Homemade Mouse Tunnels

Mice make wonderful pets, especially for kids who want a furry, entertaining critter to love and parents who want something that requires little care. Mice are active animals that like to burrow, chew and climb, and they need a place to sleep and eat. Create entertainment -- such as a mouse tunnel -- from recycled materials. Mice like small spaces to hide, sleep and explore. If their whiskers can feel the walls, they seem to feel safe and secure. Be more creative than simply fastening several paper towel cardboard rolls together so you can see what the mouse is up to.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 heavy-duty cardboard tubes, about 10 inches long and 1 1/2 inches diameter
  • 3 clear plastic water bottles, including at least one large one
  • Exacto knife
  • Straight edge
  • Nontoxic glue
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out a circle in the bottom of the large plastic bottle just big enough to insert a cardboard tube. Cut off the top so you can insert a tube.

    • 2

      Create a flap door about 2 inches wide by slicing three sides of a square shape in the side of the bottle.

    • 3

      Cut the tops off two more plastic bottles, leaving the bottoms solid. Poke air holes in all three bottles.

    • 4

      Slit each tube from end to end using the straight edge and exacto knife. Cut a piece along the slit so about a 1/2-inch gap runs the length of the tubes.

    • 5

      Cut two long strips of clear plastic from another water bottle about 1 inch wide. Cut the strips to the length of the tubes, and glue them to the edges of the 1/2-inch gaps. These are the viewing windows.

    • 6

      Once the glue is dry, insert the tubes in the bottom and top of the cut water bottle and glue them into place. Insert the other end of one tube into the second water bottle but don't glue it.

    • 7

      Put the mouse into the third water bottle and insert the end of the other tube into the bottle so he can't escape when it's time to play.