Toy Suggestions

Pinkythemouse

I feel like my mouse is bored does anyone have any good suggestions of toys I could get for her. Any non toxic
because she is a chewer

AnnB

Welcome to the forum Pinky.

Female mice are usually very sociable so in an ideal world she would have the company of other mice. (Males on the other hand can fall out with each other and it's very difficult to keep a group of males together.)

You can certainly help to enrich her environment by providing cardboard tubes and egg boxes that are safe for her to chew. A decent sized wheel or flying saucer usually goes down well with mice if you don't already have one. Hammocks may not be such a good idea if she is liable to chew them but those plastic sputnik houses make a good alternative. You could wrap treats up for her in tissue so that she has to spend time unwrapping them herself and also, let her have as much free range time with you as possible.

Kawaii

1. Plastic tubes tied onto the cage with metal wire.

2. Hammocks and 'socks' out of anti-pill/polar fleece - is pretty indestructible, if the chins can't destroy it then I'm sure a little mouse won't manage it.

3. Bigger cage. Not saying yours is too small but bigger is always better.

4. Play pen.

5. I hide my hamsters' muesli in monkey nut shells, scatter it around the cage or bury it in their sand. Maybe an idea?

6. Apple sticks. You can buy them or make your own, if you're interested I'll tell you.

Crittery

Welcome to the forum!

Good suggestions above - second the company one, that's very important for the girls.

Can you get hold of cotton pods? those always seemed to go down well with mine :)

BaggyMousers

Oooh, how do you make your own apple sticks for the hams Kawaii?  #:-S

Kawaii

1. Cut into appropriate shapes. I do sticks or coins usually.

2. Scrape off any visible moss or similar. I've never had to but if there's mud then scrub this off (don't use soap or any cleaning products though, just hot water).

3. Boil for at least 15 minutes - that's the minimum. I tend to do at least half an hour though.

4. Bake at 200C (again that's another "minimum" - some people do longer, and you can do it hotter as well) until the sticks are dark on the outside and a dry, crisp white inside. They should be brittle and completely dry,but not so overcooked that the bark is black or charred. When baking time really depends on the thickness of the wood. "Twigs" take about 2 hours, but thicker pieces I've had to leave as long as four or five hours. Never ever give wet sticks to an animal so if in doubt just leave it to cook longer.

All my critters love the bark - I guess it tastes the strongest? - but if they chew off the bark then you can  dye the inside of the stick with no added sugar food dye (apparently).

Ellazoo

I make metal chew proof fleece covered choobz!

www.etsy.com/shop/etsy 

zany_toon

Welcome to the forum Pinky :)

Mine love little piñata type toys - you can make your own using strips of card, paper mache type things or by putting a couple of your mouses favourite treats into a little cardboard box with scraps of paper :) If you attach them to the bars of the mouse cage with a bit of natural rope (like hessian) it can keep mice occupied for ages :)

Summergirl

I make all kinds of buildings, with first floor, second floor, etc. I use Jenga blocks to sturdy the walls and as stilts so they can go underneath the building. I use cardboard walls with windows and doors cut out. I use pop-sickle sticks to make the roofs, and than I make ladders up to the second floor and top of the houses or "condos", as I call them. I also make bridges from house to house, so they can run around and still have the bottom of the cage to dig freely.

I shred paper, newspapers, or typing paper for the base. They like to carry these strips to their houses and fill them up, covering the door and windows from intruders (like me?)

MouseLover

Summergirl - your buildings sound amazing. Any chance of a picture? :)

Summergirl

I don't have any pictures of the entire setup, but here is one of the condos before I put it in the cage.

MouseLover

Ooh that looks cool!

Sarahnash

Wow, a lot of work went into that! Looks really good.

Harlequinn

My past mice have enjoyed a toilet tube with treats, a bit of nesting material, and the ends folded so they have to really work to get the goods. Also a paper bag with nesting material and treats and the top folded shut was a huge hit. I haven't had a chance to try these with my new girls but I am currently building a house/swing/jungle gym out of wooden sticks for the girls.