Care guide · Mice

What can pet mice eat? The safe food list

Checked against RSPCA: What to feed mice, PetMD: Pet mouse care sheet, Wood Green: Caring for mice as pets and 6 more on

Pet mice eat a complete mouse nugget as their main food, about a level teaspoon each a day, plus small pieces of vegetables, a little fruit and a little protein such as boiled egg or mealworms. Never give them grapes, raisins, rhubarb, chocolate, onion, garlic, citrus or anything sugary. Fresh water must always be available.

What do pet mice eat?

Pet mice eat a balanced, complete nugget made for mice, with small fresh extras taken out of the same daily amount. The RSPCA recommends nuggets because mice cannot pick out only the tasty bits, and says fresh fruit and veg count as part of the daily food, not on top. PetMD keeps all extras to no more than 10% of what a mouse eats in a day.

That 10% is tiny. A mouse eats only 3 to 5 g (0.1 to 0.2 oz) of food a day, according to the MSD Veterinary Manual, so a day's fresh food is a piece about the size of your little fingernail. The amounts, label checks and a feeding routine are in our pet mouse diet guide.

Fancy mice, domestic mice, white mice and feeder mice are all the same species, the house mouse, so they all eat the same food. Colour and coat change nothing.

Pet mouse food list: vegetables

Vegetables are the best fresh extra for mice because they are low in sugar. The Crittery, a UK small-animal rescue, lists carrots, broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, curly kale, sweet potato and tomato as good fresh foods. Wash everything, cut it into pea-sized pieces and take out anything uneaten within 10 hours, as PetMD advises.

Vegetable Verdict How to give it
Carrot Yes Raw, a thin slice or a few pea-sized cubes
Broccoli Yes A single small floret tip, raw or lightly steamed
Peas Yes One or two, fresh or defrosted
Kale Yes A thumbnail-sized piece of leaf
Sweetcorn (corn) Yes A few kernels, fresh or defrosted, never tinned in salt
Sweet potato Yes Cooked plain, a pea-sized cube
Cauliflower Sometimes A tiny floret now and then
Cabbage Sometimes A small piece of leaf, not every day
Spinach Sometimes A small piece of leaf once or twice a week
Celery Sometimes A thin slice, cut across the strings
Cucumber Sometimes A small cube; watery foods can loosen droppings
Tomato Sometimes Ripe flesh only; never green tomatoes, leaves or stalks
Lettuce No The RSPCA says it can cause diarrhoea
Potato, onion, garlic, raw beans No All on PetMD's list of foods to avoid

No welfare source we found rates cauliflower, cabbage, spinach or celery for mice by name. We have put them at "sometimes" by reasoning from what the sources say about mice: they are safe vegetables for other omnivorous rodents, but cabbage family greens can cause wind and spinach is rich in oxalate, so small and occasional is the careful choice.

Pet mouse food list: fruit

Mice can have most fruit in tiny amounts, but fruit is sugary, so it is a treat, not a daily food. RSPCA Australia keeps fruit for training rewards and special occasions. PetMD says to cut fruit small and remove seeds, pips and stones, and to avoid citrus.

Fruit Verdict How to give it
Apple Sometimes A pea-sized piece of flesh, no pips or core
Banana Sometimes A slice the thickness of a coin, cut into quarters
Blueberries Sometimes Half a blueberry
Strawberries Sometimes A pea-sized piece, green top removed
Raspberries Sometimes One or two drupelets (the little beads)
Papaya Sometimes A pea-sized piece, no seeds
Watermelon Sometimes A small cube, no seeds; very watery
Oranges No Citrus is on PetMD's avoid list
Lemons No Citrus, and far too acidic
Grapes and raisins No Poisonous to mice, says the RSPCA
Rhubarb No Poisonous to mice, says the RSPCA

Grapes, raisins and rhubarb are poisonous to mice, according to the RSPCA. If a mouse has eaten any, ring a vet straight away, even if it seems well, and say roughly how much. Dried fruit counts: check mixes and treats for raisins and sultanas.

What protein can pet mice eat?

Pet mice can eat a little egg, mealworms and the odd nut. Mice are omnivores, and wild mice eat insects as well as seeds. Wood Green suggests a small amount of boiled egg or one or two fresh mealworms at a time. The Crittery adds scrambled egg, monkey nuts (peanuts in their shell) and a little cheese, and warns that adult mice should not get too much protein.

Protein Verdict How to give it
Boiled or scrambled egg Yes, a few times a week A pea-sized piece, plain, no butter or salt
Mealworms Yes, a few times a week One or two, fresh or dried
Cooked pulses Sometimes A plain cooked lentil or bean; never raw beans
Monkey nuts Sometimes One plain unsalted nut in its shell, to work at
Cheese Rarely A crumb at most; RSPCA Australia advises avoiding dairy

What treats can pet mice have?

