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Yes, mice can eat cabbage in small amounts. A piece of washed raw leaf about the size of your thumbnail, two or three times a week, is a good extra. Darker, looser types such as savoy cabbage and spring greens are the best choice. Pale white cabbage is safe but adds less, and coleslaw, sauerkraut and cooked cabbage with butter are not for mice.
| Safe? | Yes, in small amounts |
| How much | A torn piece of leaf about 2 cm (¾ in) across per mouse |
| How often | Two or three times a week |
| Best served | Raw, washed, outer green leaves, torn small |
| Watch out for | Coleslaw, sauerkraut, butter and salt, soft droppings |
Is cabbage safe for mice?
Yes. Walkerville Vet's feeding guide for rats and mice lists green cabbage among the vegetables to offer rats; it gives no separate vegetable list for mice. Unusual Pet Vets, an exotic pet practice, puts savoy and spring cabbage on its everyday vegetable list for rats, the mouse's close cousin. RSPCA Australia tells owners to give mice dark greens and non-starchy vegetables, and dark green cabbage leaves fit that well.
No mouse-only source we read gives cabbage its own entry, so we have reasoned from these. It is safe, low in sugar and from the same family as kale and broccoli, which Supreme Petfoods lists as everyday foods for mice. We call it a few-times-a-week food rather than daily because the mouse-specific advice points more clearly at kale and broccoli, and pale cabbage adds less.
How much cabbage can a mouse have?
Woodgreen puts a mouse's dry food at about 5 g (0.2 oz) a day, around one level teaspoon. Both RSPCAs say fresh food belongs inside that daily allowance, not on top of it, and PetMD keeps everything other than the main food under 10% of what a mouse eats. A torn piece of leaf about 2 cm (¾ in) across, two or three times a week, is plenty.
Which cabbage is best for mice?
| Type | Good for mice? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Savoy cabbage | Best | Dark, crinkly leaves; on the vet's everyday list for rats |
| Spring greens (collard-style leaves) | Best | Loose, dark leaves |
| Green (pointed or round) | Good | Named for rats in Walkerville Vet's feeding guide |
| Red (purple) cabbage | Fine now and then | Safe, same plant as green cabbage |
| White cabbage | Fine, but adds least | Pale, tight leaves |
| Coleslaw, sauerkraut, kimchi | No | Mayonnaise, salt, vinegar, garlic or chilli |
How to prepare cabbage for mice
- Use an outer leaf. Pick a dark, fresh outer leaf and wash it under cold running water.
- Cut out the rib. Remove the thick white rib, which is hard and stringy.
- Tear it small. Tear a piece about 2 cm (¾ in) across for each mouse.
- Scatter it. Mix it in with the day's dry food.
- Clear up. PetMD says to remove uneaten fresh food within 10 hours.
Never give leftovers cooked with onion or garlic, which turn up in a lot of cabbage dishes. PetMD lists both among foods mice must not have.
Which mice should go easy on cabbage?
What else can mice eat instead?
Kale and broccoli are the best everyday greens, and cauliflower is another weekly change. See what can mice eat for the full list, our pet mouse diet guide for how it all fits, and our pet mouse care guide for everything else.
Cabbage questions
Can mice eat red cabbage?
Yes, now and then. Red (purple) cabbage is the same plant as green cabbage and is safe in the same small portion. Soft, young leaves are easiest for a mouse to eat. Darker green types are a better regular choice.
Can mice eat cooked cabbage?
Plain boiled or steamed cabbage, cooled, is fine, but raw is simpler. Cabbage cooked for people often has butter, salt, bacon, onion or garlic in it, and PetMD lists onion and garlic among the foods mice should not have.
Can mice eat coleslaw?
No. Coleslaw is mostly cabbage, but it comes in mayonnaise with salt and often onion. That is far too fatty and salty for a mouse, and onion is on PetMD's list of foods to avoid. Give a torn leaf of plain cabbage instead.
Can mice eat cabbage every day?
We would not. It is safe, but the mouse-specific advice points to kale and broccoli as the everyday greens. Two or three small pieces of cabbage a week, rotated with those, keeps your mice's fresh food varied without leaning on one vegetable.
