How to Feed a Pet Mouse

Last Updated: August 10, 2021

Mice are a compact pet to have, but that doesn’t mean they’re low maintenance. They’re an animal that enjoys variety and fun, so keep that in mind when you’re feeding them! Combining liberal amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables and a small amount of mouse pellets for treats throughout the day are great ways to keep your mouse happy and healthy!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Feeding Your Mouse Its Daily Food

1
Provide liberal amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruit and veggies should make up the majority of your mouse’s diet. Mice enjoy variety in their diets, so switch up the fruits and vegetables you give them each day. Some good options include:
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Bok Choy
- Apples
- Bananas
- Brussels sprouts
- Berries
- Cabbage
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Citrus fruits
2
Scatter the fruits and veggies inside their cage. It’s in a mouse’s nature to go looking for their food. In the wild, they would spend most of their day on the hunt for a meal. Scattering their food will also keep them entertained.
- This will force your mouse to sniff around for its food.
- This trick is particularly useful if you have more than one mouse and one is overly protective of its food. Placing the food in a bowl would result in one mouse hogging it all.^{[1]
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3
Hide the fruits and veggies. To give your mouse a little entertainment with their food, try hiding it. Put the fruit or veggies in a plastic bag or cardboard box - your mouse will have fun ripping and shredding the containers to get the food!^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Offering Your Mouse a Treat

1
Purchase commercial mouse food. This food will only be a small part of your pet mouse’s diet.^{[3]
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Research source} Buy mouse pellets to offer in small quantities throughout the day.
- You can buy mouse food at most pet stores.
2
Hide small quantities of pellets throughout the day. Hiding the treats allows your mouse to pretend it’s out in the wild. Your mouse will have fun searching for tasty pellet treats in their enclosure. Just make sure you don’t give them too much.
3
Give your mouse hard treats once a week. Mice can have sharp teeth, and giving them something harder to eat is a great way to wear their teeth down!^{[4]
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- An easy option is dog treats, which you can get from any pet store.
- If you have a fruit-bearing tree, try one of its branches! Just make sure to bake them for an hour on low heat and wash them to ensure they’re safe for you mouse!^{[5]
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