Do Mice Live Alone? Are Mice Happy To Live Alone?

image of two pet mice

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For many people the question ‘do mice live alone?’ will probably be one that they just wouldn’t ask.

After all, mice are thought of by many as nothing more than vermin that they’d rather not think about at all.

This isn’t, however, the case for everyone as mice have become a rather popular pet.

Fancy mice can live alone but it is not recommended for females. They can become lonely and depressed when living solitary lives and really do not like it. Males, on the other hand, are best kept solitary and certainly don’t require other mice to socialize with.

In fact, male mice living on their own will often develop an incredibly strong bond with their owner.

can mice live alone Pinterest image

Friendly, fun, active, and clean (contrary to popular belief) the mouse can make a rather wonderful pet that will give you hours of enjoyment.

They are highly intelligent, can perform a lot of tricks, and develop strong personalities of their own.

In their natural habitat mice do not tend to live solitarily. Both outdoor and house mice, rather, tend to live in sociable groups.

This is why when they invade your home they are rarely found alone. This does not help answer our original question, however, as pet mice are not the same as wild.

Scientifically, pet mice are known as ‘Mus Musculus Domesticus’ or more commonly ‘fancy mice’.

You can easily tell them apart from their wild counterparts due to their amazing colors, shiny coats, longer bodies, and varying eye color.

Pet Mice Living In A Group

As you can imagine from the information we have already shared, pet mice being in a group is not as simple as just putting a few in a cage.

You have to be careful about the choices you make to ensure a happy environment.

Keeping All Females Together

As extremely social animals an all-female group of mice is ideal. They will live happily in pairs, trios, and even small groups just as long as there is enough space in their cage.

There are no issues with introducing female mice to one another, and they bond very quickly.

Keeping All Males Together

As previously mentioned males cannot be kept in a group. They are insanely territorial and incredibly aggressive towards one another.

If you want to keep multiple males, they must all have their own cages. You should also not allow male mice to play together when exercising in a play area.

Keeping Females And Males Together

Mice breed incredibly easily and before you know it, the number of babies you have will be out of control. You must be acutely observant when keeping a male and some females together, as they have also been known to fight.

If you see blood drawn, you must separate the fighting pair immediately.

It is, however, possible to let a male and females play together for short periods as long as they are well supervised.

a group of fancy mice
A group of fancy mice.

Suitable Living Conditions For Mice Alone Or In Groups

Of course, cage size will vary dependent on the number of mice you are housing. However, as a guide, a two-foot square cage will be ample for a group of two to six females.

This cage should also have multiple levels for them to explore which also increases the actual floor space.

We like this cage which is available from Amazon. It has multi-levels and is spacious and looks fun!

Though both glass aquariums and wire cages are suitable for mice, a wire one is definitely preferable. This is due to the fact that ammonia and other fumes will build up far quicker inside a glass aquarium.

Also, wire cages give your mice something to climb on and make it easier for you to affix platforms, toys, and furnishings.

Do Mice Live Alone? Are Mice Happy To Live Alone? 1
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Speaking of toys etcetera, since mice are active and love to play there should be plenty of items in their cage for them to play with and on. Exercise wheels, wooden blocks, houses, ladders, ropes, and willow balls are all excellent choices.

Mice also need substrate and a place to nest within their cage. Wood shavings (avoid cedar and pine) will easily suffice to cover the bottom of the cage.

Either hay or nesting material (woolly bedding) can also be dotted around for nesting.

Substrate and nesting material will need to be changed on a fairly frequent basis. However, as mice really need to mark their territory you should always leave a little bit behind so their scent remains.

We use Carefresh Bedding for all our small pets as this type of bedding helps remove unwanted odors.

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  • DRY – 2X more absorbent than shavings
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How often you will need to clean out your mouse’s cage will vary dependent on how many mice you keep. As a guide, a small group of females will require weekly maintenance with a thorough scrubbing and disinfecting approximately once a month.

Conclusion: Can pet mice live alone and are they happy doing so?

If one thing is certain it is that unless you want lots, and I mean lots, of mouse babies, males and females should never live together whether they would be happy in this scenario or not.

You should keep the two sexes separate from one another in order for them to thrive.

Male groups are also certainly a no go area with their tendency to fight. Keep them solitary in order to keep them happy.

Females, on the other hand, well a bit like human women, enjoy the company of others and won’t be happy without it.


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