Furniture

Here you will find several ideas of furniture for your enclosure. If you have further ideas and proposals, please send it to Angelus[at]das-maeuseasyl.de

There are different kinds and sizes of nests available for finches and other exotic birds. Usually they are made from bamboo, but also hemp, coconut fibre and similar materials are used. They are easy to fix in bars or mesh.
These nests are favoured by most climbing species like fancy mice, deer mice and spiny mice. Also striped grass mice like it as a place to sit on and have a look around. Species living near to the ground like bank voles or most jirds and gerbils usually don't use such nests very often.

Branches are an essential furniture for all climbing species. They train coordination and shape of the rodents and refer to their natural behavior. Make sure that size, thickness and the height where you place them matches the climbing skills of the species you keep.
For clumsy climbers or species which don't climb at all you can use branches for decoration, as a perch or even as a hiding place.
Further information about branches and where to get them from you can find HERE.

There are several kind of bridges to buy. Bridges made of willow twigs and thick wire are flexible to use because you can bend them.
Bridges made from solid wood can be used as a shelter or bridging from one part of the enclosure to another. Both varieties should be manufactured accurately without any spiky metal pieces sticking out of the wood. If there are any windows or passages in a bridge, they have to be big or small enough that the mice can't get stuck in them. Maybe you have to remove the crossbars some models have in their windows.

Most mouse keepers like coconuts because it is a natural material and you can use it for many different kinds of furniture. You can buy coconut houses or even whole playgrounds in shops, but you can also make things from coconut yourself.
First open the nut. You can use a drill for this purpose in a size the later passage should have. Depending on how your house should look like you can also saw the top off or cut the nut into halves. Remove milk and pulp from the nut completely. If there are some splits left they may mould. Wash the nut well and dry it for 24 hours. Afterwards you can use the nut as you like.
Fit the entries always to the size of the rodents which should get the nut. Otherwise they may get stuck in it an it is very difficult to free them from such a nut!

Cork is offered in different forms as tunnels, in pieces, as whole branches or houses made from cork. It is a very good natural material for rodent furniture. Houses made from cork may be glued. Have a look which kind of glue was used, some are toxic to mice.
Usually cork has no risk of moisture accumulation and mould. Apart from that, it looks very nice in the enclosure.
The rough surface is perfect for climbing but a bit difficult to clean. If you soak it for a while you can remove dirt and excrements easily with a brush, though.
Cork is a quite soft material. According to how intense you mice gnaw at it you will have it in the enclosure only for days or even for years.

Old, broken dishes as a shelter

Dishes can be great for furniture. There is no limit for your fantasy, you can use nearly everything: cups, soup plates, bowles, pots, chopping boards, wooden spoons and more. But take always care that there will no moisture accumulate under such a furniture or that a mouse can get caught under it and die.
Little hint: A bowl fell to the floor and a piece of it broke out? Annoying for you but lucky for your mice. Abrade the sharp edges and offer it to the rodents as a house. You can do just as well with other broken dishes.

Flowerpots are an easy and nice looking opportunity to offer your mice a house. It should be made of terracotta, clay or a similar material. If it is not varnished, an excellent exchange of moisture will occur. There is no risk of accumulating moisture.
You can knock out a piece of the rim and turn it upside down as a house. But take care of two things: The hole on the bottom of the pot should be of a size that the rodents can't get stuck in it. Better you close it with a bit clay, gypsum or something like that.
It is also important to abrade the sharp edges where you knocked out a piece. There should be nothing sharp left. Otherwise your pets may get hurt by it.

Hammocks especially for rodents are available in shops. But usually they are made from synthetic fibre which is not healthy for mice.
You can make better ones yourself from old towels, flannels and other textiles. Both selfmade and bought hammocks should be made of natural fibre (linen, cotton, hemp, etc.) Avoid any furniture made from synthetic fibre because it may cause accidents with serios injuries or even life-threatening problems if they are swallowed by the small rodents.

There are many different forms of nests made from hay available: balls, channels, rings and so on. The hay is bound round a frame from wood or wire.
Nests with a wooden frame are perfect for your pets. A wire frame may be dangerous because your mice can be hurt by sharp endings.
Theses nests fit to all small rodents.
Hay nests can't be used in enclosures with moist bedding (soil, turf, humus, etc.) because they would mould very quick.

There is a broad variety of models availably in pet shops but also in other shops selling ceramic, clay or porcelain products for decoration.
If the things are glost they need enough holes for ventilation. So no moisture accumulation or even mould will occur.
The holes must be wide or narrow enough that your mice don't risk to get stuck when trying to get through.
If you decide for a house which was primarily made for decoration not for pets take care that there are no sharp edges on it. If there are some you can abrade them with sandpaper.

Fat-tailed gerbil an a clay jar

Jars, amphoras and similar things made from ceramic, clay, terracotta oder porcelain are perfect as a furniture in your cage.
The entry has to be wide enough that the rodents can't get stuck. Entries of houses where the mice can get through easily are a good orientation.
Please note: In varnished jars moisture can accumulate. If your mice make a nest of bedding or hay in it or even use it as toilet it may mould very quick. So have a closer look at such jars regularly.
Advantage of such vessels: They are usually easy to clean. Most of them can be put into the dishwasher.

Kapok is a longish, brown hull which seed has long, cotton-like hair. This material is not as dangerous as hamster bedding because of its short fibre. So it is a perfect substitute.
Sadly some of the hulls are very dusty inside. If your pets are sensitive of dust, better don't to offer such hulls.

