A lot of people associate mice with eating cheese, but we know that for optimal health, their diet should contain much more than this. Mice are omnivores, so they need a variety of different nutrients in their food. By giving your pet mouse a proper diet, you'll be helping it live a long and healthy life.
General Mouse Food Guidelines
It is common to find mouse food also advertised as feed for other pet rodents including rats, hamsters, and gerbils. These rodents all have similar dietary requirements, but not all of them are ideal for a mouse. Ingredients you should look for in mouse food may include:
- Mouse/rat pellets: Originally designed for laboratory mice and rats, rodent pellets or blocks contain the necessary vitamins, minerals, protein, and other essential nutrients that mice need. These are hard, brown blocks that are usually rectangular in shape. They are good for keeping your mouse's teeth trimmed as well as providing the bulk of nutrition that a mouse needs to stay healthy.
- Fruits: Mice enjoy and can eat a variety of different fruits. Some mice will develop preferences to certain items, but you can offer your mouse apples, pears, bananas, melons, peaches, plums, oranges, and berries just to name a few.
- Vegetables: There are also many fresh vegetable options that can be fed to mice. Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, endive, carrots, bok choy/other Asian greens, celery, parsley, corn, beans, peas, and tomatoes can all be used.
Minimal dietary requirements are not the same as optimal dietary needs, so what is recommended for a laboratory mouse is most likely not what a pet mouse needs - 20% of a mouse's diet should be fruits and vegetables while 75% should be fortified pellets.
There is, unfortunately, little research that has been done on feeding a mouse for longevity and not just short-lived research purposes. Mice are typically recommended to receive about 2 grams of potassium, 3 grams of phosphorus, 5 grams of calcium, 0.5 grams of sodium, 35 milligrams of iron, 10 milligrams of manganese, and a variety of other vitamins and minerals per kilogram of food.
Seed mixes are routinely sold and used to feed mice, but a mouse will typically pick out its favorite items and not eat everything it should. These mixtures often have pellets or blocks and dried fruits and vegetables in them, but because the seeds are more appealing and tasty to a mouse, they'll avoid the things they should be eating and only eat what they want. This is why seed mixtures are not recommended for pet mice. Seeds should only be offered as a treat.
Fresh, clean water should also be provided to a mouse at all times. The fruits and vegetables will offer some hydration but a water bowl and/or bottle should also be available.
How Much and When to Feed Your Pet Mouse
Many mouse owners will simply fill a bowl with mouse food and refill it as necessary, but this is not ideal. A small bowl or plate with fresh food should instead be offered daily. Each day the uneaten food, especially the fresh fruits and vegetables, should be discarded to prevent your mouse from consuming spoiled food. A few large blocks or a small handful of pellets should be ample food for daily consumption of one mouse, in addition to a small amount of fruit and vegetable pieces. Allow your mouse to have some variety and rotate what types of fresh foods it eats. An occasional treat of cereal, seeds, or crackers are okay to offer, especially if you are trying to hand tame your mouse. Only about 5% of your mouse's diet should be treat-based.
Caloric intake requirements will vary greatly depending on your mouse's genetics and activity level as well as the food you feed. If your mouse is pregnant, nursing, or still growing, the food requirements will also likely increase.
What Shouldn't Mice Eat?
Despite the fact that mice may willingly eat something, there are foods that are not ideal for a mouse to consume. Foods high in fat and sugar such as candy, cookies, peanut butter, chocolate, and bacon may be popular with your pet mouse but are very bad for them. Some people will offer very small amounts of cooked pasta or bread, but cheese isn't usually a favorite food among mice, despite the popular belief.
FAQs
Avoid feeding seed/grain mixes, sugary and high fat foods (e.g., sweets and dairy products), and potentially harmful foods/plants (in general, if plants or foods are considered harmful for cats and dogs, it is advisable to avoid these for mice; e.g., chocolate, grapes/raisins, avocado, garlic, onion, coffee, tea, ...
