Do Pet Mice Make Noise? How to Stop Them?

For those who are new to mouse keeping, we are here to tell you that mice are not quiet rodents. They can be noisy at times and then you can hear a lot of squeaking from them. This is especially true when you keep more than one mouse in the cage, as they are going to communicate with each other.

And it’s even more true when it comes to mice that are not kept as pets but rather lurk around in your house. They need to signal to each other where the food is and to express different emotions. Sounds generated by mice are all about alternating between different frequencies.

It can be considered as a song with many pitches and lows. They tend to be the loudest when they find some food laying around and try to communicate it to their mates. In this article, we are going to explore all the ways that mice are able to make noises and also explain why they do it.

Why do Mice Make Noise at Night?

Whether we are talking about pet mice or the ones that live out in the wild, they are nocturnal rodents. They are the most active during the night and thus that is when they are making most of the noises as well. You are going to hear a lot of squeaking and scratching during the night.

This is why we don’t recommend you to keep the mouse cage in the room you sleep in or where your children sleep.

It is better to put it somewhere where they can’t disturb anyone. To be more precise, you are going to hear them right after the sun goes down and just before it comes up again.

Those are the timeframes when they are the most active. If artificial light is all they can see, then after you set the lights off and just before you set them on, given that they have a consistent sleeping pattern.

Noises that Pet Mice Make

Mice can chirp and squeak for multiple reasons. For example, the squeaking they perform while mating is rather like a song they sing during that occasion. Other times it can be associated with screaming, which is what little mice do when they are separated from their parents.

Mice can make sounds that us humans can’t even hear, which are called ultrasonic noises. For them, it is all about communicating certain states of mind and expressing different emotions. It can sound like chirping, which is what female mice do when they spend time around other females.

If your mouse starts making infrequent clicking noises, however, then it might be a sign of a respiratory infection or his teeth is too long. There is nothing to worry about because respiratory problems are very common with pet mice and they can be treated easily if you notice them in time.

Squeezing and coughing, on the other hand, is rather a sign of irritation that can lead to respiratory problems in the future. It might be that the bedding is too dusty or the ventilation is poor in the cage or tank. Those are the two issues that are the most common.

Do Mice Make Noise When Breeding?

Mice usually make a squeaking noise while breeding that can be associated with singing a song. For males, this squeaking sound signals how close they are to ejaculation. According to scientists, mice tend to squeak more as their dopamine levels rise.

Dopamine is the chemical their brain produces when they experience a pleasure. It is a reward system in the brain that is responsible for making them feel good and it works similarly to the human brain. You can notice how this works both ways when your mouse starts to be really quiet.

This usually means that the mouse is depressed or suffering from health issues, which is why their dopamine reserves deplete. As a result, they are not squeaking as much.

Do Mice Make Noise When Dying?

People commonly use poison to get rid of mice in their homes. Unfortunately, there is no poison that can kill a mouse in a blink of an eye so they suffer a lot before they die.

While they suffer, they voice their pain by producing squeaking noises as the poison spreads in their system.

The same intense squeaking happens when a mouse gets attacked by a cat or dog. If they are in danger, that is how their signal it. Mice are also capable of communicating the pain they are experiencing with facial expressions.

They can express a wide range of emotions. Thus, they are going to produce sounds when they are suffering too.

Even if your mouse is not dying but suffering from great pain, he is going to produce similar sounds as if he was dying. It is really a matter of how much the mouse is suffering.

If a pet mouse passes away by euthanasia, he would probably not squeak as it offers a painless way to die.

Conclusion

As you can see, mice can be almost as expressive when it comes to communicating different emotions as us, humans. It depends on their dopamine levels and the things they are experiencing each moment. As a mouse owner, you will quickly get used to these sounds, which will make you able to figure out what is the problem.

Most of the time, there won’t be any problem at all. Hopefully, your mouse is going to squeak a lot just because he is happy. It will happen even more if he has some company in that cage. It is also fun to watch interactions between mice, as they are very communicative.

If you form a strong bond with your pet mouse, he will probably try to express his emotions to you as well. They absolutely love to play and it will be easy to determine whether they are in a good mood or not. Either way, mice are fun pets to keep at home and will bring plenty of enjoyable moments into your life.