Labyrinths are usually made of plastic or wood in different sizes. Avoid to buy the ones made from plastic because they can cause serious health problems if the rodents gnaw at them. Apart from that, there is a high risk of accumulated moisture in plastic things. In a wooden labyrinth each tunnel has to be wide enough so your mice don't risk to get stuck.
It is easy to make a labyrinth yourself. Take a wooden board and paste wooden strips with a special wood glue as a labyrinth on it. Afterwards you lacquer the whole construction. Now you can decide wether you want to have an open labyrith or one with a top on it. Then you need small holes in the top for ventilation. These holes have to be the more the bigger the labyrinth is.
You can put such a labyrinth into the enclosure or offer it on a playground.
Especially digging species like labyrinths whereas species living in bushes and trees usually ignore them.

Ladders made from many different materials are available in the shops. Prefer the ones made from natural materials, but avoid to buy ladders made from metal or plastic.
The gaps between the rungs have to be wide enough that the mice won't get stuck in between. On the other hand gaps shouldn't be too wide. Otherwise especially smaller rodents will have problems to get from one rung to the next.

Nest boxes are offered in the shops in different sizes and shapes for many bird species but also especially for rodents. The entry has to be wide enough that the mice can't get stuck. And it is better to choose one with a hinged top because these models are easier to clean. Above that you can have a short look into the nest from time to time if necessary. But don't bother your pets every day. If you do it, the mice will move to another house after some time.

Rolls from kitchen paper, foil or something like this can be found in many different lenghts, thicknesses and diameters. Bigger rolls can be bought or are given away in building centres, a drapery or a carpet store.
You can offer single rolls or arrange some of them to a pyramid.

Roots look very nice in an enclosure and they are perfect for hiding and climbing. You can buy them in a shop or finish your own root e.g. when you clear a tree from the garden. Further information about finishing roots you can find HERE.

Ropes in different diameters and lenghts are perfect for adept climbers. Please use only ropes made of natural fibres like cotton, hemp and so on. These ropes won't cause problems when your mice gnaw at it and swallow it down. Also there is nearly no risk of injury because of being caught by the fibre without the possibility to get free immediately when you use natural fibres.
For perfect climbers like pygmy dormice you can use ropes of any diametre and fix it in the cage however you like. Vertical ropes are no problem for them as well. But the more poorly the climbing ability of a species is the more you have to fix ropes horizontally and the thicker should this ropes be for the mice to balance on it.
Clumsy climbers should't get ropes because of the risk of falling off it and getting hurt.

Rope ladders are only fit for adept climbing species. Material advices are the same as for ropes.
You can buy such ladders in a shop or make them yourself.

Sand bowls are essential for all sand bathing species. You can use every stable bowl or even bigger feeding dishes for very small species. The bowl has to stand firmly on the ground and shouldn't tilt over even when a mouse moves very wildly in it. Also the bowl has to be considerably bigger than the mouse using it is large. This is important to the rodent for enjoying the bath.

In shops you can buy seesaws made from different materials. You should prefer such made of wood or other natural materials. Please avoid to buy plastic seesaws!
For smaller species there is a risk of being killed by a seesaw coming down on them. Place it in a safe way or don#t get a seesaw for such species.

You can offer small levels to enlarge the space for your mice or to brace heavy furniture like a sand bowl so that digging species won't be crushed to death by such an item. You can use natural materials like cork or wood or even glass. Avoid levels made from bars since they are dangerous for the mice. They may get stuck between the bars and break a leg or the tail.
Plastic may cause serious intestinal injuries if the rodents gnaw at it. So never buy levels made of plastic!

Stairs made from wood, cork, clay or something similar are perfect especially for clumsy climbers to get from one level of their enclosure to the next. Stairs for rodents have a plain, compact surface with little rungs on it. That makes it safe because no mouse can slip through a gap and get hurt since there is no gap. Adept climbers like to whip up and down these stairs as well.

A couple of stones

There is a large variety of stones you can use for cage decoration as there are stones taken from nature, hollow blocks or something similar.
When you stack natural stones keep an eye on wedging them accurately. Is must be impossible for the rodents to loosen a stone when digging there or walking over it. Otherwise there may be a fatal accident.
Always take care that your pets cannot dig under a stone. Otherwise there is a high risk that the stone lowers and crushes the small mammal to death.

Tunnels can have different appearances: Paper rolls, made from wood, clay, ceramic or something similar or made from plastic.
Never use plastic tunnels! They can cause serious intestinal injuries and even poisonings when the mice gnaw at it. Apart from that, most of these tunnels have no or only insufficient ventilation. You should also keep an eye on ventilation when buying tunnels made of glost materials (ceramic, porcelain). The longer the tunnel is the sooner moisture will accumulate like it does in plastic tunnels.
The tunnel has to have a diametre that allows the mice to walk through easily without squeezing round a corner. There is a risk of getting stuck for your pets if the tunnel is too narrow. The same point applies for ventilation holes. They have to be small enough that rodents won't get stuck.

Baskets made of wicker are available in different kinds and sizes. You can fill them with hay and place it in the enclosure.
Usually these baskets are not made for animals so take care that there has nothing toxic been used to make them (e.g. paint).

You can buy a large variety of wooden houses in different shops. They are made from different wood types with or without bark.
If the houses have windows and passages these should be wide or narrow enough that the rodent can't get stuck. In some cases it is better to remove the cross bars of the windows. Please note: Rodents tend to gnaw at very small holes (which are too small for them) until they can squeeze through. That's a high risk that they can get stuck in such a hole. That's why it is better to check the houses regarding such holes from time to time.

Translation
Angelus Noctis
Proofreading
Jedediah