File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
I just bought two mice as pets. I have never had any type of rodent for a pet before.

Any tips?
>> Anonymous
Get a snake or a cat.
>> Anonymous
>>216311
Get a hot girl to step on the mice and take pics.
>> Anonymous
Build a mouse labyrinth out of old shoe boxes and cardboard tubes. For added effect, throw in snake pits and giant, rolling stone boulders.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
>>216322
I seriously hope that's not what you're keeping these mice in for any great length of time.
>> Anonymous
I already have a labyrinth out of old shoe boxes and cardboard tubes. Though with the addition of the 4th shoe box i am worried it may take over my dorm room.
>> Anonymous
Thats all we have for them right now, that and shoe boxes we let them run around in as a cheap version of one of those fancy cages. As soon as our walmart starts stocking its shelves again we are getting a hamster ball for them to run around the room in.
>> Anonymous
>>216326
You're joking right? You should have a nice-sized, appropriate cage ready for them before you motherfucking get the mice. What kind of idiot are you?
Before you get toys and accessories, get a bigger cage!
>> Anonymous
>>216326
in before "you are a horrible person"!
>>216328
damnit.
>> Anonymous
>>216328
I Live in a dorm, I dont have room for something big. Thats why we let them out and run around in a large but controlled area. We got the smallest pet we could.

Also, we treat our mice much better the most the people who have pets around here.
>> Anonymous
I don't care if you live in 200 square feet - mice deserve better than this!

UPGRADE!
>> Anonymous
Should have gotten rats.
They're smarter and overall friendlier,
not to mention they don't bite as often.

Mice are fucking stupid.
>> Anonymous
A 10-gallon tank costs all of 10 bucks and doesn't take up much space at all. Mice, like most mammals, prefer to piss and shit in a spot away from where they eat, drink, and sleep and that's impossible in that tiny plastic thing you have them in.
>> Anonymous
>>216336
I wish I had 200 square feet.
For me and all my belongings i have just under 85 square feet.
>> Anonymous
>>216349
We don't care. If you don't have enough room for mice, don't get them. you didn't HAVE to get a pet.
>> Anonymous
...do they even have access to water? also, stupid freshmen ITT
>> Anonymous
Wow, people that actually care about animals on 4chan instead of just wanting to set them on fire. Truly a milestone in this website's history.

Give the OP a break. At least he/she came here asking for advice.
>> Anonymous
>>216322
are you fucking serious.
i wouldn't be surprised if they KILL each other because its so small.

go fucking find them a new home OP since you're obviously to retarded to even know how to take care of mice.
>> Anonymous
>>216373
OP should have looked up mouse care to see what requirements he needed to properly take care of them.
that should be the first rule of getting any sort of pet and it goes without saying.
>> Anonymous
OP you are a fucking asshole.

Go to the pet store right this fucking minute and get a 10 gallon at least.

And I hope to god those are female mice, because if you are keeping two males together you are even dumber than I thought.
>> Anonymous
>>216394
check the file name. their names are Rocky and Chip.

ten bux they are males
>> Fuck you! Fuck you!
Mice suffer because of OP being a broke epic failure who can't even afford a decent cage.

Fuck you! goes in all fields
>> Anonymous
>>216373
Yeah, and we're giving advice. Whether it's given nicely or not is another matter entirely.
OP I don't care what excuse you have for yourself, a cage so small is an atrocity. You don't need a 3-story giant-- but you should not, by all means, have something that TINY.
>> Anonymous
Let's make OP sleep and live in his closet for a while, with barely enough room to turn around, maybe then this moron will understand how fucking cruel he is being.
>> Anonymous
>>216373
>>Wow, people that actually care about animals on 4chan instead of just wanting to set them on fire. Truly a milestone in this website's history.

You don't come to /an/ much, do you? Moron.

OP: Seriously, go return the fucking mice. You have no business keeping animals if you can't keep them properly.

Also, lol, cardboard box and cardboard tubes. In before "oh they escaped and I never found them again."

>>216342
You? You're an idiot. This halfwit can't even provide an appropriate habitat for ONE mouse, let alone two, let alone RATS.
>> Anonymous
OP: Put put some wood chips int eh bottom of a mason jar and put the mice in there and take pics. Watch the girls scream their heads off.
>> Anonymous
Well I had already had plans to buy a bigger cage and attach this one when the walmart near here starts stocking them again. Currently over half the store is bare shelves. The nearest pet store is 40 minutes away.

And I am not completely retarded. They have water, food, bedding that gets changed regularly, and they spend plenty of time out of that cage.

