Mice are small, inquisitive pets with plenty of personality, and Birdsville, Sydney’s small animal specialists, regularly has them in stock. They’re active and curious, and reward a bit of regular handling with a confident, easy going temperament. This mouse care guide covers everything you need for a happy, healthy mouse, from choosing the right enclosure to spotting the early signs of illness.

Quick Facts

Scientific name: Mus musculus
Also known as: Fancy mouse
Adult size: 6 to 8cm body length, around 15 to 18cm including the tail
Lifespan: 1.5 to 3 years
Diet type: Omnivore, pellets or a quality mix, plus fruit and vegetables in moderation
Minimum enclosure: around 60cm wide x 30cm deep x 40cm high as a rough guide, more space is always better
Temperature range: 18 to 24°C, away from direct sun, draughts and heat sources
Experience level: Beginner friendly

On This Page

Mice as Pets
Essential Supplies for Mice
Enclosures
Setting Up Your Mouse Enclosure
Best Substrate for Mice
Toys and Enrichment
Diet for Mice
Providing Water to Your Mice
Mineral Supplements and Vitamins
Behaviour & Handling
Teeth Health
Common Health Issues
Parasite Control
Desexing
Health, Hygiene & Safety
Toxic & Dangerous Hazards
General Care and Grooming
Visual Health Checks
Sexing
Holiday Care
Transportation
Compatibility with Other Animals
Boarding
FAQ
Recommended Vets and Links
Visit Us

A mouse’s average lifespan runs 1.5 to 3 years, and most enjoy having their face gently massaged once they’re settled in. Regular handling matters for keeping a mouse friendly and easy to manage, since they don’t have particularly sharp eyesight but make up for it with an excellent sense of smell and hearing. Mice aren’t always social by nature, and depending on temperament, a single mouse can be perfectly content on its own. Male mice can fight, so that’s worth factoring in before housing more than one together, though keeping two is no more work than keeping one and they can share a cage. Young mice tend to start out a little jumpy, but with a bit of consistent handling they usually tame up and bond to their owner within a few weeks.

Essential Supplies for Mice

Housing & Enclosure

Enclosure: a secure, well ventilated cage or tank with narrow bar spacing, sized to give your mouse plenty of room to move, climb and explore.

A hide, for somewhere to feel secure.

Bedding & Substrate

Substrate: a dust free, absorbent bedding rated safe for small animals, laid deep enough for burrowing.

Nesting material: for your mouse to build a nest with.

Water & Feeding

Food bowl and water bottle: a stable dish that won’t tip and a bottle drinker to keep water clean and free of bedding.

Food: a high quality mouse pellet or balanced mix as the diet’s core.

Supplements

Salt or mineral lick: supports digestion and general health.

Enrichment & Toys

Exercise wheel: solid surface, at least 8 inches across, never a wire wheel.

Toys and enrichment: tunnels, climbing branches, chew items and foraging toys to keep a mouse active and mentally stimulated.

Hygiene & Cleaning

Cage cleaner: a mouse safe, non toxic disinfectant.

Lice and mite spray: see Parasite Control below.

Transport

Carry cage or small secure carrier, for trips home and to the vet.

What You May Consider

Bird and reptile accessories such as bolt perches, reptile hides and ladders, often surprisingly good mouse toys and enrichment, and Small Animal Vitamins to supplement your mouse’s water if you’re ever using a lower quality food.

Everything on this list, and plenty more, is available in store at Birdsville, including a huge range of mouse enclosures on our upstairs level, with great value specials when you buy a mouse together with a complete setup.

Pet mice stay quite small, but they’re active and social little animals, so choosing the right enclosure still matters. As a rough guide, not a strict minimum, around 60cm wide x 30cm deep x 40cm high works well. More space is always worth it, since mice are active and will happily use every centimetre of room you give them. They need room to move, climb and explore, plus space for enrichment items such as toys, a food bowl, water bottle, salt lick, hammocks, tunnels, an exercise wheel and cosy sleeping areas. A well set up cage keeps a mouse active, stimulated and happy.

When choosing a cage, bar spacing needs real attention. Baby mice can squeeze through gaps in some larger wire cages built for adults, and mice generally need narrower bar spacing than rats given their smaller size. If you’re not sure what will work, bring the cage in and our team will happily check the bar spacing with you before you buy.

Position the enclosure somewhere that holds a steady 18 to 24°C, out of direct sun, draughts and away from heaters or other sudden heat sources. Mice cope far better with a stable room temperature than with swings either way, so a quiet corner of a regularly lived in room usually works better than a garage, laundry or sunroom.

