Suitable Housing for Pet Mice- How to Set It Up Easily at Home.
When it comes to mouse housing, bigger isn't always better—at least, not if it's an open, barren space. Mice are prey animals, and they naturally seek out cluttered, enclosed environments where they can hide, tunnel, and feel secure.
A good setup isn’t just about floor space—it’s about how that space is used. The ideal mouse enclosure offers plenty of depth for bedding, multiple hiding spots, and enrichment opportunities that let them express natural behaviours like nesting, chewing, and climbing.
Minimum Space Guidelines
A pair of mice should have a base of around 60 x 40 cm, but more can be accommodated if the enclosure is well-filled with enrichment and hides. Open, sparse cages can cause anxiety and stress in mice. Think jungle gym, not empty warehouse.
Easy Enclosure Options
Modified glass aquariums, bin cages, or secure barred cages (with bar spacing under 0.6 cm) can all work well.
Make sure there's good ventilation and no exposed areas where mice feel vulnerable.
Provide vertical space with hammocks, ladders, ropes, and multiple levels if possible.
Must-Have Enrichment
Fill your setup with:
Deep bedding (pine shavings or paper-based bedding)
Toilet rolls, egg cartons, tunnels
Wooden chews, paper nests
Ropes, hanging toys, and climbing branches
Plenty of hides, including cardboard boxes and igloo-style shelters
A well-set-up mouse enclosure mimics the complex, secure environment mice would seek out in the wild—and creates a happy, curious, confident little companion for you.
We’ve included some pictures of our setups used in the mousery, they can be easily DIY’d with limited tools, I use a drill, wire cutters and some good old zip-tie engineering!
These are an example of bin cages for solo males.
This is ideal for a small group of females or a “maternity bin”.
They love clutter! When I clean the bins I scatter food around for them to find. Simple things you can use to enrich your mouses environment include – modified plastic flower pots, egg cartons, cardboard rolls/toilet rolls, rope hanging from the lid of the bin cage.
Links for bin cage making:
Storage bins: These come in a range of sizes, no cutting of the plastic is required just a drill to makes some holes and the zip tie the mesh on where the window is!
Mouse Mesh: This is the most expensive part of bin cage assembly, but is necessary to keep mice safely contained. You only need a very small amount.
You can use pretty much any zip ties that fit through the holes you’ve drilled. There are of course neater looking ways to do this, but if you’re not much of a builder (like me) then this is a great easy way to produce a functional bin cage that’s convenient to clean.
A range of suitable ropes (for climbing) in varying thicknesses are available at Bunnings also which you can hang from the lid of the tub.