How much does a pet mouse cost to buy and keep?

How much does a pet mouse cost?

The mouse is the cheapest part. In the UK, Wood Green's rehoming fee is £12 for a mouse and £5.50 for each extra one, and that includes neutering a male if needed. In the US, PetSmart lists a fancy mouse at $7.99. Breeders set their own prices, usually a little more for rarer colours and coats, so ask before you visit.

You will want at least three. The RSPCA says not to keep a mouse alone unless a vet advises it, and the Oxfordshire rescue Crittery recommends a minimum group of three does. So a realistic starting price for the mice is about £23 or $24. Everything else on this page is priced for a trio.

How much are mice at Petco and PetSmart?

PetSmart lists its fancy mouse at $7.99 as of November 2026, and notes that the small pets it stocks vary by location. We could not confirm a Petco price for the same month, so ring or visit your local Petco before you go. Chain-store mice are cheap, but cheap mice still need a full set-up, and a good rescue may cost about the same while giving you settled, sexed mice. Our guide to where to get a pet mouse compares rescues, breeders and pet shops.

Set-up costs for three mice

These are real shelf prices from Pets at Home in the UK and PetSmart in the US, as of November 2026. Where we found no US price for an item, we say so rather than guess.

The cage is most of the bill, and it is where people try to save and regret it. PDSA warns that most cages sold in pet shops are too small for mice. A small plastic hamster-and-mouse home can look like a bargain, but measure it against the size above before you buy. Our guides to mouse cage size and the best pet mouse cages show what is worth the money.

Monthly costs of keeping pet mice

Mice are cheap to run. The MSD Veterinary Manual says an adult mouse eats about 3 to 5 g of food a day, and Wood Green suggests about 5 g, roughly a teaspoon. For a trio that is about 450 g (1 lb) a month. Bedding is the bigger running cost.

The bedding line depends on your cage and how deep you fill it. Wood Green advises a full clean every fortnight, which is what we've assumed. A bigger bale bought less often usually works out cheaper per litre. Our guides to mouse bedding and the pet mouse diet explain what to buy and how much to give.

Vet costs for pet mice

Vet bills are the cost people forget. Mice are small, but they still need a vet who knows small mammals, and an exotics consultation usually costs more than a standard one. As a real example, the University of Liverpool's vet practice charges £45 for a small animal consultation and £53 for a 30-minute exotics consultation, as of September 2026. It does not list mouse surgery, but castrating a rat costs £120 there.

In the US, prices vary widely. Boulder Humane Society listed a rat neuter at $250 in October 2023, which gives a sense of scale for small-rodent surgery. Wood Green notes that an exotics practice may work out cheaper in the long run for mice, because the vet will know what they are looking at.

• Find a mouse-savvy or exotics vet before you bring mice home
• Ask the price of a consultation so you know what to expect
• Put aside the cost of at least two consultations, about £106 at the example above
• Budget extra if you keep males and may want one neutered
• Expect lumps, breathing problems and teeth to be the common reasons for a visit

How much does a pet mouse cost over its lifetime?

Mice usually live 1.5 to 2.5 years. Using the figures above, a trio kept for two years costs about £205 to £242 to set up, plus about £312 to £360 in food and bedding (24 months at £13 to £15), so roughly £520 to £600 in all before vet bills. In the US the same sums give about $160 to $245, plus $576 to $624, so roughly $740 to $870.

That is per group, not per mouse. RSPCA Australia makes the same point in its own way: mice are not a low-maintenance pet, and they need a real commitment of time, care and money.

How to keep the cost of mice down

1. Adopt from a rescue. A £12 fee that includes neutering is hard to beat, and rescues often have settled groups ready to go.
2. Spend on the cage once. A big cage bought first costs less than a small one now and a bigger one in a month.
3. Use free hides and chews. Cardboard boxes, egg boxes and toilet roll tubes are free, safe and loved. Crittery notes that ongoing enrichment needs can be met easily.
4. Buy pellets, not muesli. PDSA explains that pellets give the same nutrients in every piece, so less is left uneaten and wasted.
5. Spot clean daily. Taking out wet and dirty bedding each day stretches each full clean, and each bale.
6. Buy bedding in bigger packs. Bigger bales usually cost less per litre once you know how much you use.

For a wheel that won't need replacing, see our mouse wheel guide, and for everything else, the full pet mouse care guide.