Stinky Pet Mice

I need some help. I adopted 3 baby mice from a friend. all are males. I never had a problem until now. THEY STINK!! is there anyone out there that can help me with this? I clean their cages once a week and after cleaning, they will start smelling within 15 mintues.
i have even started washing their wheel and things inside the cage and changing thier bedding every day!
I have 2 in an aquarium and 1 is in his own cage. i thought that might help...but nothing has.
i really don't want to put them to sleep but i just hate the strong smell.
please help!

There are no two ways about it - mice STINK!!

Try cleaning only half the cage at a time. Cleaning it all only encourages them to scent mark again. This won't get rid of the smell but will help.

I have noticed that my hamsters smell much less since I have started using Aspen shavings instead of cedar or pine. I don't know what you are using, but maybe that would help some. I've never had mice, so I may be totally wrong.
Good luck.

I fully agree with Carrie...mice STINK something terrible! There's really not much you can do. The males will stink worse then the females, but they all pack a powerful stink for such tiny creatures. I learned the hard way that mice stink...some pranksters in a local high school saved up some $$ and bought 100+ white feeder mice and set them free in their school. They were able to capture 52 of them, and took them to the pet store I worked at. The pet store was going to freeze them because they did not sell live snake food. I felt a need to do something so I took every one of them home, all 52 of them, split the females from the males and tried to find homes for some of them. No luck. I had all 52 mice for a few weeks, I cleaned their cages twice a day, every day and it stunk so bad in my room it made my eyes water. After the 3 or so weeks that I put up with the terrible stench, I took them to the humane society because the bellies of all of the females were starting to bulge quite a bit...every one of the 35 or so females (I don't remember the exact female to male ratio) was pregnant. At that point, as cute as they were, I was not about to see 35 female mice have 7-10 babies EACH!

I can only hope that they got adopted out, but I doubt they could have found homes for the 350 or so that came from the original 52 that I brought in.

Sorry I don't have better news for you, conniff. If you lived near me I'd ofter to take one off your hands, but I don't, and you may not want to adopt any out. Do you have any non-snake loving friends that might take one? That would be the only other thing I could think of. 3 mice equals 3 times the smell, if you adopt out even one it'll help.

Thanks for all your imput. I have decided that I will just stick to rats and no more mice!
Today though I am bringing one in to be put down. (that is the more humane way). I have the 2 in the aquarium and "Birch" is mean! Poor "Willow" has a big bloody spot at the base of his tail and this has happened before. Maybe if I just have one in the aquarium, the smell won't be so bad.
I do use aspen shavings.
I will not let them go for snake food!!
"Maple" is already in a cage by himself but I noticed that he still smells.
How long is the life span of a mouse, can any tell me tell?
Again, thanks for your replies!
Ducky

Ducky,

From personal experience as a youngster, mice live for about 2 to 3 years. And, yes...they stink!

I got mice for my son when he was about three.
They stank! They hated me and my husband to the point that they would run across the cage/room to bite us. We were the only ones that took care of them!
They loved my son however, he got them "talking to him", going to the cages when told to and playing with his wooden train set. They would push and pull on his command, play fetch with him and hide and seek with a penny. Don't ask me how - they behaved like vampire mice towards me -and each other when he wasn't around- but perfect angels when he was there!! He's nine now and can only just remember them.
They died within three weeks of each other at three years old, our vet said they were the oldest mice he had treated.
Oddly my son wasn't upset as he said it was their old time and they were happy to be on their way.
Never again!

Oh my...i have at least 2 years with these guys? i sure was hoping someone would say 1 year!!
i am trying something different now and i think it's helping with the smell.
I use hankies (or small pieces of material or felt) and change them every day. I have put a small amt. of litter in a corner of their cages (weather they are using it as a *potty room* or not, i'm not sure) and it really has cut down the smell. i have noticed that Maple smells worse than Willow but it's the size of the cage i think. Willow is in an aquiarum and Maple is in a cage 1/2 the size. i am looking for a replacement now!
their diets pretty much consist of the usual seeds and they get a dried piece of wheat bread every day and when my ratties get thier soy mixture, so do the mice and they love that treat! I give them a a small piece of lettuce also every night.
this sure has been an experience.
Carrie, your mice actually sounded like they were alot of fun for your son. too bad they didn't like you. i have no probelm with mine biting me. if they do start bitting though, they will be gone!
thanks for all the imput! it's been great *chatting* with all of you!
Ducky