What should I feed my pet mouse? ›
In order to stay healthy and well-nourished, a mouse's diet should contain:
- A commercial mouse feed.
- Fresh vegetables.
- Fresh fruit.
- Protein sources, including certain meats, chickpeas, beans and eggs and mealworms.
- Fresh water, made readily available throughout the day and night.
Avoid feeding seed/grain mixes, sugary and high fat foods (e.g., sweets and dairy products), and potentially harmful foods/plants (in general, if plants or foods are considered harmful for cats and dogs, it is advisable to avoid these for mice; e.g., chocolate, grapes/raisins, avocado, garlic, onion, coffee, tea, ...
What is mice's favorite food? ›
Of all the foods included on the mouse menu, chocolate is hands-down the favorite, followed closely by peanut butter. In fact, candy including the combination of the two is almost irresistible to a mouse. Other food items such as bird food, pet food and cereal are also high on the list of preferred mouse foods.
How often should you feed mice? ›
Fancy mice enjoy a mixed menu of pellets, vegetables, and fruit. Pellets should make up 75% of their diet; keep the bowl three-quarters full and refresh it daily. Feed mice dark leafy greens every other day and apple, banana or melon once a week. Mice should have access to fresh, clean water at all times.
What is toxic to mice? ›
"Danger" or highly toxic rodenticides include thallium, sodium monofluoroacetate (fluoroacetate), strychnine, zinc phosphide, aluminum phosphide, elemental phosphorus, arsenic, and barium carbonate.
What human food is safe for mice? ›
Small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. There's a list below of fruit and veg that's safe for mice to eat. Healthy treats such as boiled or scrambled egg, mealworms, lean meat, beans, peas, chickpeas and other pulses.
What are mice afraid of? ›
These creatures are sensitive to bright lights and have poor eyesight. Survival instincts cause them to avoid larger animals and being active at night helps mice avoid being seen by predators, as well as people. Because mice avoid danger, they may be scared off by bright, flashing lights or loud noises.
How long can mice go without food? ›
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).
What do mice find irresistible? ›
#2 Butter, Bacon, Meats, & Sweets
After cereal, mice go for high-fat, high-protein, high-sugar foods: Think lard, butter, bacon, grease, chocolate, dried fruit, and the like.
Domestic mice typically only live for 1–3 years. Their wild counterparts have an even shorter lifespan; some estimates are 3–6 months and only rarely up to 18 months. This extremely brief life is due to predation, extreme environmental conditions, lack of veterinary care, and inconsistent food sources.
Do mice enjoy being handled? ›
Mice are very small, quick, easily frightened and tend not to enjoy being handled. This means they may not be ideal for young children who enjoy handling pets. But, they are fascinating to observe if given the right environment.
What do mice need in their cage? ›
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.
Do pet mice eat fruit? ›
Fruit: apples (without seeds), bananas, pears, rose hips, raisins, blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, watermelon, kiwis, grapes (without seeds), persimmons cherries, mirabelles.
Can you feed pet mice cheese? ›
In popular cartoons, mice love cheese. In reality, though, your pet mouse shouldn't be eating cheese or any other dairy product for that matter. It contains no nutritional value for mice and the empty calories promote weight gain. Mice are omnivorous, meaning they eat meat and vegetables.
Can pet mice eat peanut butter? ›
Foods to Avoid: ● raw almonds (contains cyanic acid, which evaporates in roasted almonds) ● Sunflower seeds (they are safe, but very fatty) ● peanuts (also safe but very fatty) ● peanut butter ● tomato ● onion or garlic ● spices ● celery (the string is a choking hazard) ● avocado seeds ● cheese and dairy products ● ...
Can I feed my pet mouse bread? ›
Everything You Should Know. Mice are omnivorous with a special love for fruits, grains, and seeds. Foods high in carbohydrates, such as bread, cereals, and other processed food with sugar are their favorites.
