Temperament and company
Pet mice are sociable animals and need the company of their own kind. Females live happily together, while males kept together tend to fight and injure each other. The easiest choice is a few females that grew up together.
Mice are active above all at night and around dawn and dusk. They are curious, agile and love to explore, but they are timid and get used to people slowly. A mouse is more rewarding to watch than to hold.
Housing
Mice need a cage with closely spaced bars they cannot squeeze through and a solid floor: a wire floor hurts their feet. Add several levels, tunnels, ropes and hideaways for climbing and hiding. The wheel must have a solid running surface.
Choose a dust-free bedding, not sawdust or fine shavings that raise dust. Give paper for nesting, not cotton wool or similar fluffy material. Keep the cage somewhere quiet, away from draughts, sun and heaters.
Feeding
Mice are omnivores. The basis is a food made for mice, with a small amount of fresh vegetables. Animal protein, such as feeder insects, can be offered now and then.
Do not give sweets or salty or fatty human food. Scatter some of the food in the bedding so the mice forage for it. Clean water must always be available, and new foods should be introduced gradually.
Handling
Get a mouse used to your hand slowly: put your hand in the cage, let the mouse come and sniff it, and offer a treat. To lift it, scoop it up in cupped hands or let it climb into a cardboard tube.
A mouse is small and quick, so hold it low, over a soft surface. Never lift it by the tip of its tail. Children should handle mice with an adult watching.
Everyday health care
Check your mice every week: clear eyes and nose, a clean, smooth coat, no wounds from fighting, front teeth that are not overgrown. Mice are tiny, so weigh them on kitchen scales: weight loss may be the first sign of illness.
If mice fight and injure each other, they need to be separated. Find a vet who sees rodents before you need one.
What you will need
- A cage with closely spaced bars and a solid floor Cages · 924 products
- Dust-free bedding and paper for nesting Bedding · 401 products
- A wheel with a solid running surface Wheels · 74 products
- Food made for mice Food · 2,670 products
- A heavy bowl and a water bottle Bowls & Feeders · 260 products
- Tunnels, ropes and chew toys Toys · 259 products
- Houses and hideaways
The links lead to product categories, never to a product or a brand. Not a recommendation.
When to see a vet now
See a vet straight away if a mouse stops eating, is dull, has a ruffled coat, breathes with effort or noisily, has diarrhoea or wounds. A mouse is so small that it can weaken within hours.
Sources
Lifespan, weight, social needs and diet are taken from these sources. The text is our own.