Pet mouse care: the complete guide

How do you take care of a pet mouse?

You take care of a pet mouse by meeting five needs every day: company of other mice, a big and interesting cage, the right food and water, a clean home and a quick health check. Mice are small, but they are busy, clever animals. Wild mice can travel many hundreds of metres in a night, says the RSPCA, and pet mice still need room to run, climb, dig, forage and hide.

Fancy mice are the same species as the house mouse, bred for centuries for colour and coat. Fancy mouse care, pet mouse care and white mouse care are all the same thing: colour and coat type change nothing about what they need.

If you are still deciding, our guide to mice as pets covers the good and the hard parts honestly, and the pet mouse cost guide lays out what you will spend. For odd and lovely details about the species, see pet mouse facts.

How many mice should you keep together?

Keep at least two, and three or more females is easiest. The RSPCA says never to house a mouse alone unless your vet specifically recommends it, and Wood Green suggests trios or larger groups so nobody is left alone when one dies.

One source disagrees: PetMD's care sheet suggests adult mice are often housed singly. The UK charities all say the opposite, and we follow them. Our guide to male or female mice goes through groups and introductions in detail.

How big a cage do mice need?

For three or four mice, Wood Green recommends 80 × 50 × 35 cm (31 × 20 × 14 in), and 100 × 50 × 35 cm (39 × 20 × 14 in) for up to six. The MSD Veterinary Manual gives 45 × 45 × 25 cm (18 × 18 × 10 in) as the bare minimum for two or three, which we think is too small to fit the wheel, hides and climbing they need.

• Bars no more than 6 mm (¼ in) apart, as PDSA and PetMD advise. Mice squeeze through tiny gaps.
• A solid floor, never wire mesh, which hurts feet and legs.
• Good airflow. Wood cages soak up urine and build up ammonia, says the MSD manual.
• Several levels or shelves, kept low enough that a fall cannot hurt.
• A quiet room at 18 to 22°C (64 to 72°F), away from radiators, windows, draughts and direct sun.

Most pet shop cages are too small, says the PDSA. The full numbers are in our mouse cage size guide, buying advice is in best pet mouse cages, and room heat is covered in our pet mouse temperature guide. To lay it all out well, follow the mouse cage setup guide.

What bedding is best for pet mice?

Paper or card-based bedding is best: dust-free, unscented and plain. The PDSA and the MSD manual both name paper bedding as the top choice. Add soft nesting such as plain white tissue, shredded paper or hay on top.

Avoid fine sawdust, cedar and pine shavings, anything scented or coloured, and cotton wool or fluffy "hamster wool", which can wrap round legs and tails and cut off blood flow. The RSPCA asks for at least 2 cm (¾ in) of bedding so mice can dig, and more is better. Aspen splits the experts: the RSPCA says avoid it, Wood Green lists it as fine. Our mouse bedding guide compares every type.

What do pet mice eat?

Pet mice eat a complete mouse nugget or pellet as their main food, about 5 g (0.2 oz, a level teaspoon) each a day according to Wood Green. The MSD manual puts an adult mouse's daily intake at 3 to 5 g (0.1 to 0.2 oz) of food and 3 to 5 ml (0.1 to 0.2 fl oz) of water.

• Nuggets first. The RSPCA recommends nuggets because every bite is balanced, so mice cannot pick out the tasty bits.
• Small fresh extras. Small pieces of vegetables count as part of the daily allowance, not on top of it.
• A little protein. Wood Green suggests a little boiled egg or one or two mealworms at a time.
• Scatter, don't pour. Scattering food around the cage lets mice forage like wild mice.
• Fresh water always. The RSPCA warns mice can die without water for even short periods. Check the bottle morning and evening, as nesting can block it.

The full plan is in our pet mouse diet guide, and you can check single foods in what can mice eat, from carrots to cheese.

How do you handle and tame a pet mouse?