The best treats are plain, low-sugar and tiny. Wood Green's healthy treat list for mice is cooked or raw plain pasta, boiled egg, pulses, low-sugar cereal (under 5% sugar), one or two mealworms, small pieces of dog biscuit, millet spray, and apple or fruit tree wood to chew. The Crittery adds sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and cooked soya beans.

  • Plain pasta, cooked or a single dry piece to crunch
  • Millet spray, hung so they have to reach and work for it
  • One sunflower or pumpkin seed per mouse
  • A piece of plain dog biscuit to gnaw
  • Low-sugar cereal such as plain puffed rice or oat hoops under 5% sugar
  • Apple tree twigs, washed, to chew

Wood Green warns against coloured chew sticks and salt or mineral blocks. Seeds are fatty, so they are a reward, not a meal. Hide treats around the cage, as our pet mouse enrichment guide shows, or use them to build trust with our guide to taming a pet mouse.

What human foods can mice not eat?

Most human snack food is bad for mice. RSPCA Australia lists cereals, crackers, bread, processed grains, chocolate and sweets among household foods to keep away from them. PetMD adds caffeine, alcohol and any sugary or high-fat treat.

Food Verdict Why
Chocolate No On PetMD's avoid list; sugary, fatty and contains stimulants
Crackers No Salty processed snacks; RSPCA Australia says keep them away
Crisps (chips), sweets, biscuits (cookies) No Salt, sugar and fat
Bread Rarely A crumb of stale wholemeal at most
Coffee, tea, cola, alcohol No Caffeine and alcohol are on PetMD's avoid list
Milk No Water is the only drink mice need

The classic cartoon picture of a mouse with cheese is a poor guide. Mice in the wild prefer seeds and cereals, the RSPCA notes, which is why spilled bird food draws them in. A pet mouse offered cheese and a pumpkin seed will usually pick the seed.

What do pet mice drink?

Pet mice drink only fresh water, about 3 to 5 ml (0.1 to 0.2 fl oz) a day each, says the MSD Veterinary Manual. The RSPCA warns they can die after even short periods without it. Use a bottle with a metal spout, a heavy bowl, or both, and check them morning and evening. Never give milk, juice or sweet drinks.

For cage, company and health, see our complete pet mouse care guide.

What mice can eat: questions

What do pet mice like to eat most?

Most mice go straight for seeds, millet and anything fatty or sweet, which is why those should stay as small treats. Mealworms, a scrap of boiled egg and a piece of plain pasta are also big favourites. Use them for taming and foraging games rather than putting them in the bowl.

Do white mice eat anything different?

No. White mice are fancy mice in one of many colours, the same species as every other pet mouse. They eat the same complete nuggets, the same vegetables and the same treats, and need the same care. All mice find bright light stressful, white or not, but their diet does not change.

What do pet mice drink?

Only fresh, clean water. An adult mouse drinks about 3 to 5 ml a day, says the MSD Veterinary Manual, from a bottle with a metal spout, a heavy bowl or both. Never give milk, juice or sweet drinks. Change the water daily and check the spout morning and evening.

Can mice eat bread?

Only as a rare crumb. The Crittery suggests stale or toasted wholemeal bread as an occasional treat, but RSPCA Australia lists bread, crackers and processed cereals among the human foods to keep away from mice. We would give a crumb of plain wholemeal at most, never white bread, buttered toast or anything sweet.

Can mice eat peanut butter?

We would not give it. No welfare source lists it as a mouse food, it is very fatty, often salted or sweetened, and its sticky texture is hard for a mouse to swallow. A plain unsalted monkey nut, which The Crittery lists as an occasional protein, is the safer version of the same treat.

What does it mean when a mouse makes noise while eating?

Usually nothing worrying. A mouse may squeak if a cage mate tries to take its food, or make soft chirps and clucks, which RSPCA Australia lists among the few sounds people can hear. Mice mostly talk in sounds too high for us. Clicking or chattering breaths, or squealing when touched, are different and need a vet.

Sources

Read next

Pet mouse diet: what to feed every day

Feed each mouse 3 to 5 g (a level teaspoon) of complete nuggets a day, with small bits of veg inside that allowance, a little protein and fresh water always.

Pet mouse care: the complete guide

Keep mice in same-sex groups in a big barred cage with deep paper bedding, hides, a solid wheel, about 5 g of mouse nuggets each a day and daily spot cleans.

No

Can mice eat cheese?

Best not: cheese is not poisonous, but adult mice digest dairy poorly and it is fatty and salty, so skip it and offer a pea-sized piece of veg instead.

No

Can mice eat grapes?

No: the RSPCA and RSPCA Australia both say not to feed grapes or raisins to mice. Ring a vet if your mouse has eaten some.

Yes

Can mice eat carrots?

Yes: carrot is a good mouse vegetable. A thin slice (about 0.5 g) a few times a week, raw and washed, rotated with greens.

Sometimes

Can mice eat bananas?

Yes, as an occasional treat: a fingernail-sized piece of ripe banana, about once a week. It is very sugary, so keep it small.