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Store-bought Food
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Pre-prepared foods contain a wide variety of grains and protein. Most pet stores will stock a variety of different food for rodents. The pre-mixed food or "chow" can contain grains such as barley and millet for fiber and carbohydrates; the protein element typically includes beans and soy, although this can vary widely. A high-quality mouse food forms a good basis for the mouse's diet, but it is not healthy or even fair to the animal to give it nothing else.
Vegetables and Carbohydrates
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Mice enjoy crunchy vegetables like broccoli and cabbage. Like any omnivore a mouse requires the full range of food types to get a good balance of vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates. Making food for your pet mice can be fun and it makes life more interesting for the animals. They will eat most kinds of vegetables but often enjoy crunchy food such as celery and broccoli. They also enjoy fruit, again with some crunch, like a piece of apple. For carbohydrates pet mice can eat stale bread or even cooked pasta. It is best to avoid vegetables that contain too much acid, such as onions.
Protein
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Some mice enjoy live meal worms. For protein you can feed pet mice things like hard-boiled egg or cheese but you should never feed them raw meat. Mixing the food yourself can be fun, using any of these ingredients. You may wish to bind the food together with molasses or egg, for example, but loose mixes are just as good. In the wild mice often have to catch their own prey, and so sometimes they enjoy live food like meal worms, which can be purchased from most pet supply stores, or even live garden worms. Not all mice are the same, though, so you may need to experiment with your ingredients a little to see what your pet likes.
How Much and How Often
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Mice come in different sizes, and some of the larger species, such as fancy mice, can eat as much as 8 grams of food per day. Smaller mice may only need 4 or 5 grams. It is best to feed your pet twice a day, but do not be tempted to top off the bowl if it is only half full, as the mice may not be hungry and the old food may spoil the new.
Liquids
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For liquids, you can just give your pet mice water in a rodent water bottle to prevent the water from becoming spoiled by food or mess. These pet bottles are available at pet stores and are the standard way of watering small caged pets. Pet owners should change the water regularly, at least three times a week, to keep it fresh.
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What Do Domestic Mice Eat?
Mice are omnivores, which means that they can eat a wide range of foods. It can be tempting to feed mice store-bought pet food every day, but it is far better to vary their food and give them treats. Different foods help with their development, contentment and all-round health. In addition, rodent teeth never stop growing so they need to chew and nibble to keep their teeth from becoming too long.