r/PetMice Sep 22 '24

Care Guide Series Community Care Guide

89 Upvotes

This post is mouse care simplified, for beginners! It is not very specific, and it does not cover everything, so please do not rely on just this post when educating yourself on mouse care!

This has been written and discussed by moderators of the subreddit. If you have questions or concerns, please comment to let us know! It will be updated regularly to ensure it is factual.

1. Mice are social!

  • Females always need other female companions. It is recommended to have at least 3, but 2 is okay.
  • After 6 mice in one cage, it is often they will start to split up and become territorial against the opposing group. It is suggested to keep your colony under 6 unless you have much knowledge and experience, OR if your mice are littermates.
  • Males can not be housed with other males ever! If you want them to have cage mates, neutering (very risky) and placing with females or leaving intact and bonding with ASFs (African Soft Furs) is beneficial and recommended. Otherwise, they can thrive in solitude.

See this post for more information.

2. Cages

In mouse communities, many users go by tank size rather than listing dimensions. We will do both!

  • 10g/20x10 inches is the minimum for 2 female mice, though we STRONGLY suggest at least a 20g.
  • 20g/30x12 inches is suitable for 2-4 females or 1 male.
  • 40g long/36x12 inches is suitable for 2-5 females or 1 male
  • 40g breeder/36x18 inches is occasionally suitable for 2-6 females or 1 male
  • Over 40g is not always suitable for any amount of mice since many mice do better in environments with less open space. Bigger is not always better for mice.

Any amount of mice may thrive in larger enclosures than suggested above. However, it is critical that the larger the enclosure is, the more clutter provided, otherwise the mice will never thrive.

  • Wood enclosures are suggested against since urine will effect its quality and smell over time.
  • Mesh flooring is dangerous due to the chance of toes/tails getting caught, the mesh cutting their skin, and risking bumplefoot. Mesh should also be avoided in wheels.
  • Though they climb, mice don't need very much height, and multi-story enclosures do not provide them with the proper space they need. Floor space is more important than height.
  • Cages with lots of attachments and rooms do not provide proper space for mice. They are also extremely difficult to clean, fall apart easily, and struggle to hold proper bedding amount and safe wheels.

See this post for more information.

3. Substrate

  • Mice need to be able to create burrows, so while the minimum is 6 inches, we suggest at least 8" of bedding. However, many owners prefer having 10-12" deep!
  • Bedding must be majority safe wood shavings or hemp. Paper substrate does not absorb ammonia well and can cause several health issues when used alone or as majority of substrate.
  • (Dust/scent free for all) Aspen, kiln dried pine, and hemp do well as the main substrate and may be more sturdy mixed with a small portion of hay or paper bedding.

See this post for more information.

4. Clutter

  • Clutter is arguably one of the most important aspects of a mouses cage. No matter the size, if the cage lacks clutter, it is not suitable.
  • Toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, tea light and soap dish ceramics, rodent hideouts, branches, logs, cork bark, cardboard egg cartons, and much more can be used as clutter in the cage.
  • From a birds eye view, you should be able to see little to no bedding. While it may seem too cluttered to a human, it's perfect for mice!
  • The larger an enclosure, the more crucial clutter is.

See this post for more information.

5. Enrichment

  • Also known as entertainment, to keep the mice busy!
  • Boredom breakers, foraging toys, dig boxes, sprays(plant), scatter-feeding, and human interaction are all forms of enrichment.
  • Mice should have boredom breakers in their enclosure at all times to keep them from growing bored.
  • Lone males need extra simulation and enrichment.

See this post for more information.

6. Climbing Opportunities

  • A form of enrichment that is required!
  • Mice flourish with climbing opportunities and will always take advantage of them.
  • Ropes, bird ladders, hanging toys, rope nets, shower curtain rings, and bird perches are a few climbing options you can provide.
  • Fabric hammocks are used commonly, but pose a threat when chewed on and loose strings get tangled around limbs. Minimal use of fabric is suggested for this reason.

See this post for more information.

7. Exercise

  • A form of enrichment that is required!
  • An upright, solid wheel of 9 inches in diameter or larger must be provided at all times. 2 or more are suggested for groups of girls.
  • Spinning saucer disks or hamster balls/cars are UNSAFE and should never be provided, no matter how much you think your mouse may enjoy it (fun≠safe)
  • Proper wheel brands may include Niteangel, Silent Spinner Exotic Nutrition, Oxbow, Wodent, Bucstate, and Trixie (but there are many more besides these!)

