{"topic_id":"exotic_husbandry_rats_mice","category":"exotic-pet-husbandry","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_husbandry_rats_mice\ncategory: exotic-pet-husbandry\ntitle: \"Rats and mice housing — easy-clean, chew-proof cages; avoid wire-mesh floors to prevent foot entrapment\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — Rats and mice housing — easy-clean, chew-proof cages; avoid wire-mesh floors to prevent foot entrapment\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_mice_rats_pets_2026.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-28\ntokens_estimated: 96\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Rats and mice housing — easy-clean, chew-proof cages; avoid wire-mesh floors to prevent foot entrapment\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/rodents/mice-and-rats-as-pets\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-28\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Rats and mice housing\n\nThe text below is reproduced verbatim from the first-hand source (Merck Veterinary Manual).\n\n> The best cages for pet mice and rats are made of a material that is easy to clean and deodorize and that is indestructible to rodent chewing or digging in the corners.\n> Wire-mesh floors should be avoided because rats and mice can trap their feet, and especially hindlimbs, in the openings, resulting in fractures and injuries.\n\nSource: `pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_mice_rats_pets_2026.txt` (first-hand professional veterinary reference, tag-stripped).\n\n## Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)\n- `The best cages for pet mice and rats are made of a material that is easy to clean and deodorize and that is indestructible to rodent chewing or digging in the corners.`\n- `Wire-mesh floors should be avoided because rats and mice can trap their feet, and especially hindlimbs, in the openings, resulting in fractures and injuries.`\n","sources":["exotic-pet-husbandry — Rats and mice housing — easy-clean, chew-proof cages; avoid wire-mesh floors to prevent foot entrapment (retrieved 2026-07-28)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-husbandry","title":"Rats and mice housing — easy-clean, chew-proof cages; avoid wire-mesh floors to prevent foot entrapment","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/rodents/mice-and-rats-as-pets","retrieved":"2026-07-28","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_mice_rats_pets_2026.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_mice_rats_pets_2026.txt","tokens_estimated":96,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}