>>216395
They are both female, can I have $10.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
lol, mice
>> KZN
I realize the advice you're getting isn't being given very nicely, but everyone here is right.

It doesn't matter if you live in a ten square foot closet, if you're going to have mice, you have to give them decent space. The cage doesn't have to be huge, but it should be enough for them to run around. 10 gallons would be appropriate. Not a single hermit crab carrying case.

If you don't have the money to buy a $10 cage, you shouldn't have bought the mice. Even if you were PLANNING on buying the cage, you should have saved up enough for the cage first. It's cruel to keep them in a cage so small, even if it's "just for now." On top of that, that tiny cage doesn't look like there's any access to water at all. Fresh water should be available CONSTANTLY.

If you can't even afford a $10 cage at the moment, you cannot afford those pets. what are you going to do if one of them needs to go to the vet? A visit to the vet is A LOT more than $10.

Before you buy any pet, you should have things prepared for them, you should have researched beforehand to figure out what they would need, and you should have made sure you had enough money for them.

Sorry, OP, but it doesn't look like you're ready for these pets; please find a good home for them.
>> Anonymous
>>216516
Then drive 40 minutes away. Is it that hard?
You shouldn't even have GOTTEN them before you had a proper setup.

So no.
You cannot have $10.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>216516
>>And I am not completely retarded.
>> Anonymous
>>216528

Can I?
>> Anonymous
>>216567
No.
Now no one can have it.
>> Anonymous
>>216574

/single tear/
>> Anonymous
>>216526
Fresh water IS available CONSTANTLY. It connects to the lid. It comes out when the lid comes off.

The store we bought them from didn't have a $10 10 gallon tank. Neither did the second store we went to. We didn't get one not because we cant afford it, but because we couldn't find one. Then, we went to the walmart in town that usually has them, and they are out of stock. Im not going to drive 70+ miles to get a 10 gallon tank when one will be in stock in town in a few days.
>> MiMi
>>216653

First off, no one here is going to say "oh it's okay that they're in that tiny thing. It's just for a few days." Accept that, buy the damned cage, furnish it appropriately, take pics of adequate furnishings, THEN come back and ask for advice.

Also, who sold you these mice without giving you any starting advice? They should be shot.

Also, to drive 70 miles away, to get someplace in 40 minutes, you'd have to be going something over a 100mph.

Uh, right. Enjoy your fail. Try to keep the mice alive awhile. Come back in a week and try again for real advice.
>> Anonymous
why is everyone freaking out on this person. the mice are being fed and have water and are being loved. as long as he gets them a bigger home SOON it's not the end of the world.
only thing i would suggest is maybe separate the mice until you get a larger cage. just in case.

there are worse things being done to animals then what this lady/man is doing.
>> Anonymous
I think many /an/on are forgetting that their first pets were probably impulse buys too, and wrongly stepping up on the high and mighty soap box. OP should have researched, but pet store should have given some info or a care sheet or some shit instead of just "Here, I sell you this."

Here is some advice: look up a plan on how to build your own cage (aside from minor scrapes, it's really not that hard and a fun project), and visit a home/garden store. In just a few hours you can build a cage for about the same cost as a store one, and hell you could probably make it even bigger for that price, and have the material for making multiple levels. The part that costs the most is the tools for cutting the wire and the J-clip pliers, which still don't cost that much.
>> Anonymous
>>216653
You shouldn't have bought the mice before having a cage for them, if that store didn't stock any cages.
>>216689
My first pets were NOT impulse buys. I researched--extensively, for almost a year--before I bought and got the accommodations set up before hand. I was merely 12 years old at that time. Unless OP is an underage b&, he should know better.
>> Anonymous
>>216521

Not on topic, but somebody explain this shit to me.
>> Anonymous
>>216703
could be a young wallabee
>> Anonymous
>>216700

Not everyone can be as 'perfect' as you. I'm sure you've made immoral decisions in your life before.
Tell me, do you eat meat?
>> Anonymous
>>216715
Why yes, I do. I don't believe it's immoral in any way, but let's not start a retarded PETA debate here.
>> Anonymous
>>216718

PETA is a retarded terrorist organization.

No one mentioned it.

Its just funny how you're whining about a mouse when you eat cows, chickens, turkeys, lambs, etc.
They're suffering waaaaay more than these two mice in this little cage.

HYPOCRITE.

Justify it any way you want. You're still a hypocrite.
>> Anonymous
>>216719
Ugh, and this is why I didn't want to say it.

The mouse is a PET, those cows and pigs are FOOD.
>> Anonymous
>>216720

Some pigs are pets.

