Mouse Care
Please note: this care sheet is for mice only. Rat care is completely different and will be featured on a separate page at a later point.
Diet
We recommend providing preformulated lab blocks (similar to those we provide, usually Mazuri, Teklad, or Oxbow brands are good choices) as a staple food available 24/7. We don't recommend feeding a seed mix as their primary staple food as doing so may lead to nutritional imbalance and obesity. Seeds should usually be for treats only. For treats we recommend: oats, black oil sunflower seeds (unsalted), dried pasta, and meal worms. Other dried seeds and grains can make good treats as well.
Mice have much more delicate digestive systems than many other small animals and sadly some pet food manufacturers market inappropriate food for them. We suggest avoiding all fruits and vegetables dried or fresh. Unfortunately, mice can quickly pass away due to gastrointestinal distress after eating fresh and dried fruits/veggies. While some mice may safely eat these things, our mice are not bred for it or exposed to it as we consider it a risk to their health, so we caution all new adopters against feeding such things. Our one exception is cucumber when provided as a substitute for water on long car rides and transport. Once water is available again the cucumber should be removed.
We recommend providing preformulated lab blocks (similar to those we provide, usually Mazuri, Teklad, or Oxbow brands are good choices) as a staple food available 24/7. We don't recommend feeding a seed mix as their primary staple food as doing so may lead to nutritional imbalance and obesity. Seeds should usually be for treats only. For treats we recommend: oats, black oil sunflower seeds (unsalted), dried pasta, and meal worms. Other dried seeds and grains can make good treats as well.
Mice have much more delicate digestive systems than many other small animals and sadly some pet food manufacturers market inappropriate food for them. We suggest avoiding all fruits and vegetables dried or fresh. Unfortunately, mice can quickly pass away due to gastrointestinal distress after eating fresh and dried fruits/veggies. While some mice may safely eat these things, our mice are not bred for it or exposed to it as we consider it a risk to their health, so we caution all new adopters against feeding such things. Our one exception is cucumber when provided as a substitute for water on long car rides and transport. Once water is available again the cucumber should be removed.
Bedding
We recommend using aspen shavings or kiln dried pine shavings for mouse bedding (please ensure the pine is kiln dried and avoid cedar as cedar and regular pine are unhealthy for them). We do not recommend using paper based bedding such as Carefresh. Carefresh is known to cause respiratory distress in small animals over time as the paper-based material doesn’t absorb ammonia very well. Paper can be used as a nesting material if it is spot cleaned throughout the week, but it should not serve as a primary bedding. Please avoid cotton and hair fiber materials as nesting material for mice as the fibers can become wrapped around tiny mouse toes and cut off circulation. This is especially true for mouse pups.
Housing
Mice prefer cozy well cluttered spaces that don’t make them feel exposed. Female mice also thrive with lots of mouse friends in close quarters. Most pet owners start with a 10 or 20 gallon long tank or bin cage equivalent. While it is possible to use larger cages with much success, the most important part of mouse housing is that the cage be able to be cleaned out and cluttered appropriately. The larger your cage, the more mice you will need to fill it to provide them with a sense of communal security. We don't recommend using critter trail cages. Critter trail cages aren't appropriately designed for pet mice and they can often lead to increased stress and illness.
Your cage will need a full cleaning at least once a week as well, and large cages can be difficult to move, so please keep that in mind when choosing your pet’s new habitat. A well cluttered smaller cage is better for your mice than a large empty soiled cage.
We recommend using aspen shavings or kiln dried pine shavings for mouse bedding (please ensure the pine is kiln dried and avoid cedar as cedar and regular pine are unhealthy for them). We do not recommend using paper based bedding such as Carefresh. Carefresh is known to cause respiratory distress in small animals over time as the paper-based material doesn’t absorb ammonia very well. Paper can be used as a nesting material if it is spot cleaned throughout the week, but it should not serve as a primary bedding. Please avoid cotton and hair fiber materials as nesting material for mice as the fibers can become wrapped around tiny mouse toes and cut off circulation. This is especially true for mouse pups.
Housing
Mice prefer cozy well cluttered spaces that don’t make them feel exposed. Female mice also thrive with lots of mouse friends in close quarters. Most pet owners start with a 10 or 20 gallon long tank or bin cage equivalent. While it is possible to use larger cages with much success, the most important part of mouse housing is that the cage be able to be cleaned out and cluttered appropriately. The larger your cage, the more mice you will need to fill it to provide them with a sense of communal security. We don't recommend using critter trail cages. Critter trail cages aren't appropriately designed for pet mice and they can often lead to increased stress and illness.
Your cage will need a full cleaning at least once a week as well, and large cages can be difficult to move, so please keep that in mind when choosing your pet’s new habitat. A well cluttered smaller cage is better for your mice than a large empty soiled cage.
