Are Pet Mice Nocturnal? Are They Active at Night?

You are not going to see a pet mouse being too active during the day. They are nocturnal rodents, meaning that they are the most active during the night. If they wake up during the day, it usually means that they are hungry and going to go right back to sleep after they have finished eating.

For mice, it is just as important as it is for us to have healthy sleeping patterns. Based on the current lighting, they are able to sense whether it is time to sleep or not. Now the obvious downside of mice being nocturnal is the fact that they might be noisy while you sleep.

This is why it is not such a great idea to keep them in the bedroom or in the children’s room. People usually place the cage in a room where they can’t hear their mouse. In this article, we are going to answer a few questions regarding the sleeping habits of pet mice.

Will Mice Sleep All Day Long?

If it is not too noisy around their cage, pet mice are going to sleep pretty much all day. They are going to go to their little hiding place in the cage and only wake up to drink or eat. Mice had developed to be this survival type out in the wild.

Under the cover of the night, they have plenty of time to move while being safe from most predators. That is when they climb, swim, jump and do whatever it takes to get some food and shelter. Building a nest and hiding throughout the day is their specialty.

Should You Wake Up a Sleeping Mouse?

You can either wake up your pet mouse or wait for the moment until he gets up himself to get some food. Waking up your mouse is not a big deal but don’t expect him to be too active. Just like us humans, mice also don’t like to be waken up.

If you wake up your pet mouse, he is probably not going to be in the mood to play. If you have some spare time, then wait until the evening. Your mouse is going to be full of energy after a long day’s sleep.

Do Pet Mice Make Noise at Night?

Pet mice make a lot of noise throughout the night because that is when they are the most active. This kind of excludes them from bedrooms because you are not going to be able to sleep much. They wake up and get to work immediately, as they need to exhaust the energy they have accumulated.

Out in nature, wild mice get up and continue their journey after a long day’s sleep. They go as far as they can in order to get the resources they need. Pet mice are also full of energy but they are restricted to a cage. This is why they need running wheels, bridges, ladders, tunnels and such.

They need to get rid of that excess energy and it all happens during nighttime. Before you buy a pet mouse, you need to take their noisiness into consideration as well.

How to Get Your Pet Mice to be Quiet at Night?

Unfortunately, there is very little you can do when it comes to getting your pet mice quiet at night. It is a part of their nature to dig into the bedding, rearrange stuff, jump, climb and squeak at night. If you notice this, you should be happy about it because it means that you have a healthy little mouse.

It also means that your pet has a healthy sleeping schedule. If your pet mouse is not in the mood to do anything, it usually means that there is an underlying health issue. You can either try to get used to the noise or move the cage to another room where you can’t hear it.

There is also the option to make some slight changes in the cage setup. For example, plastic containers can block out some of the noise. You can also buy a quiet running wheel so that you can’t hear when your pet is running in it. Or, you can simply use earplugs and then your mouse can do whatever he wants to.

Can You Teach Your Mouse to Sleep at Night?

Mice are very intelligent and you can teach them tricks. You can also try to change the sleeping schedule of your pet but we don’t recommend it.

This can be done by leaving a light in the cage during the night and keeping them in a dark room throughout the day. However, you have to be consistent and on-point to guarantee a healthy sleeping schedule this way.

Another method is to gently wake them up in the morning and reward them with food if they stay awake. Your pet mouse is not going to want to sleep at night right away but you can try to change his sleeping schedule gradually.

It is all about waking your mouse up in daylight and rewarding him every time he is active and awake. Meanwhile, you need to minimize stress by not handling your pet and keeping things quiet around the cage. Once you notice that your pet gets tired and goes to sleep at night, reward him when he wakes up.

If you do this every day, your mouse can get accustomed to sleeping at night.

Wrapping Up

We can conclude that while pet mice are nocturnal rodents, this can be changed by consistent effort. However, it still has to be noted that this goes against their nature. You can try this at home but it is best to keep it as is and just let them be active at night.

They can be very noisy indeed, but there is always a solution to this problem. First off, you can keep them in a room where you can’t hear them while you sleep. There are also some cage adjustments that can be made and you can buy quieter accessories as well.

Either way, make sure that your pet mouse has a healthy sleeping schedule and it is going to be fine.