Let new mice settle for a day or two, then tame them with treats and short, calm sessions, and always lift them by scooping, never by the tail. Mice are prey animals, so the PDSA notes many never love being held, but most will happily come to a familiar hand.

1. Let them settle. Wood Green advises waiting a day or two before handling, so new mice can learn the smells and sounds of their home.
2. Pick an awake time. Handle in the evening when they are naturally active, not when they are asleep in the nest.
3. Offer food from your hand. Rest your hand flat in the cage with a tiny treat on it and let them come to you.
4. Scoop, don't grab. Slide one hand under the belly and cup the other loosely over the top. A cardboard tube they walk into also works.
5. Stay low. Sit on the floor or hold them over a soft surface. Mice jump, and the RSPCA warns falls can break limbs.

Our step-by-step guide to taming and handling a pet mouse goes further, and pet mouse behaviour explains what tail rattling, chattering and wrestling mean.

How do you keep pet mice busy?

Fill the cage so there is something to do on every level. The RSPCA says mice like to keep in contact with upright surfaces and find bare, open spaces stressful, so a busy cage is a calm cage.

• A solid, upright running wheel of 20 cm (8 in), as Wood Green recommends, with no gaps or rungs. See the right wheel for pet mice.
• Hides big enough to turn around in, with more than one exit so no mouse gets cornered. See best pet mouse hides.
• Cardboard tubes and boxes to climb, chew and shred.
• Ropes, ladders and apple or willow branches for climbing.
• A dig box of coco coir or plain organic compost.
• Food scattered or hidden in toys to forage for. Ideas are in pet mouse enrichment and best pet mouse toys.

How do you keep pet mice healthy?

Learn what normal looks like, check every mouse weekly, and see a vet who knows small rodents the same day you notice something wrong. The RSPCA warns that mice decline quickly and hide pain until it is severe, and that a mouse can die after losing 20% of its weight: just 6 g (0.2 oz) in a 30 g (1 oz) mouse.

A healthy mouse has clear, bright eyes, a clean nose and ears, a smooth shiny coat and clean feet, says PetMD. Ring a vet if you see:

• Not eating or drinking, or weight loss
• Sitting hunched, ruffled or spiky fur, hiding more than usual
• Clicking or chattering breaths, or discharge from eyes or nose
• Scratching, scabs or bald patches, often from fur mites
• Any lump, especially in older females, as mammary tumours are common
• Head tilt, wobbling, diarrhoea or overgrown teeth

Wood Green suggests asking a vet how many mice they see each week before you register. Our pet mouse health guide covers each problem, and how long pet mice live explains each life stage, including gentle care for older mice.

Daily and weekly mouse care routine

Most of the work is a few minutes a day, best done in the early evening when mice are waking up.

• Daily: refill food and fresh water, check the bottle nozzle is not blocked or stuck open.
• Daily: remove droppings, wet bedding and any fresh food left from yesterday.
• Daily: count every mouse and watch them move and eat.
• Weekly: handle and look over each mouse for lumps, scabs and weight change.
• Every one to two weeks: full clean of the cage, keeping a handful of clean old nesting to put back.
• As needed: wash hammocks and ropes at 60°C (140°F) with non-bio detergent, and replace chewed cardboard.

Our mouse cage cleaning routine gives the full clean step by step.

Where should you get pet mice?

Start with a rescue or a good breeder rather than a pet shop, so you know the mice are the sex you were told and already live together. Rescues often have whole groups waiting. Our guide on where to get a pet mouse lists what to ask, pet mouse breeds and colours shows the coats you will meet, and when they come home, pet mouse names has hundreds of ideas.

Can you look after a wild or field mouse?

No. The RSPCA asks people not to try to care for wild mice, because wild rodents have very different needs from pet mice and need specialist care to be released. If you find an injured or orphaned wild mouse, wear gloves, put it in a towel-lined plastic box (they chew through cardboard), keep it warm and quiet, offer no food or water, and take it to a vet. Never release a pet mouse outside either: it has no idea how to survive.