Optimum temperatures for mice

The space under her bed where my roommate hides her mice is a bit of a cold spot. She turns the heater up to the highest setting while we’re out, so it doesn’t get too cold for them.

I think mice aren’t delicate little flowers, and that they should be fine under the bed in their shredded paper nest. She says that domestic mice have been bred apart from wild mice for over a hundred years, and that they’re not quite as hardy.

The reason it matters is because when the room is hot, it’s too hot. I prefer to use no heat at all during the winter, as the heat from the surrounding rooms more than makes up for any cold in here. When I come back from class at night, the room is like an oven. It’s not the worse inconvenience in the scheme of things, but if I don’t have to put up with it I’d like to know. (We’re keeping them there for a reason, so “Just move them elsewhere” isn’t good enough).

This site http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/mice&rats.htm recommends a temperature range of 65-80 degrees F for pet mice and rats.

No need to guess how much colder it is down there.

Get a cheap thermometer and keep it right beside the mice. That’ll help her keep them in the recommended temperature range, regardless of what the thermostat says.

Heat rises. Make sure their cage doesn’t sit squarely on the floor. Also, beware of drafts. It may be stinkin’ hot up where you feel it, but it can be cool/cold and drafty under the bed.

That’s why it’s cold down there. The rest of the room is perfectly fine, but under the bed it’s drafty.

I guess I’ll have to find a thermometer somewhere.

Try a circulating fan if the room is not to cold. Blow it out from under the bed and the air will come in from all over.

The best temperature for mice depends on the type of sauce being used. if it’s a cheese sauce, maybe 350 for about 20 minutes uncovered would be good.

What?

Maybe you could keep them warm with a lightbulb or by setting their cage on a heating pad.