Best mouse toys??

Question

the cage is 16"L x 10.5"W x 11"H.

whats the best toys that you would recommend that wouldnt take up too much room and mice really enjoy. =]

Answer 1

Anything they can explore, chew, climb into or on top of.  Our little ones enjoy small cardboard boxes, tubes (including toilet paper rolls), chew treats (from the pet shop), an occasional nut in its shell etc.  We also give them *lots* of bedding so they can burrow if they want.

Most mice I've lived with have loved running in an exercise wheel, but our current girls mostly ignore theirs.  If you give yours an exercise ball, make sure it won't open by accident (we tape our hamster's ball shut when he's in it).

You could also try hanging treats on a cord in the habitat.  This gives them a challenge & lots of mice enjoy climbing up the cord.  Just make sure everything is non-toxic & doesn't have sharp edges or corners.

Mice are wonderfully active, curious & athletic, & it doesn't take much to keep 'em happy.

Answer 2

Being honest, your cage is very small - if you could get a bigger one that would be much better and you would have more room for toys.

Generally speaking, the best toys are those that allow the animal to exhibit its natural behaviours.

Natural behaviours of mice include: nestbuilding, chewing, running and climbing, hiding, foraging etc.

So here are my enrichment ideas:

Nestbuilding:

Nesting material. As well as normal shredded type stuff, you can also provide anything that is paper or cardboard based, such as cardboard boxes and tubes, egg box, newspaper, kitchen towel etc. The mice will probably rip these up to make their own nesting material.

Chewing:

Safe wooden or seed based chew toys, cardboard and paper stuff etc. I gave my mice a hay igloo and hay tunnel and they LOVED these! They destroyed the igloo in about two weeks.

Running, climbing etc:

Bigger cage, climbing toys (eg hanging parrot toys from the roof, ladders etc) and a running wheel (solid!).

Hiding:

Any sort of contained area - eg tubes and tunnels, empty cardboard boxes, commercial hidey houses (plastic, wooden etc), flower pots etc.

Foraging:

This is the big one as it really helps to keep them occupied! Ditch your food bowl and scatter feed instead. Mix the feed into the bedding so the mice have to forage for it. Try sticking bits between the bars of the cage, or hiding bits in the toys. Maybe put some food into a cardboard tube then stuff the ends up with nesting material, or inside a closed cardboard box. Anything that makes them "work" for their food is good.

Hope this helps!