What Do Mice Eat?

It's true mice will eat just about anything, but you should still give your pets the highest quality diet possible. Your best choice is to feed a commercial block-type or pelleted diet formulated especially for rodents as the base diet, and then supplement occasionally with fresh food.

Recommended Mice Diets

Ideally, you'd want to choose a diet formulated specifically for mice, but most small rodent feeds are formulated for all mice and rats. Higher protein formulas are suitable for growing juveniles up to four months old while lower protein formulas are better for adults.

What Do Pet Mice Eat?

You'll find a variety of mouse diets at local pet stores. However, your choices come down to two main types - seed and pellet mixes or block/pelleted diets.

The Problem With Seed and Pellet Mixes

Many pet mice become ill because they don't receive a proper diet. The seed and pellet mixes sold in most pet stores may technically provide complete nutrition, but that's only if a mouse eats every type of food contained in the mix. Mice tend to go for the tasty seeds first and ignore the healthier pellets included in the mix. The result is that they become overweight when they're fed seed as a steady diet because they receive too much fat and oils, and obesity can lead to a variety of health problems.

Why Block Diets Are Best

According to the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association, block or pelleted diets actually provide the best basic diet for pet rodents. When you feed a block diet, your mouse receives balanced nutrition from every bite he takes, and there is no picking and choosing.

Block diets:

• Provide fiber - Fiber keeps the mouse's digestive system running in good order and helps prevent diarrhea, a common complaint in pet rodents.
• Promote healthy teeth - A mouse's teeth grow continually, so gnawing on block food prevents the teeth from overgrowing and hampering the mouse from chewing normally.
• Result in less waste - Blocks are easier to keep track of and don't get lost and soiled in the cage litter nearly as much as a seed and pellet mixes. Less waste will also help keep your food costs down.

Mice Feeding Amounts

The amount to feed your mouse each day will depend on his size. Smaller mice can eat about 4 grams of food per day whereas larger mice species can eat up to 8 grams. If you have more than one mouse you can multiply by the number of mice to get the correct feeding amount. Ideally, you should scatter their food around the cage so that they have to forage. This allows the mice to do some natural behaviors for enrichment, as well as reduces the chance of one mouse guarding food in one area, such as a feeding bowl, from the other mice. You can also split their food amounts into two each day to spread out their feeding times. Additional treats can be fed daily in very tiny amounts.

Fresh Supplements for Your Mice

A block diet does ensure nutrition, but even mice like a little variety. You can offer your pet small amounts of various veggies and fruits as long as you don't overdo it. Choose fresh foods that are naturally high in fiber.

Safe fresh foods to offer include:

• Carrots
• Peas
• Apples
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Sweet potato
• Cauliflower

Always remove and discard uneaten fresh foods from your pet's cage after one hour.

Foods to Avoid

It's almost as important to know which foods aren't good for mice. You should avoid feeding:

• Peanuts - High fat content
• Citrus fruits - Too acidic
• Onions - Toxic (contain theobromine)
• Garlic - Toxic (contains theobromine)
• Chocolate - Toxic (contains theobromine)

A Healthy Diet Means a Longer Life for Your Pet Mouse

You want your little friend to live as long as possible, and feeding him a truly healthy, well-balanced diet can help make that happen. Just don't forget that hygiene is also extremely important. Always have fresh water available, clean your pet's dishes every day, and keep his cage clean. If you can do that, your mouse may live as long as two years, and that's a ripe old age for these adorable little rodents.