Think in levels when decking out a mouse enclosure. The top level suits hanging toys. The middle level works well for a hide, wooden bird perches, a drink bottle, a salt lick and a ladder. The bottom level is best kept for tunnels to run through, food bowls, chew toys and an exercise wheel. A hide is essential no matter how you lay the rest out, since mice like enclosed spaces and need somewhere to feel safe, and a supply of nesting material lets them build a nest of their own.

Best Substrate for Mice

Mice can be prone to respiratory issues, which is why hemp, Kaytee bedding, dust extracted wood shavings or Breeders Choice are worth choosing, all dust free and highly absorbent. Steer clear of pine and cedar shavings, since these contain aromatic oils that can harm a mouse’s respiratory health. Bedding depth can run anywhere from 5 to 15cm. Thicker bedding needs changing less often, though the right depth also depends on the enclosure you’ve chosen.

Toys and Enrichment

Mice are curious, active creatures that love to explore, forage and gnaw. They’ll get real use out of cardboard tubes and boxes, tunnels, climbing ropes and branches, and foraging toys that hide treats to encourage natural behaviours. A solid surface exercise wheel, at least 8 inches across and never a wire one, gives them a safe way to burn off energy. It’s worth checking the bird and reptile area too, since plenty of items made for other pets double up nicely as mouse enrichment. Toys also help keep teeth trim, which matters more than it might seem, since overgrown teeth left unchecked can eventually lead to expensive vet bills or worse. Keep toys clean and swap out anything that’s broken.

Diet for Mice

A proper diet is essential for a mouse’s long term health and wellbeing. Mice are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal material, and they’ll happily try almost anything offered to them, though that doesn’t mean everything on offer is actually good for them. At Birdsville, we recommend and stock premium options such as Vetafarm Rodent Origins, Selective Rat Pellets and our own Rat & Mouse Gourmet mix, part of our Small Animal Blend range and made fresh in store. It’s a wholesome combination of pellets, wheat, grey stripe sunflower, oats, cracked corn, sorghum, white French millet, safflower, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, red lentils, green split peas, carrot, coconut, banana chips and almonds, giving real variety and enrichment in every scoop. These diets are formulated with balanced vitamins, minerals and amino acids to support long term health, and are extrusion cooked for better digestibility and palatability.

We’d steer clear of supermarket or low quality commercial mouse foods, since these often contain fillers, artificial additives, preservatives and waste products, and some mixes lean on cheap filler like hard to digest alfalfa pellets or excessive low grade seed with limited nutritional value. If you do end up using a lower quality food, supplementing your mouse’s water with Small Animal Vitamins helps ensure it’s still getting the essential nutrients it needs.

Baby & Weaning, birth to around 3 weeks: mice nurse from their mother and start nibbling solid food from around 10 to 14 days old, fully weaned by 18 to 21 days.

Juvenile, 3 weeks to around 8 weeks: growing mice need extra protein and calories to fuel rapid growth, so leave a quality pellet or mix down at all times during this stage rather than rationing it.

Adult, from around 8 weeks: feed roughly 3 to 5g of a quality pellet or mix per day, about half to one teaspoon, offered fresh daily in a small dish your mouse can clear within a day, with treats, fruit and vegetables added in moderation a few times a week rather than daily.

Fruits & Veggie Guide

Examples, not limited to.

Fruits

Strawberries, kiwi fruit, banana, pear, apple, orange, watermelon, rockmelon, papaya, raisins, tomato, nectarine, peach, plum, honeydew melon, mango, blueberries and apricot.

Vegetables

Pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, sweet potato, cucumber, spinach, romaine lettuce, squash, mustard greens, collard greens, alfalfa sprouts, asparagus and fennel.

Protein & Treats

Cooked chicken including soft bones, beef, tuna, salmon, oysters, shrimp, eggs and small amounts of liver as whole protein sources. Plain cooked rice or pasta, oatmeal, rice cakes, small pieces of cheese, dog biscuits, plain baby food and a small amount of soy milk make good occasional treats.

Avoid Entirely

Chocolate in any amount, since mice metabolise theobromine far more slowly than larger animals and it builds to toxic levels. Excessive cheese, peanut butter (a choking risk), dried corn, iceberg lettuce, orange juice or peel, blue cheese dressing, licorice, rhubarb, potato skins, green or unripe potatoes, poppy seeds and processed junk food. Red cabbage and artichoke can both cause gas.

Dry food works well in a food dispenser or a heavy ceramic dish that won’t tip over, limiting the chance of faecal or urine contamination. A balanced staple diet, fresh water daily and healthy fresh food in moderation together give a pet mouse the best shot at a long, happy life. If you’re ever unsure about a particular food, our Birdsville team is always happy to help.