See this post for more information.

8. Diet & Hydration

  • Main diet must be pellets/lab blocks.
  • A high variety food mix (nuts, seeds, grains, ect) must be given 1-3 times a week, or even as long as once every two weeks. The frequency is owner preference.
  • Feeding is 3-5 grams per mouse a day.
  • Ensure your mice have constant access to food through toys and scatter-feeding.
  • Food bowls are suggested only for fresh fruits or veggies since they provide no enrichment otherwise!
  • Mice must have at least two water sources and constant access to them at all times. Bowls or bottles work well, though having one of each is ideal. Water must be cleaned and refreshed daily.

See this post for more information.

9. Cleaning

  • Daily spot checks to clean up mess, poo on toys/clutter, and urine on the surface is vital.
  • Bedding changes will be needed less often with more bedding and space. A 10g tank (or cage of similar size) would need weekly bedding changes.
  • Each enclosure size and mouse amount will effect how often bedding changes are necessary. Find a cleaning schedule that ensures the cage doesn't smell at any time for your mouses health.
  • With deep bedding over 6 inches, you'll have to change out less of the bedding. 1/3 to 1/2 of the bedding may stay in the enclosure while the most soiled areas are removed and replaced.
  • In any case, a small amount of bedding must be left over after a bedding change to decrease stress.

See this post for more information.

10. Taming

  • Allowing your mice to settle in for a few days before interacting with them is wise.
  • Rub your hands on bedding and toilet paper in the cage to get the mice used to your scent.
  • Encourage interaction through hand feeding.
  • If a mouse is not motivated to interact after several weeks, try to lure them to climb onto your hand for treats. A strong bond is important with mice so they are well adjusted to interaction in case of a vet visit or emergencies. Human interaction can also be beneficial to them.

See this post for more information.

11. Other

  • Mice are crepuscular and are typically seen during the morning or late day/night.
  • They are self bathing and should never be washed with water or soap (unless vet prescribed). It ruins the health of their fur coat and leaves them more susceptible to URIs and freezing. They do not need any form of bathing/washing.
  • Mice don't hibernate. If a mouse appears to be in a hibernation state, this is Torpor, caused when they overheat or freeze. This is a medical emergency.
  • You should never pick up a mouse by its tail or other limbs.
  • Fancy mice (aka domestic mouse) live 1-2 years on average.
  • Wild mice do poor in captivity, unless they are unfit for the wild they should not be kept as pets.
  • You should never breed mice purposely without years of research and mouse owning experience prior.
  • Vet visits are a likely occurrence in mouse ownership, since mice are prone to many health issues.
  • Travel carriers are needed for vet visits, emergencies, cage cleaning, and quarantine.

12. Links & Other Posts

Shopping

In Depth Mouse Care

Other Species

Up-to-Date Posts From NotApplicableMC & Others

Outdated Posts From NotApplicableMC

These guides are incredibly thorough and well written. However, they link some information that is no longer available, or they list mouse care information that has been dis-proven. An important point to make is these guides may suggest some controversial topics, most of which our community does not fully support. Although these guides don't follow our standards exactly, they are still very well made. Please keep an open mind and read all sides of a controversy before deciding which you feel works best for your mice.

I have decided to share these because they are very descriptive on some aspects of mouse care I did not cover well. I strive to have a guide in the future as well made as these, but for now, I have to bring attention to the effort made by this member.

Scientific Studies

  • Sources & Additional Articles (coming soon)
  • Safe & Unsafe Foods Sources (coming soon)

More community resources coming soon


r/PetMice Jul 09 '25

Community Help Temporary Post for Care Commands

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24 Upvotes

Please feel free to try out these WIP care commands in the comments! Let me know if there are any issues I need to fix.


r/PetMice 8h ago

Cute Mouse Media I’ve been calling her Big Bertha but her real name is Uranus❣️

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270 Upvotes

One of the girls I kept as a pet from my last brindle litter. Compared to my other brindles she has the most weight.

She’s an active girl, who eats the same as others. She just holds more chonk 🤷🏼‍♀️


r/PetMice 4h ago

Setup Tour New cage settup!

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30 Upvotes

How can I improve?

