How to Play with and Provide Enrichment for Mice

Mice may be small, but they are bursting with energy, intelligence, and curiosity. In the wild, they spend their time exploring, climbing, foraging, and digging — and pet mice are no different. To keep them mentally and physically healthy, it's essential to provide enrichment and play opportunities that mirror these natural behaviours.

In this blog post, we’ll cover how to play with your mice, types of enrichment to include in their setup, and simple ideas to keep your furry friends active and engaged.

Why Enrichment Matters

Enrichment is about more than just toys. It’s the practice of creating a stimulating environment where your mice can express natural behaviours. Without it, mice can become bored, stressed, overweight, or even depressed.

Benefits of proper enrichment include:

• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Increased activity and exercise
• Better physical health
• Enhanced social interaction
• Fewer destructive behaviours

How to Play with Your Mice

Mice are fast, delicate, and often more enjoyable to watch than to handle — but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun interacting with them.

Building Trust

Before you begin playtime, help your mice feel safe and comfortable:

• Spend time near their cage each day
• Speak to them softly so they become used to your voice
• Offer treats from your hand to build confidence
• Allow them to approach and climb onto your hand voluntarily

Interactive Play Ideas

Free-roam exploration
Set up a mouse-proofed playpen or use a dry bathtub lined with a towel. Add tunnels, chew toys, and hideouts for them to explore under supervision.

Hand games
Let them climb over your hands, arms, or lap. Keep movements gentle and slow, and avoid picking them up from above, which can be frightening.

Maze running
Create a maze from cardboard boxes or plastic tubes. Place a small treat at the end to encourage problem-solving.

Follow the snack
Use a sunflower seed or oat on a spoon and gently move it across the floor or along your hand. This can help build confidence and curiosity.

Always supervise playtime, and ensure the area is secure and free from wires, drops, or gaps where a mouse could escape or get injured.

Enrichment Inside the Cage

A well-designed cage environment should be full of opportunities for exploration, climbing, chewing, and nesting.

Cage Enrichment Essentials

Tunnels and tubes
Provide a variety of cardboard tubes, plastic tunnels, or flexible tubing. Rearrange them regularly to create new routes.

Climbing structures
Ropes, ladders, wooden branches, and platforms make excellent climbing opportunities and maximise cage space.

Exercise wheel
A solid-surface wheel (minimum 20 cm diameter) gives mice a safe way to burn off energy.

Chew toys
Offer items like apple wood sticks, cardboard boxes, coconut shells, or untreated pine blocks to help keep their teeth trimmed.

Nesting materials
Provide plenty of soft, safe materials like shredded paper, hay, or tissue for building nests.

Dig boxes
Fill a small tray with soil, coconut fibre, or shredded paper to encourage digging.

Hideouts and shelters
Cork bark, cardboard houses, wooden hides, or ceramic tunnels give your mice a place to feel safe and relaxed.

Feeding Enrichment

Feeding time is a great opportunity to add enrichment:

• Scatter feed across the cage instead of using a bowl
• Hide treats in cardboard tubes or under bedding
• Use puzzle feeders or small treat balls
• Bury seeds in a digging tray

This mimics natural foraging behaviours and keeps their minds active.

Rotating Enrichment

Mice quickly become familiar with their surroundings, so it's important to keep their environment fresh:

• Rotate toys and accessories weekly
• Rearrange cage furniture regularly
• Introduce new textures and materials
• Offer seasonal treats or safe herbs for variety

Even small changes can reinvigorate their interest and prevent boredom.

Final Thoughts

Mice are intelligent and active animals that thrive in a well-enriched environment. By offering a range of toys, textures, and challenges — both inside the cage and during playtime — you’ll support their wellbeing and deepen your bond with them.

With a little creativity and commitment, you can turn your mice’s world into an exciting space full of fun, comfort, and adventure.