Fresh water matters more than owners often realise, since plenty of pet rodents brought in as sick turn out to simply be dehydrated. Water should be constantly available and kept free from contamination, and a bottle drinker, available in store at Birdsville, is the best way to provide it. Bottle tubes can clog with food debris, so check them if the water level hasn’t moved in a while.

Salt and mineral licks matter for a mouse’s overall health. How much a mouse actually needs depends on diet, since some produce simply carries a lower natural salt content depending on where it’s grown. Salt and minerals are necessary but need to stay in moderation, which a mouse will generally self regulate by instinct. A lick supports digestion, muscle function, nerves and fluid balance.

New mice benefit from a quiet settling in period, ideally a full day or two with minimal disturbance, before you start handling them. Arriving somewhere new is stressful enough without being picked up on top of it, and rushing this stage tends to make a mouse harder to tame down the track.

Mice are small and quick, so always handle them over a low surface in case they jump or wriggle free. Scoop a mouse up gently with both hands rather than grabbing from above, never lift by the tip of the tail, and support its body fully at all times. Young mice need plenty of time to eat and rest, so keep early handling sessions short.

Handle your mouse regularly, since one that’s rarely picked up tends to stay flighty and can bite out of fear when it’s finally handled. At the same time, don’t overdo it. Mice need proper downtime to eat, rest and feel secure, and constant handling stresses them just as much as too little does. Watch for a mouse trying to wriggle away or hide, and give it a break when it does.

A mouse’s teeth grow constantly throughout its life, and without an appropriate diet and something to chew on, they’ll overgrow. Overgrown teeth can dig into the sides of the face and make normal chewing impossible, and left unaddressed, they can lead to serious trauma, loss of appetite, infection, pain and even death from an inability to eat or drink. Keep a wooden chew toy in the enclosure at all times to help keep this from ever becoming a problem.

Any change in behaviour or appearance is worth noting: going off food, unusual quietness, lethargy, wheezing, a runny nose or eyes, drooling, or noticeable weight loss are all signs to take seriously.

Fairly common in mice, partly because the original breeding stock behind domestic mice comes from lines developed for cancer research. Without veterinary treatment, these can often be fatal. Desexing females significantly lowers the risk of mammary tumours specifically (see Desexing below).

Mice are prone to respiratory irritation and infection, especially in a poorly ventilated cage or one that’s overdue for a clean. Watch for wheezing, sneezing, laboured breathing or discharge from the nose or eyes, and see a vet promptly if symptoms don’t clear up with a cleaner, better ventilated setup.

Coat Dandruff or Fur Loss

Usually points to mites, or less commonly fleas. A regular mite and lice treatment paired with a multivitamin generally brings the coat back to normal.

Weight Loss

Can come from overgrown teeth or a long list of other causes, including cancer, neurological disease, infection, starvation, trauma, stomach ulcers, injury, kidney failure, tumours, dental disease, poisoning or respiratory disease, among others.

Sudden Death Syndrome

Small animals in general are more prone to sudden death than larger ones, and the possible causes span fright, a heart attack, stroke or simply an unknown trigger. A post mortem often comes back with no clear answer at all. No one can guarantee tomorrow for any living creature, but keeping the rest of this guide in mind gives a pet mouse the best odds at a long, healthy life.

Keep a new mouse away from your other pets for the first 4 to 6 weeks after bringing it home. That quarantine period gives any hidden illness or parasites time to show up before there’s a chance of them spreading. Alongside that, treat your mouse with a mite and lice spray every 3 months as a preventative, since pests spread easily even without other pets in the house. Fleas are rare in mice, but if they do turn up, a flea shampoo or powder combined with a full wash of the cage and bedding is the safest way to deal with it.

Bedding left too long between cleans is one of the most common causes of respiratory trouble in mice, since ammonia builds up fast in a small enclosure and irritates the airways well before you’d notice any smell yourself. A full clean at least once a week, with spot cleaning of soiled patches in between, keeps on top of it, more often if you’re housing more than one mouse together. If you do notice a smell, treat it as a sign you’re already behind, not an early warning.

See the Fruits & Veggie Guide above for foods to avoid entirely: chocolate, peanut butter, dried corn and processed junk food are the main culprits. Beyond food, the cedar and pine shavings covered under Best Substrate above are also worth steering clear of, and so are aerosols, candles, incense and fumes from non stick cookware, given how sensitive a small rodent’s airways are. Since mice see poorly, block off any drop offs or open ledges before letting one out for supervised time, and tuck away electrical cords and anything else chewable.