Cage Decor
Mice are burrowing animals and can get stressed if they feel exposed, so we recommend adding lots of clutter to your cage. That should help your new mice settle in much easier and give them a sense of security, which will make them explore more confidently. It’s also a really fun project for kids. Deep bedding can help a bunch as it gives them something to nest in. Some people even cut holes in egg cartons and boxes and burry those in the cage, facing a secluded area, to encourage their mice to build viewable nests in the boxes. Some of the things we use are: paper, tissue, egg cartons, rattan balls, popsicle sticks, paper towel and toilet paper rolls (cut for safety), boxes, other cardboard items, disposable wood items, and misc. cardboard and plastic items from the dollar store. Once wood or cardboard things are soiled (smelling too strongly of ammonia or too chewed) you will want to toss them out, but plastic can be washed off and re-used for quite a while. Please ensure that the toys you add have flexible or open bottom entrances as large and pregnant mice can become trapped in holes in their cage decor. We recommend a full cage cleaning, including scrubbing of all cage decor and disposal of bedding at least once a week, so that’s something to keep in mind when decorating.
Climate
Mice do best in temperatures from 45F-80F. Temperatures below 45F may require additional deep bedding and thick hides to allow them to generate body heat to keep warm. Thankfully cold temperatures are rarely fatal for mice so long as they are provided with enough bedding and nesting material to keep themselves warm. Room temperature or slightly cooler climate is ideal. We highly encourage everyone to keep them below 80F. Temperatures of 80F or higher can cause heat stroke in mice. If for some reason you aren't able to cool down your mice they can sometimes weather these conditions if kept in a dark, well ventilated area of the house (i.e. a basement or cellar). In warmer climates mice should be housed away from direct sunlight which may beam on their cages and heat up the interior beyond what they can tolerate.
Transport
If picking up your mice we require you to have a secure, well ventilated travel cage for them. We have some available for purchase at the time of adoption as shown here. Cardboard carriers are often insufficient as the mice can chew through them. Mice can jump, so travel cages should have lids with mesh or slotted ventilation. Holes poked in a container are not sufficient ventilation for travel.
Mice require air conditioner in cars if temperatures are warm. When transporting them in warm weather we suggest positioning their travel cage away from direct sunlight and near an air conditioning vent (set to a reasonable temperature, please do not freeze them). If traveling for 1 hour or more we suggest adding a slice of cucumber to the cage for hydration. Traditional water bottles tend to leak during car trips. Once the mice reach their destination and a regular water bottle is provided, the cucumber should be removed.
Medical Care
Please see this website for a list of rat and mouse friendly veterinarians in your area: http://www.ratfanclub.org/vetrefw.html
Mice are burrowing animals and can get stressed if they feel exposed, so we recommend adding lots of clutter to your cage. That should help your new mice settle in much easier and give them a sense of security, which will make them explore more confidently. It’s also a really fun project for kids. Deep bedding can help a bunch as it gives them something to nest in. Some people even cut holes in egg cartons and boxes and burry those in the cage, facing a secluded area, to encourage their mice to build viewable nests in the boxes. Some of the things we use are: paper, tissue, egg cartons, rattan balls, popsicle sticks, paper towel and toilet paper rolls (cut for safety), boxes, other cardboard items, disposable wood items, and misc. cardboard and plastic items from the dollar store. Once wood or cardboard things are soiled (smelling too strongly of ammonia or too chewed) you will want to toss them out, but plastic can be washed off and re-used for quite a while. Please ensure that the toys you add have flexible or open bottom entrances as large and pregnant mice can become trapped in holes in their cage decor. We recommend a full cage cleaning, including scrubbing of all cage decor and disposal of bedding at least once a week, so that’s something to keep in mind when decorating.
Climate
Mice do best in temperatures from 45F-80F. Temperatures below 45F may require additional deep bedding and thick hides to allow them to generate body heat to keep warm. Thankfully cold temperatures are rarely fatal for mice so long as they are provided with enough bedding and nesting material to keep themselves warm. Room temperature or slightly cooler climate is ideal. We highly encourage everyone to keep them below 80F. Temperatures of 80F or higher can cause heat stroke in mice. If for some reason you aren't able to cool down your mice they can sometimes weather these conditions if kept in a dark, well ventilated area of the house (i.e. a basement or cellar). In warmer climates mice should be housed away from direct sunlight which may beam on their cages and heat up the interior beyond what they can tolerate.
Transport
If picking up your mice we require you to have a secure, well ventilated travel cage for them. We have some available for purchase at the time of adoption as shown here. Cardboard carriers are often insufficient as the mice can chew through them. Mice can jump, so travel cages should have lids with mesh or slotted ventilation. Holes poked in a container are not sufficient ventilation for travel.
Mice require air conditioner in cars if temperatures are warm. When transporting them in warm weather we suggest positioning their travel cage away from direct sunlight and near an air conditioning vent (set to a reasonable temperature, please do not freeze them). If traveling for 1 hour or more we suggest adding a slice of cucumber to the cage for hydration. Traditional water bottles tend to leak during car trips. Once the mice reach their destination and a regular water bottle is provided, the cucumber should be removed.
Medical Care
Please see this website for a list of rat and mouse friendly veterinarians in your area: http://www.ratfanclub.org/vetrefw.html