Some females will visibly swell in size after becoming pregnant. Others will not show so obviously that they are pregnant. The gestation period of a mouse is about 19-21 days. If a female has mated and become pregnant, it should give birth by that time. If a mouse has mated but does not become pregnant, don't give up. Just let it try again. Don't poke or prod a mouse to try and see if it is pregnant. This could harm it. Once you have mice that are pregnant (or suspected to be), pair them into cages if they are not already. Breeders believe this will increase the chances of healthy pregnancies. Make sure to remove the father before birth. Male mice have been known to cannibalize baby mice. Mothers will benefit from a high-fat, high-protein diet. You can give each pregnant or nursing female one dog biscuit a day. They will also enjoy treats like bits of scrambled egg and small pieces of cooked meat. After 19-21 days, you can expect a pregnant mouse to give birth. In most cases, they will be able to handle everything all by themselves. In fact, you should leave the mother and her litter completely alone for the first day after birth. Otherwise, the mother may become scared and eat her young. If the mother does eat her young, don't be too alarmed. There are various reasons this can happen - the mother might just not understand what has happened. It is more rare for a mother to eat her young after the first birth. Most of the time, a female mouse will know how to nurse and care for her litter all by herself. If she doesn't seem to be taking care of them, place her litter in a cage with another female who is nursing young. If it is a large litter, you can split it among several cages. Females will be physically able to mate the day after birth, and produce another litter in about three weeks. However, many breeders think that having a female breed too frequently will exhaust her and lead to unhealthy litters. If you need to breed many mice, start with a larger number of females rather than expecting a few females to breed more frequently. After about three or four weeks, the young mice will be ready to stop nursing. You can begin by placing dishes of regular mouse food softened with a bit of water in the cage. The young mice should naturally be drawn to this and soon stop nursing entirely. Place the young into cages of their own after they've stopped nursing.
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One-sentence summary -- Look for signs that female mice are pregnant. Put pregnant mice together. Feed pregnant and nursing mice well. Leave the mice alone after birth. Foster babies if necessary. Decide if you want the females to mate again. Wean the babies.

Because quarry tile is usually unglazed, it can be stained if you're not careful. When something spills, be sure to wipe it up as quickly as you can so it can't stain the floor. You can use a bit of warm water for cleaning, but wipe it up once the area is clean. If you get a grease stain that won't come up even after mopping, you can use paint thinner on it. Ventilate the room by opening the windows and doors. Dip a cloth in the paint thinner, and let it sit on the stain. Cover it with a piece of plastic so it doesn't dry out, and leave it for an hour or so. After waiting, lift it off, and wipe it down with a new cloth dipped in the solvent. Mop or clean as usual after that. This type of tile can be coarse, meaning older string mops won't stand up against it. Opt for a wet microfiber mop for heavy duty use, a looped-ends knit mop, or a tube mop head. A synthetic mop works best.
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One-sentence summary -- Wipe up spills quickly. Use paint thinner on grease stains. Pick a mop that won't be broken down by quarry tile.

Goldfish require particularly roomy living arrangements in order to stay healthy. While they are pretty small fish, they need larger tanks than you might expect. You can do better than a bowl. Despite the beauty of a goldfish suspended in a sphere of glass, most fishbowls simply don't provide enough room for their occupants. A single fancy goldfish can be kept in a 10 gallon (37.9L) tank, but bigger goldfish like comets need a tank of around 50 gallons (189.3L). If you are able to keep one goldfish from overthrowing your empire, and wish to allow them a friend with which to endure their captivity, you're going to need to increase the capacity of your fish tank (by roughly 10 gallon (37.9L)) for each additional fish. A 20 gallon (75.7L) is ideal for your first goldfish, and can ultimately hold 2-3 fancy goldfish. An ideal size would be 15 gallons (57L), but this depends on the amount of fish. Most goldfish favor a palace or castle ambiance. Shoot for somewhere in between. Gravel is a must, and plants are recommended. That said, your selection of decor, gravel, and plants must follow certain guidelines: Choose a goldfish appropriate gravel. Don't actually use pieces of gold, as these will likely be dangerously small. Goldfish are scavengers. They will pick up pieces of gravel and mess around with them just for fun. Use gravel that is made up of pieces that are too large for the fish to swallow. Definitely hook your goldfish up with ample rocks, caves, or plants. Goldfish like to adventure, and can easily be fooled into thinking they're not in a fish tank. Don't use wood. It looks spectacular, but will color your water and, depending on the type of wood, will dissolve. Be aware that some rocks and sea shells will affect the pH of the water. If you're adding stuff you find on the beach willy-nilly, you're going to need to be checking your pH frequently. Only put certain plants in your goldfish tank. Goldfish, interestingly, are pretty aggressive with plants. Some plants are better able to defend themselves: Try Vallisneria types, different Hygrophilas, Red Bacopa or even Ludwigia Arcuata. A filter is an absolutely necessary component of your fish tank. Filters operate according to flow rate, with certain filters designed for certain sized tanks, so make sure you get the right filter for a tank your size. There are two types to choose from. External filters rest on the exterior of your tank, while internal filters are submerged within the tank. Either type of filter can work for a goldfish tank. External filters are generally considered to be superior, as they have a greater capacity to store filtration materials and can accordingly clean water more thoroughly. . If you have a 20 gallon (75.7L) tank, shoot for a filter rated for 40 gallons (151.4L). You can use tap water to fill your tank, but you need to add conditioner to make it safe for your goldfish. At minimum, you need a conditioner that neutralizes chlorine and chloramine. Aside from removing any harmful chemicals in tap water with conditioner, you'll also need to make sure the water has the right pH level for gold fish, which is a slightly alkaline 7-7.5, ideally 7.2 pH. Use a pH test kit to periodically test your water, and adjust the pH if necessary. Take tank placement seriously. Do not place the tank near a window or any heating or cooling source. Do not allow sunlight to hit the tank directly. Also be sure the tank is set on something flat and extremely sturdy. You likely don't need a heater. The fish tank's water temperature should be between 60F (16C) and 72F (22C), so the ambient temperature of your living space should work.
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One-sentence summary --
Consider the size of your fish tank. Decorate your fish tank. Use a filtration system. Add conditioned water.