I was more interested in outdoor cages, either DIY or some commercial cage that can be modified a bit to make mouse proof.


----------



## Blake182 (Sep 9, 2013)

yeah I keeped mice in a garden shed with a panel just mesh and there fine but I do put the tubs on water


----------



## champagne (Sep 9, 2013)

I put my racks against the fence in the back yard on the shaded side of the house, have a tarp screwed to the fence, hanging over the top of the rack to keep out of direct sun and rain.


----------



## Norm (Sep 9, 2013)

Yeah btsmorphs, this is more the sort of thing I`m after, maybe something with large storage tubs?


----------



## Performa (Sep 9, 2013)

Blake182 said:


> yeah I keeped mice in a garden shed with a panel just mesh and there fine but I do put the tubs on water



What do you mean you put the tubs on water, wont the heat in the shed be to much and kill all the rodents


----------



## Western python (Sep 9, 2013)

I use lab setup in garden shed ....and only during cool months , all breeding stock is retired! For summer


----------



## Performa (Sep 9, 2013)

I to have the same problem as much as I love my wife urrr she winges about the smell. Trying to work something out that I can do in the shed. I was told to install a wirrly bird!


----------



## mungus (Sep 9, 2013)

Exhaust fan next to your setup will do the trick !


----------



## champagne (Sep 9, 2013)

Norm said:


> Yeah btsmorphs, this is more the sort of thing I`m after, maybe something with large storage tubs?



yeah that would work as long as there is good air flow and they are out of direct sun, they should be fine. I haven't lost any, they breed all year round and Im on the central coast qld.


----------



## ingie (Sep 9, 2013)

I hung some silk sheets across the garage, blocking off the rodents from the rest of the garage that leads into the house. You can't smell anything on the non rodent side, apart from the first few days after cleaning, which is when it smells the worst in the house, believe it or not. I think it taks a few days for good bacteria to build up and start to break down the ammonia, like in a fish tank.


----------



## Blake182 (Sep 9, 2013)

Performa said:


> What do you mean you put the tubs on water, wont the heat in the shed be to much and kill all the rodents


well mine all keeped breeding like mice haha its good but I only had 10 tubs all on water?


----------



## ingie (Sep 9, 2013)

What does "all on water" mean lol.


----------



## BIGBANG (Sep 9, 2013)

I keep my rats in a garden shed, for the summer I remove a panel in the door and replace with mesh and have a wirrly bird in the roof and also freeze water bottles to put in the cages and cover all the cages with heshon. I have increased population now so it will be a lot of work this summer


----------



## Norm (Sep 9, 2013)

What about something like this with a solid lid to keep the rain out and kept in the shade. Lid secured better as well to keep cats etc out.


----------



## Amberbubula (Sep 10, 2013)

I home made the commercial lab rodent breeding cages for my feeder rats (I'm cheap like that - cost me ~$120 to make 5 instead of >$50 each). I keeps these under the front patio (we do not use the front door and there is a low bricked wall around the patio to keep prying eyes away). The smell is minimal to nil as I clean these cages thoroughly once a week (same day as I do the reptiles so I don't forget) and the constant fresh air coming under the patio also helps keeping the area smell-free. I use some sort of rabbit/guinea pig wood shaving I get from the pet shop as bedding and it seems to do the trick.
These cages are just sitting on the ground, there is no stand to hold them in the air. I have only had them for about 3 months, but as yet there are no issues with cats or other predatory animals, but when summer comes in all its glory I will probably sort something out to make it harder for the local native snakes to eat them on me 
Hope this helps a little.


----------



## Performa (Sep 10, 2013)

ingie said:


> What does "all on water" mean lol.



Yeah thought the same thing, couldn't work it out

- - - Updated - - -

I like what western python suggested makes sense and there is no need to modify my shed 
Thanks mate


----------



## Blake182 (Sep 10, 2013)

sorry guys what I mean is I get one tub fill it half way up with water and sit another tub in the water? do u get what I mean?


----------



## A1SNAKETRADER (Sep 10, 2013)

If you need fuzzy mice you might be able to substitute pink rats. I have found that rats dont smell anyway near as bad as rats.


----------



## saximus (Sep 10, 2013)

Blake182 said:


> sorry guys what I mean is I get one tub fill it half way up with water and sit another tub in the water? do u get what I mean?



I do the same thing. Drops temps in the tubs by up to 10 degrees on the really warm days


----------



## Snowman (Sep 10, 2013)

A1snakesmackay said:


> If you need fuzzy mice you might be able to substitute pink rats. I have found that rats dont smell anyway near as bad as rats.


I think you mean rats don't smell as bad as mice


----------



## A1SNAKETRADER (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks Snowman


----------



## Norm (Sep 10, 2013)

I might of found a solution...my dear old Mum suggested she breed mice and rats for me! Said it'll give her something to do!


----------



## Pythoninfinite (Sep 10, 2013)

Mice are very sensitive to extremes of temperature, high summer and winters will kill them if they are outside and you are inland where temps get very low or high.

Jamie


----------



## Performa (Sep 11, 2013)

Blake182 said:


> sorry guys what I mean is I get one tub fill it half way up with water and sit another tub in the water? do u get what I mean?



Thanks I get what you mean top idea


----------



## Ambush (Sep 12, 2013)

I tried. Summer to hot.. Winter to cold.


----------



## Norm (Sep 18, 2013)

Well I`ve had a trio of mice outside for a week now and so far so good though I realise it hasn`t been hot yet. They`ve copped rain, a couple of mild storms and heaps of wind and seam to be doing well. The cage has stayed dry, its in a pretty sheltered spot under a fairly thick hedge which should give plenty of shade as it gets hotter.


----------



## Snowman (Sep 18, 2013)

I've been encouraging friends kids to breed mice or rats, and I'll buy the babies. Bit of pocket money and I don't have to look after them. Getting some strong resistance from mums though  Kids think its a great idea!


----------



## Norm (Oct 30, 2013)

All my mice are now outside and doing well, all have bred. However I`ll be keeping an eye on them when it gets hot but so far so good.


----------