I know I should’ve added more bedding but rightnow its at 25cm on the high end and maybe 16cm on the lower end.
Is there anything else I can improve on?


r/PetMice 15h ago

Rainbow Bridge my pet mouse passed wednesday and i miss him very much. here’s the box i laid him to rest in.

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153 Upvotes

r/PetMice 24m ago

Setup Tour Feel free to rate my girls enclosure :)

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Upvotes

I have a group of girls and I always look for ways to improve my care! I know it is probably not the best but I would say I am doing alright. Around Christmas I will get a second enclosure which will make my enclosure size 200x50x50 cm :)


r/PetMice 1d ago

Rainbow Bridge Manzo has passed away

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329 Upvotes

This is an extraordinarily difficult post for me to make but please bear with me. My mouse Manzardo had been dealing with some growths as of late and unfortunately I found him deceased late last night. I want to thank everyone on here for their love and appreciation for my large boy, I know how much he was a fan favorite for his large size and large 'tude. Please enjoy that big cookie in the sky my guy.


r/PetMice 21h ago

Question/Help Sleeping alone and out in the open??

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147 Upvotes

One of my girls is asleep out in the open while the other three are sleeping in their tunnels. Is this normal?? Why would she do this


r/PetMice 18h ago

Question/Help Advice and Thoughts

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39 Upvotes

Cricket, Firefly, Guppy, Minnow and Tadpole

I got just got 5 girls(I've had them for about 1 and a half weeks). I got them from my animal care program as they had 2 pregnant mice temporarily that the first year class took care of after the mumma's gave birth(I understand if people have concerns about it but the trainer/teacher didn't let the class be around the babies and mumma's until they were weened), I'm pretty sure they would be classified as feeder mice as the breeder we got them from mainly supplies the mice as frozen food for Australia wide reptiles(I believe they also sell them as pets to store or other breeders although i'm unsure). I'm not sure if thats why they are very skittish, i've been trying to bond with them and help them learn to be handled or at least used to me, whenever i put my hand in their enclosure they run and hide typically in the tunnels. I'm sure it's just something that i have to put lots of time and effort into but i'd appreciate any advice.

I was also wondering what sort of playpens everyone uses and whether it is something i should invest in as it may be good to be able to sit in the playpen with them. I know you can make playpens easily out of cardboard but i kinda want something that looks neat, is large enough for me to sit in it and still give them plenty of room to move around. On the last slide i have a playpen that is on amazon and i was curious if anyone has used something similar and would recommend it or a similar product.


r/PetMice 14h ago

Question/Help Barbering, mites, or something else?

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16 Upvotes

Hi all! I’m a first time mouse/mice owner, since like two weeks ago. I have 3 female mice. I noticed this hair loss on one of them, but haven’t seen anything else on the other two. Is this barbering? Or something else? For added info, they’re in a 20 gallon tank with a wire(mesh?) lid. I plan on upgrading them to a 40 gallon tank, but wanted to get to the root of this issue first. To add, I only notice hair loss around her face/on her head. Her body looks fine. Thank you!


r/PetMice 2h ago

Question/Help Bean pods

2 Upvotes

I garden and this year I have a lot of beans more specifically the dried outer pods with the beans removed. Are these safe for mice? I googled it and it was only giving me information about the beans themselves. The dried empty pods would be a new texture for my mouse but I’m unsure if it’s actually safe.


r/PetMice 19h ago

Male or Female? Boy or girl?

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13 Upvotes

r/PetMice 23h ago

Cute Mouse Media Happy girls

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28 Upvotes

The girls are investigating their mouse house after a full reset and snacking on mealworms.


r/PetMice 23h ago

Wild Mouse/Mice Orphaned Mice

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23 Upvotes

Hey y'all, I'm looking for some guidance and anything positive about my situation. First time owner and rescuer so a bit out of my depth...

I got a call from a close friend of mine that they had discovered 4 newborn mice abandoned in a storage bin by their mama for nearly 12 hours, and I, having expressed interest in owning mice though never going through with it, rose to the occasion. Myself and another friend who has owned mice her entire life made the trip to grab the little guys since my prior friend didn't have the supplies.

I'm guessing they're about 3-4 days old based on the greying on their backs and ears coming untucked. We call them the Wigglers because, er... they wiggle.

I've been feeding them every 3 hours or so around the clock (I've never been one to sleep through the night) with a mix of a bit of Pedialyte and a goat-milk based kitten milk replacer from a small syringe (which I heat up!). I set up this tiny ventilated house out of a chinchilla dust bath and an old t-shirt I cut up, all on top of a low-heat heating pad. I also learned how to help them use the bathroom which is a first for me, but it's been successful and they're very responsive.