Does turning something into a 'pet' make it not alright to eat it?
>> Anonymous
>>216721
It depends. If you're going to be keeping an animal as a pet, you're going to want to love it, and thus take care of it well.

If you're going to be eating an animal, that means you're going to kill it, not love it as a person like you would a pet. I'd like not to get to know my food before I eat it, thanks. That isn't to say that animals raised to be eaten should not be treated properly, but rather, those corporations aren't asking for tips on keeping them well. OP is.
>> Anonymous
>>216725

You were making it sound like you've never done anything to harm an animal. That's what I was getting at.
Don't make it seem like you're you're this great carer of animals if you've done just as much harm or worse.


La la la
>> Anonymous
>>216728
Yes, I've squashed bugs, but that's pretty much it.
Any pet I've had, I've taken care of well.
>> Anonymous
>>216728
Not the person you're arguing with, but stop being such a fag. A pet becomes part of your family and thus is treated differently than a food item. Humans are omnivores!
>> vegan 24 years
>>216732


dont know what this is all about but if you aren't willing to kill the animal yourself and tear it apart and eat it then you don't deserve to consume its flesh
>> vegan 24 years
>>216732

That's what I used to think. Then I realised what happens to animals in factory farms. I'm not gonna reply anymore cause I'm not trying to change anyones mind I just hate how everyone was attacking this person for having mice in a tiny cage. God, if you're so concerned about animals do something other than sit on your ass and bitch at someone about how they treat their first pair of mice.
>> Anonymous
>>216735
Humans have evolved past that.
The unpleasant jobs are left to those willing to do them.
It's all good.
>> Anonymous
>>216736
There's a difference between buying meat, and buying a pet - are you completely fucking retarded?
>> Anonymous
ITT: butthurt PETA fags
>> Anonymous
>>216700

It took you 1 year of research to buy a fucking pet? You must have been the stupidest 12 year old of our (or anyone's) generation if it took you that long to learn a few simple fucking facts about the animal you were going to buy.

Hell, at age 10 I was able to leisurely peruse a few hamster books over the course of a few days and learn enough goddamn information to care for three of them from infancy until death of old age.

OP is going to buy a bigger environment for the mice. He/she is not going to keep them in said environment for very long. They're fucking mice. I'm sure they'll have completely forgotten about their time in the tiny container 3 fucking seconds after getting into their new environment.

Jesus fucking Christ, this place is full of twats.
>> Anonymous
>>216735
>>216736
VEGAN 24 YEARS, ANTI-MEAT EXPERT GUYS
>> Anonymous
>>216331
>>216331
>>216331
>>216331
>>216331
>>216331

I fucking hate this excuse.
>> Anonymous
>>216776
No, you see, I wasn't reading a "few simple facts"
I was reading every little thing I could find. I wanted to be as prepared as possible.

I wasn't buying a hamster, either. There are pets that take more complicated care.
>> Anonymous
HEY! I am the other owner of the mice and I would just like to say this: They were supposed to be used for snake food and we did think about this buy (not an impulse buy) because we went to two different stores trying to find a cage. I had them in my room for a week and they are being taken care of. 10 gallon tank? Are you nuts?!? For snake food, I think we are giving them a life they weren't going to have.

Research... mice... okay I get it they're animals... but they are not chinchillas! They don't require anything special. We give them bedding, water, food, treats, play pen, and love.

Please stop calling us retarded... and the PETA thing... we saved two animals who do have fun together... and we are also having a blast with playing with them.
>> Anonymous
>>216820
>>10 gallon tank? Are you nuts?!?
>>They don't require anything special.

You just proved you shouldn't be keeping live animals. Congratulations.

>>They were supposed to be used for snake food

Dumbest fucking excuse. Let's save the little animals. Doesn't work that way.

>>(not an impulse buy) because we went to two different stores trying to find a cage.

*Excellent* reasoning.
>> Anonymous
Rather be alive and playing then dead from the jaws of a snake after being frozen.

And if you know your animals you would understand what I meant by "anything special" dumbass

And finally... we only have 2 pet stores here (Petsmart and Pet Corner) that's a shit ton of driving for just an impulse buy.

And I shouldn't be keeping live animals... well I'm glad Mr. I Know Everything About Keeping Live Fucking Animals is here to tell me that.

Summary: I like keeping my animals alive and mobile.
>> Anonymous
Well to make things all better, why doesnt OP let the mice out and just run free in the room? No cage at all!!
>> Anonymous
>>216807

Unless you're buying an exotic animal or something that requires immense amounts of care and preparation, it should not take you a year of research to buy a pet. The first time I bought a dog, I did a week or two of research regarding what kind of dog I wanted and what said dog needed to be kept happy and healthy.

