Can Pet Mice Eat Meat? Is Meat Safe for Fancy Mouse?

Mice are omnivores, meaning that besides fruits, vegetables and seeds they are also going to eat meat. There are commercially made mouse foods that contain plenty of meat. Including meat in the main diet of your pet is not crucial but it definitely adds some variety to it.

The main benefit of meat is that it contains a lot of protein and some minerals as well that are beneficial for your pet mouse. But you need to be careful because feeding them raw meat can be dangerous. It has to be prepared in the right way.

Of course, you will also need to slice it up into small pieces so that your pet can eat it easily.

Why You Should Avoid Feeding Raw Meat?

Raw meat can potentially contain e-coli bacteria which can cause serious health problems to your mouse. While cooked meat won’t trigger any reaction, eating raw meat can often trigger allergic reactions in pet mice.

We can also say that raw meat is much worse on the digestion of your mouse than cooked meat for the same reason. These reactions can manifest themselves as diarrhea or skin irritation. These two are the most common when pet mice eat raw meat.

Is Cooked Meat Safe for Pet Mice?

Cooking the meat that you want to feed to your pet mouse is actually how you need to prepare it. But don’t do it the same way as you usually cook meat for yourself. Mice don’t need any added salt or spices. They just need the cooked meat itself, sliced up nicely into tiny pieces.

Chicken is one of the healthiest foods you can prepare for your pet mouse, but only if you cook it. It contains a lot of protein which will give a huge boost of energy to your little pet. By cooking the meat, the chances of your pet getting an allergic reaction is minimized to zero.

The point here is that you need to consider how the digestive system of mice works. They can easily digest seeds, vegetables and fruits. Red meat falls off the charts by a huge margin when it comes to their ability to digest it.

We cook meats because doing so makes it much easier on our stomach and it works the same way with mice.

What Type of Meat do Mice Eat?

Mice can eat various types of meat. As we mentioned above, one of your best choices is to cook some fresh chicken meat. If you happen to have some turkey at home, you can prepare that too but chicken is a slightly better option.

Another great source of nutrition for mice is dried mealworms. A single dried mealworm is likely going to be enough for your pet mouse as a single meal. It is a great source of protein and also goes easy on their digestion. The same goes for snails as well, which can be bought at pet stores.

Wild mice are not really choosy. They are constantly on the lookout for food and if they find some meat, they are going to eat it without a second thought. For them, it is rather a question of survival because food can be scarce in the life of a wild mouse.

If the meat they find doesn’t contain any additives, then it is completely safe for them to eat whatever type of meat it is.

Can Pet Mice Eat Processed Meat?

Processed meat is completely out of the question for pet mice. If you find some salami, sausages or something similar at home, don’t fall for the temptation of giving it to your mouse. Other processed meats to avoid include bacon, cold cuts and jerky.

If these meat products would only contain meat and nothing else, it would be okay to feed them to your mouse. But since they always contain salt and other seasonings, they are toxic even if you prepare a tiny amount for your mouse.

Does Meat Make Your Mice Stink?

When it comes to diet and pet mouse odor, the answer is really simple. What goes in, must come out. If you feed your pet mouse junk food, then you are going to eventually smell something bad when he goes to the toilet.

Including a variety of meats in the diet of your pet mouse also means that you keep him on a high-protein diet. Feeding your mouse too much protein is not only unhealthy but also makes the smell of the waste they produce much worse.

This poor smelling can be easily avoided if you make sure that their diet consists of up to 50 percent protein. If it is more than that, then you need to prepare for those bad smells.

Do Wild Mice Eat Rotten Meat?

Wild mice are constantly on the lookout for foods and they don’t have the luxury to choose. They are going to eat anything they can find. This includes various kinds of rotten foods, including the rotten meat they can find in your garbage can.

The fact that they are scavengers since the time their species have developed made their digestive system incredibly strong. We, humans, are not accustomed to eating expired or rotten foods. Those would make us sick and we can’t even stand their taste.

For wild mice, eating such rotten foods is a means to survive.

Conclusion

Pet mice not only can eat meat but it is the type of food you should probably include in their diet. After all, variety is key when it comes to planning a comprehensive diet. Mice need a source where they can get their daily protein from and preparing some chicken meat for them is always a good idea.

There are other healthy meats to prepare that we mentioned above and unhealthy ones as well. One of the biggest enemies of mice are the seasonings and aromas that processed foods contain. As long as you avoid feeding them those foods, you are going to greatly contribute to the well-being of your little pet.