Caring for your pet > Mice

Caring for Mice

Mice

Facts

  • Life Span: 1-3 years
  • Average Weight: 1-2 oz.
  • Female: Doe
  • Male: Buck
  • Young: Pups
  • Diet: Omnivorous

Mice 101

Domestic mice have been kept as pets for centuries. While white (albino) mice are most common, they come in a wide variety of coat colors and types, from curly and shiny to silver and cinnamon.

Mice are social, curious, fun to watch and even more fun to play with. But because they are small and fragile, they should be treated gently. Parents should always supervise children as they care for mice.

Environment

Mice love to socialize, so it’s best to have several living together. Females will do especially well in a group. Do not house males and females together, since mice breed quickly — and often — with large litters.

You can keep three to four mice in a ten-gallon aquarium with a wire cover or a cage suitable for mice. Don’t use a wire cage made for hamsters — the bars may be spaced too far apart to keep mice inside. If you can stick your fingers through the bars, a young mouse could probably sneak out. The home for your mice should be lined with several inches of animal-safe CareFRESH bedding. Do not use cedar and pine shavings. Aromatic oils in pine and cedar bedding have been shown to have adverse health effects on small pets.

Mice love small boxes, flower pots or PVC pipe to hide in, as well as cardboard tubes to chew and run through. Add a ladder or tree branch for them to climb on. Mice also enjoy running on an exercise wheel. Make sure that the wheel has a solid surface without wire rungs so their tails won’t get caught.

Diet

The most important part of the diet is a commercial mix specially formulated for mice.  This should contain both pellets and block-style food. Foods labeled for mice or hamsters are preferable, with a content of 16 percent protein and four percent fat or less. Because mice are foragers, they should have a constant supply of food in their cage.

Additionally, give your mice a daily dose of roughly half a teaspoon of fresh fruits or green vegetables such as apples, bananas, carrots, broccoli, arugula, turnip greens or cilantro.  To provide fiber and something to nibble on, put some hay in their enclosure.  Be careful not to overfeed mice, and avoid raw sunflower seeds because they are high in fat. Also avoid cabbage, chocolate, candy, junk food, peanuts and uncooked beans or onions.

Fresh clean water should be available through a water bottle with a drinking tube attached to the side of the cage at all times.

Care & Handling

Remove droppings, uneaten food and soiled areas of bedding from your pets’ cage every day. Clean the cage completely once a week, more frequently if you have male mice, which emit more odor than females.

Mice love to gnaw, so put unpainted, untreated pieces of wood, dog biscuits or safe chew toys in the cage. This is crucial for keeping their teeth in good condition.

Although mice love to interact with humans, they may need a little time to get used to you handling them. Start by feeding your mice treats. Let them get used to the sound of your voice. Once you’ve earned their trust, you can gently pick them up. Mice are very good jumpers, so be careful when you take them out of their cage. You can scoop them up in your hand or in a paper cup to safely transport them. Never grab mice by the middle or end of the tail.

Once your mice are tamed, you can let them out of the cage for supervised exercise every day in a small, secured area where your pets can’t get stuck behind furniture or chew on electrical wires.

Health & Veterinary Care

If you think your mouse is sick, seek medical attention immediately. Common symptoms include sneezing, lethargy, weight loss, dull eyes, diarrhea and difficulty breathing. Also, mice are particularly susceptible to external parasites such as mites.