There are certain pets that require much more TLC to be kept happy. A mouse is not one of them.
>> Anonymous
>>216828

>>Rather be alive and playing then dead from the jaws of a snake after being frozen.

You completely missed the point. Saving the little animals is something that eight year old girls do when they can't cope with the fact that other animals deserve to eat, too.

>>And if you know your animals you would understand what I meant by "anything special" dumbass

You're absolutely right, silly me. I shouldn't have considered an appropriate cage "anything special."

>>And finally... we only have 2 pet stores here (Petsmart and Pet Corner) that's a shit ton of driving for just an impulse buy.

Oh, a Petsmart? I sure hope that's not where you got the mouse from because A) they don't sell live mammals as feeders and B) someone needs a good talking-to if they sold an animal to you. Regardless, Petsmart does carry ten gallon tanks and that's the MINIMUM you should have gotten for a pair of mice. Not a travel cage.

>>And I shouldn't be keeping live animals... well I'm glad Mr. I Know Everything About Keeping Live Fucking Animals is here to tell me that.

Hey, babe, you came to /an/, we didn't come to you. You wanted expert opinions and you got them. I'm also not the only one telling you how much you fucked up so kindly address the other posters in the thread.. it's only fair!

>>Summary: I like making excuses to justify keeping two live animals in miserable, cramped living conditions.

Here you go, I fixed it for you.
>> Anonymous
oh well.. honestly.. i love my pets.. could care less.. i wasn't the OP.. i am just the other owner that heard about this feed about my Rocky.. We got the mice from Pet Corner (btw) AND well... we are keeping them, NOT returning them and have fun looking at the pics because we will have fun playing with them!
>> Anonymous
i suppose people could have been nicer about it, but next time you buy pets make sure you have proper accommodations before you take the pet home. if the store is out of cages, wait on the pets.
>> Gunlord !.YMO7aNBcQ
>>216834
If you're that intent on keeping them, for the love of God, or whoever, buy them a bigger cage. Please. At the very least they're probably going to kill each other in such a confined space and the money you spent on them will go down the drain. If for no other reason than self-interested, get them a bigger cage.
>> Anonymous
>>216832
You're correct. But I didn't recommend that OP do a year of research before buying his mice.

I said I did. Was it necessary? Depends. I wanted to know everything I could, so I tried for that. Did I need to? Possibly, and possibly not. I probably could've kept them happy with half of the knowledge I learned, but I wasn't satisfied with that. Call it OCD, what ever.

My point in saying that wasn't to say that a year of research is what you need to buy a pet. My point was, if a 12 year old can research to buy a pet and commit himself to a year of learning beforehand, OP can buy a book on mice, read it in one day, and get proper accommodations before buying his mice.
>> stabby
>>216824
>>216833
lol'd. This poster is right, OP is wrong. You're really not "saving" these mice from a horrible fate (assuming they were feeders). All you did was transfer their horrible fate from dying in a snake's coils to dying in a cramped, filthy bucket. And "tee~ hee hee we PLAY with them!" does not absolve you from the conditions you are subjecting them to.

It is also the case than anyone complaining about the OP is a hypocrite if they regularly dine on meat/eggs that are not certified free range or cage free. I'm not a PetaFag, but the harsh reality everyone likes to ignore is that whether or not an animal is a pet or will be food they all fuckin' suffer when kept in tiny cages.
>> Anonymous
Some of you are twats. Stop complaining about it being cramped, OP says he/she exercises them. The real issue is respiratory. Using a Kritter Keeper or small plastic cage doesn't allow enough ventiltion. It will actually shorten their lives because they are cycling fumes of their own piss and shit through their lungs.

OP, here is some useful info: contact Petsmart, find out when the pet care manager will be in. You are allowed to do this, they won't be annoyed, it's their job. They are there to help out pet owners and often get to know people on a first name basis. Go see them, explain the situation, and he/she may be able to get you in touch with someone who can sell a tank or cage ASAP, or subsitute a different cage for a smaller cage's price.
>> Anonymous
>>216828
>(Petsmart and Pet Corner)

Fucking bullshit.

All Petsmart's carry cages for EVERY type of animal they sell. There's a whole half a fucking aisle of hamster cages alone in mine.
>> Anonymous
>>217102

You know, after going back and reading through this, I don't think availability was a problem. I'm pretty sure they just refused to buy a cage any larger than what they had.

See:
>>10 gallon tank? Are you nuts?!?