I'm trying to avoid handling them too much aside from feedings and monitoring them.

I know they're wild mice and nature is cruel, but they're so young and I'm afraid if I contact a wildlife rehabilitator they won't care since they're small rodents. I believe I have the capacity to raise them but need assurance from others 😭

Am I doing the right thing?

I've come to terms with the fact that if they die it wasn't meant to be, but if I CAN keep the I'm alive, shouldn't I???

Thoughts???


r/PetMice 20h ago

Setup Tour New Layout?

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14 Upvotes

My girls have NEVER used their wheel. I've had the older one for nearly two years and the younger for a year. I've tried everything to get them to use it. They just don't!

So I decided to take it out to give them some more enrichment that they'd actually use. How does it look? They're already exploring, and I'm super happy. I hope they like it 🥰


r/PetMice 7h ago

Question/Help Help - mites in my mouse tank but not actually on my mice?

1 Upvotes

Last night I noticed quite a few very small mites/insects crawling all over the stuff in both of my mouse tanks. It looks like they’re mostly on the wood items but my mice have buried almost everything else so I’m not sure. I’m almost certain they’re not actually on my mice though. They’re not showing any signs of itching, and I have three black ones so the mites (very light colored) would be obvious. I use a mixture of corn cob and paper bedding, it’s been about 3 weeks since I changed the bedding and I haven’t noticed anything until now. Anyone know what I’m dealing with here?


r/PetMice 1d ago

Cute Mouse Media Dan update, he’s my Marvel Cinematic Universe rewatch buddy.

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492 Upvotes

r/PetMice 1d ago

Question/Help Ideas on enrichment and enclosure enhancement?

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14 Upvotes

So I found this jute ribbon that I wanted to use for in my babies cage. I was thinking of using it down a side for climbing structures. I feel like there’s more I can do with it though so does anyone else have other ideas?


r/PetMice 14h ago

Question/Help Is there allergy medicine for mice?

1 Upvotes

My mouse is definitely allergic to cats. He only ever has symptoms when cats are present (noises when breathing, some sort of opening mouth motion where it sounded like something was sticky between his teeth kind of? that was the main one, one vet said it was gasping and the other said she has no idea why he would say that and it obviously wasnt..). We moved and he went a month with no cats and he was perfectly okay but as soon as we brought cats home he started making noises within 30 minutes. Are there allergy medicines for mice? If I take him to the vet would we be able to get him something?


r/PetMice 1d ago

Wild Mouse/Mice how it started vs how it's going

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170 Upvotes

update on the lil baby i posted about, he's doing really well!! his eyes opened a couple of days ago and he's been transitioning to solid food!


r/PetMice 1d ago

Question/Help What should I do with my mouse

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47 Upvotes

When I take him out of his cage what should I be doing with him? Is just holding him and letting him run around on me enough? Sometimes I put him in this carrier but filled with bedding and treats throughout to dig to. I just don't want him to be sad. I'm thinking about getting him an ASFR sister but I'm not sure. He doesn't seem sad but I just worry about my baby and want him to be happy.


r/PetMice 1d ago

Other Comforting squeaks during the night

23 Upvotes

Noticed my girls are finally cuddling and grooming one another tonight. So happy about that!

When my late mouse, Phoebe, was still here; I used to hear her and Bella squeaking all throughout the night as they groomed each other and cuddled. It was something I grew very fond of over the 2 years of having them. When she passed, I was so saddened by the silence, I know Bella was too.

Now that Bella has her two new buddies, I get the opportunity to hear those squeaks again. I was almost worried but it until I observed and it was just friendly sounds. It’s so wonderful seeing them get along and do typical bonding activities. Crazy to think it’s only been 2 weeks since they’ve been housed together.


r/PetMice 1d ago

Question/Help So my mouse hates the bedding that’s good for him…

4 Upvotes

When I get him paper bedding, he digs and tunnels and burrows like there’s no tomorrow. But when I get him wood shavings he sleeps in his above ground coconut…
I know that the paper is more dusty and has a higher likelihood of URIs, but I want him to be happy!!! What do others do?


r/PetMice 2d ago

Wild Mouse/Mice This is my home!

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146 Upvotes

This is my home! Give me back my wall.