Mice are naturally clean animals that groom themselves regularly, so bathing is never needed and can actually do more harm than good by stripping their natural oils. Nails generally wear down on their own through normal activity, but our team can take a look if you’re ever concerned about them.

Visual Health Checks

A visual health check is a great skill for any mouse owner to build, and it sharpens your ability to notice early if something’s off. Start with a gentle pat from head to tail. Prominent ribs or bones under your fingers are a red flag for being underweight. Check the eyes, nose and mouth for discharge or mucus, and make sure the eyes look clear. We stock some basic medications and our team is experienced with mice and confident at visual checks, but we aren’t vets, so anything needing proper testing, especially something with no obvious symptoms, is one for the recommended vets below.

Please be aware mice sold at Birdsville aren’t DNA sexed. We’re happy to give an opinion on sex and we’re generally quite accurate, we can even show you how we sex them. keep in mind this isn’t a guarantee, since young mice in particular can be genuinely hard to sex.

Holiday Care

Mice need food and water checked daily, so even a short trip away calls for a reliable plan rather than leaving them to fend for themselves. A day or two can work with a generously topped up food bowl and water bottle, but for anything longer, arrange for someone to check in daily, or book a stay at Petsville Hotel (see Boarding below).

Transportation

A small, secure carrier with a little bedding for comfort is all a mouse needs to get from A to B. Plan for the quickest route you can manage, steer clear of a hot car or direct sun the whole way, and treat “just popping into a shop” as no excuse to leave a mouse waiting in the vehicle. If you don’t already have something suitable, our team can set you up with a carrier before you head off.

Mice are prey animals, so keep their enclosure well out of reach of cats, dogs, birds of prey and snakes, and never leave a mouse loose in a room with other pets unsupervised. Introducing a new mouse to existing ones needs care too, since not every mouse gets along, and male mice in particular can fight if housed together without enough space or the right dynamic.

Boarding is available year round through Petsville Hotel (petsvillehotel.com), where you can book your mouse’s stay.

Is it okay to keep just one mouse, or do I need two?

Keeping a single mouse is perfectly fine, since mice aren’t always social by nature and one on its own can be perfectly content. Two mice are no more work than one and can share a cage, though male mice can fight, so that’s worth keeping in mind before housing more than one together.

How big should a mouse enclosure be?

A mouse enclosure of around 60cm wide by 30cm deep by 40cm high works well as a rough guide, though there’s really no such thing as too big. Mice are active little animals that will use every centimetre of space they’re given, so more room, plus space for toys and hides, is always a good investment.

What should I feed my pet mouse?

A high quality mouse pellet or balanced mix should make up most of the diet, offered fresh daily, with fruit and vegetables added a few times a week in moderation. Supermarket mixes heavy on filler and seeds are worth avoiding in favour of a proper formulated diet.

Do you always have mice in stock?

We keep a good range of mouse colours and temperaments on hand at our Alexandria store most weeks, though exactly what’s there shifts with each new batch that comes through. A quick call before you visit is the easiest way to find out what we’ve got if you’re set on something particular.

How long do pet mice live?

Most pet mice live for 1.5 to 3 years with good care, a relatively short lifespan compared to many small pets. A proper diet, a clean enclosure and regular gentle handling all make a real difference to how long, and how well, a mouse actually lives.

Can I board my mouse when I go away?

Yes, mouse boarding is available year round through Petsville Hotel (petsvillehotel.com), a small animal boarding service separate from Birdsville itself. Get in touch through their site to check availability and book a stay for your mouse whenever you’re heading away.

Recommended Vets and Links

SASH, Small Animal Specialist Hospital, 02 9190 6806, Level 1, 1 Richardson Place, North Ryde, sashvets.com

The Wild Vet, 1300 945 3838, 22A Bridge Road, Glebe, thewildvet.com.au

SERV, 02 9436 4884, 57 to 63 Herbert St, Artarmon, exoticsvet.com.au

Southern Cross, 02 9516 0234, 60 Princes Hwy, St Peters, southerncrossvet.com.au

Carlingford Animal Hospital, 02 9871 6036, 772 Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford, birdhealth.com.au

The Unusual Pet Vets, 02 9319 6111, 995 Bourke Street, Waterloo NSW 2017, unusualpetvets.com.au

Birdsville is at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney, and our doors are open any time you have questions or concerns about your mouse. Bring it along if you’d like our team to take a look, no matter where it originally came from. Take a look at our Mice for Sale Sydney page if you’re ready to bring one home, or come meet them in person at Birdsville. If you’re torn between a mouse and a rat, our Rat Care Guide lays out how the two compare.