Mouse care (2024)

FAQs

How do you take care of a mouse? ›

Avoid pine or cedar shavings as the fumes and oils from these woods are harmful to mice. Remove soiled bedding, droppings, and stale food daily. Thoroughly clean the cage with warm, soapy water once a week. Male mouse urine tends to produce more odor than females' so their cages may need more frequent cleaning.

Mice need plenty of bedding to cover the bottom of the cage and make their home comfortable, and to dig in. Suitable bedding materials include wood chips (non-aspen), cellulose-based chips or shredded filter paper. Mice also like hammocks, which can be made from fleece blankets or towel material.

Having a pet mouse is quite low maintenance as they are quiet and they don't take up a lot of space. They need to be kept in same-sex pairs (preferably littermates) as they are very social and it can be quite entertaining watching them play with one another. Paired females tend to get on better than paired males.

The 'pet mouse' is the domesticated form of the house mouse.

They are highly social, living in groups in which they care for each other – although in contrast to rats, mice do not enjoy much physical contact with humans. To keep a pet mouse on its own, therefore, is not kind or appropriate.

House mice have adapted to thrive around humans. Inside a house that provides shelter and plenty of crumbs or stored goods, the average lifespan of a mouse is about two years. As long as the pests have access to food and water, the only real threats to their survival are disease and humans or pets.

If it was only 1 or 2 days then that's fine but 4 days is way too long. Find someone to watch them. The reason you can't leave them for 4 days is because they need to have fresh water every day which means you have to change the water every day.

Social and Affectionate

They enjoy the company of their own kind, so it's often recommended to keep them in pairs or small groups. They can also form bonds with their humans, showing affection in their own ways. Consider adopting more than one mouse, as they thrive in the company of their peers.

Toilet training.

You can slowly train your mice to use a litter box by placing their waste in it and having them smell it. Check for places where the mice usually go to the bathroom and put the litter box there. Encourage the mice to use the litter box by giving them a treat once they go in the right place.

Although mice are usually friendly, they do not enjoy being picked up and handled regularly. But, as you may have to handle your mice occasionally when cleaning or health checking, it's a good idea to get them used to gentle handling from an early age.

They speak to each other in squeaks and in high-frequency sounds that are inaudible to the human ear. They become emotionally attached to one other, love their families, and bond easily with their human guardians. Male mice woo their mates with high-pitched love songs, and infant rats giggle when they're tickled.

Are pet mice noisy at night? ›

Mice do best when kept in social areas of your home such as the lounge, but be careful placing them near the kitchen or near strong smelling scents as they have delicate respiratory systems. Mice can be active and noisy at night time so keep this in mind if you are considering keeping them in a bedroom.

With time and consistency, you should be able to win the trust of your pet mouse. It can be a bit tricky to handle pet mice as they're small and quick, but once they're tamed, they can be picked up, handled, and can make great pets, (even for kids).

Mice need a safe, secure, hazard-free home cage that's comfortable, dry, draught-free and clean, in a quiet place where they can rest undisturbed.

Mice are heavily dependent on food, much more than drinking water. Mice can only survive for about 2-4 days without a meal, despite their ability to go a month or more without directly consuming water (since they absorb a lot of the moisture that hydrates them through their food).

Clean your mouse

Dampen a lint-free cloth or cotton swab with mild soap and water and gently wipe the outer surface of the mouse, the wheel, and the optical sensor. For light-colored mice, we recommend cleaning with the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution as needed.

You will need a safe cage or three walled plexiglass cage with a top the removes and has proper air vents. A store specializing in pets, pet food, etc. will have the bedding, food, housing, water feeder and safe toys it will need. They love fruit, cheese, veggies and special mouse food.