Playground

Many of you know that I have a playground for my mice, that I use every single day. When I first had the idea, I thought that my mice would just use it for a few hours each day. But I quickly realized that especially the males love to be out for a longer period of time.

The view from my couch

The playground is actually my dining table, that I’ve covered with a towel so they don’t mess up my table, and so it’s not to slippery for them. Unlike hamsters, mice have respect for heights and they don’t just jump off from a table. Mine have never done it, and I’ve had mice for a long time now. Of course you should always be in the same room as the mice, when they are out on the table, because accidents can happen, and it would be really bad if you were gone and your mouse fell down. As my table is in my living room, I always have a view over the table and can keep an eye on my mice.

So why should you make a playground? I find it an easy and fun way to interact with my mice. They love to come out and run around, and they also love to explore me while they are out. I often sit on a chair next to the table, place my knee against the table, and then my mice end up walking onto me. It’s a good way to bond with them, without scaring them by forcing them to come out. It was thanks to the playground that I ended up bonding with Pippin. Because he had the choice to run away if he didn’t want to be near me. He was very afraid in the beginning, so this way I made sure that I didn’t push him too far. But he ended up being really curious, and now he loves to interact with me.

Pippin ready to sleep in hist nest on the table

Pippin loves the playground, and if I’m home all day, then he will be out on the table all day, because the girls only use it for one hour each morning and evening, otherwise they sleep the rest of the day. His cage is open so he can get in and out as he wants to, but he is so comfortable with the playground, that he actually sleeps right on the table, which is very rare as mice don’t like to be too exposed as their instinct tells them, to be aware of birds etc. that might attack them from above.
So Pippin feels very comfortable. And whenever I move just an inch from my couch, he will be right at the edge of the table, begging for my attention. He also follows me around when I walk around the table, just in case I might have something for him. I always say hello to him and let him sniff my hands, to reward him because he wants to be around me. 

When he is begging for attention

It is very easy to make a fun playground for the mice. They love boxes, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls and things like that. Just be aware that they like to push the boxes, and even push them onto the floor. So you need to keep an eye on them, so it doesn’t happen. Otherwise you can use toys that you don’t use in the cage. I have bendy bridges, a wooden house and two wooden playgrounds on my table, because mice love to climb and especially the wooden playgrounds are a big hit here. Use your imagination and make all the toys you want.

Home made digging box

The wooden playground

So I really encourage everyone with mice, to make a playground like this. It’s so much fun to watch them explore everything, and you can really see how much they love to come out and run around. And if you have a male, just let him be out on the table for as long as possible, he will love you for it. But never leave them unsupervised!

Pippin being silly while playing

- The Mouselife