Our recommended minimum cage size for up to a quad of mice is 80x50cm of unbroken floor space. Larger groups will require more space. Below is a selection of cages which meet or exceed these requirements. Some will need additional mesh adding if the bar spacing is wide or if you are housing young mice. Where possible you should always seek to exceed the minimum size recommendations!
Availability of good minimum sized cages can be limited at times, so we would recommend checking second hand selling sites too such as Facebook marketplace, Shpock etc. We may also occasionally have 2nd hand set-ups and accessories available for sale via our online shop.
Standard pet shop sawdust and woodshavings are not recommended as these can cause respiratory issues. Paper, cardboard, hemp, aspen or dust-extracted kiln-dried pine shavings such as Pureflake Extra are suitable alternatives. Cardboard is our favourite substrate for mice.
Most mice will enjoy a wheel to run in, and we advise that you include one in their set-up. You should ensure it is large enough so that the animal does not have to arch their back when running in it:
Mice – minimum wheel diameter 20cm
Mice are opportunistic omnivores so do best on a good quality food mix containing a variety of ingredients. We don’t recommend feeding pellets alone as this provides zero variety – selective feeding isn’t an issue if the mix is scatter fed across the enclosure.
Good options for mixes are:
Ratrations Isa-Mix 11 (with some insect protein fed alongside, or added in)
Ratrations No 9 (has a nice variety of smaller sized ingredients so easier for mice to eat and also includes more protein than Isa-Mix 11)
BeriMix
Erins Ark Mouse Mega Blend (with some insect protein fed alongside, or added in)
Getzoo Color Mouse
Our mice are fed on a mix from ratrations.com and crushed up Science Selective Mouse pellets alongside small amounts of safe veg, fruit and occasional mealworms etc.
Treats and chews can help with bonding and enrichment, but should only be fed occasionally. Here are some of our favourites:
Mice are very busy animals and enjoy having lots of enrichment to explore in their enclosure. They love clutter rather than wide open spaces! The ideal setup should include:
- Ropes
- Tunnels
- Multiple hides
- At least one wheel
- Branches (you can collect safe branches yourself such as hazel, apple, hawthorn, willow, birch or purchase dried branches from pet stores)
- Bridges
- Seed sprays
- Nesting material (teabag bedding or shredded loo roll)
- A decent depth of substrate for burrowing in
- Different textured substrates to explore – coco soil, coco chips, beech chips, moss, etc
Here are some photos of some of our own and our adopters’ set-ups to give you some inspiration! Also check out our pinterest board below for more ideas.
