Are pine wood toys safe for mice?

Commercially purchased pine toys labeled for use in mice, rats, and other rodents are safe for mice. Such toys are made from kiln-dried white pine. Fresh pine is toxic to mice (pinecones are also toxic). Do not give your mouse pine branches or pinecones from your yard. Aside from pine, some woods are safe for mice and some are not. Always check before giving your mouse anything made of wood, or stick to specific wood toys made for mice.

What are the safest toys for mice?

Toys made specifically for mice and other rodents are usually safe choices. Other safe toys for mice include homemade toys, such as toilet paper and paper towel tubes, cardboard tissue boxes and even paper and hay, which mice love to use to nest and build.

How do mice like to play?

Mice love to play, especially with other mice they know and get along with. Mice will even play games of chase together. Mice also love to play with toys, including small balls and other toys they can carry and push. Mice love to express their natural behaviors through play, including climbing, exploring, running, chewing, foraging, and nesting.

The 7 Best Toys for Mice

Mice are curious and playful creatures that love to explore, run, and climb, so it's essential to provide them with stimulation. Interactive toys like exercise wheels, tunnels, bridges, hideouts, and chew toys can liven up the lives of your pet mice.

We evaluated toys for mice based on their capacity to stimulate them both mentally and physically, and sought out product recommendations that are high-quality and safe to use. Our favorite mouse toy is an exercise wheel that's appropriately sized for mice (unlike larger wheels for rats, guinea pigs, and other pets) and light enough to make exercise simple. Plus, it's just as silent as advertised. Our other recommendations include products that provide for different forms of stimulus, fulfilling your mouse's need to hide, nest, forage, and chew.

Here are the best toys for mice.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Exotic Nutrition Silent Runner Small Animal Exercise Wheel at Amazon

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Best Tunnel:

Niteangel Natural Wooden Tunnel Tube Toy at Amazon

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Best Exercise Toy:

Ware Flying Saucer Small Animal Exercise Wheel at Chewy

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Best Bridge:

Niteangel Small Animal Suspension Bridge at Chewy

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Best Hideout:

BWOGUE Small Animal Hideout at Amazon

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Best Chew Toy:

Kaytee Lava Block Small Animal Chew Toy at Chewy

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Best Ball:

Niteangel Small Animal Activity Balls at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
What to Look for
FAQ

4.8

Silent Runner

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Exotic Nutrition’s Silent Runner Small Animal Exercise Wheel is a great way to encourage your mouse's need for rigorous physical activity. While there are a lot of exercise wheels on the market, we've found that the Silent Runner is well-adapted for use by mice, particularly its 9-inch, "Small" sized wheel. It's light enough that even young mice will be able to use it.

The Silent Runner is also ideal from the human perspective, since it operates just as silently as its name would suggest using a dual ball-bearing design. It is also made without a center axle, which can reduce the risk of mice getting caught up or tangled while playing.

The wheel measures 10 x 9 x 3.75 inches and features a textured surface, so it’s easy for mice to run without slipping. Plus, there are multiple ways to use the Silent Runner in your mouse enclosure, since it includes both a stand and a bracket for attaching it directly to the cage.

Niteangel Natural Wooden Tunnel Tube Toy

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Mice are naturally curious creatures who like to explore tunnels and small openings. The Niteangel Natural Wooden Tunnel Tube Toy is a great way to encourage your mice’s natural sense of curiosity without worrying about an escape. This natural wood tube measures 7.9 x 2.8 x 2.8 inches and allows your mice to weave in and out of nine different holes drilled in the log. You can fill the tube with treats for an interactive game or watch as your mice use bedding to create a secret hideout. Because it’s made from 100 percent natural wood, it also functions as a great chew toy to help maintain always-growing teeth.

Owners say the Niteangel Tunnel provides hours of play and helps encourage small animals’ natural burrowing instinct. The opening is about 1.5 inches, so it’s perfect for most small mice to run in and out of, but could be a tight fit for larger rodents.

Ware

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The Ware Flying Saucer Small Animal Exercise Wheel is another great way to encourage your mice to run, play, and get rid of excess energy. Shaped like a saucer, this silent wheel has a mostly flat surface and a quiet plastic hub. It’s exposed, so you can see your mouse run from above or the side of their habitat. Because it's a flat surface, this wheel is safe for tails and fur and incredibly easy to clean. It comes in small, medium, and large, but medium is the right size for most mice.

Niteangel

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The Niteangel Small Animal Suspension Bridge is a great addition to any habitat and allows your mouse to move between levels easily. Made from small wood sticks and flexible wire, this bridge measures 21.8 inches long and 2.8 inches wide. It can be bent and shaped to fit a variety of spaces and habitats and has two small hooks on either end for easy installation. The real wood is great for encouraging chewing and shaping teeth, but also means you'll need to keep an eye on it to make sure it's still safe to use after being chewed on.

BWOGUE Pet Small Animal Hideout Hamster House

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The BWOGUE Pet Small Animal Hideout encourages a mouse’s sense of exploration and curiosity. Made from wood, this small house has two levels and multiple nooks and crannies for your mouse to explore and play. It can be folded down for storage, and it’s lightweight and easy to clean when necessary. It promotes nesting habits in your mouse, and is a great way to encourage your pet to build his own little getaway.

The hideout measures 6.7 x 3 x 5.9 inches and each hole is roughly 1.5 inches wide. Reviewers say it’s large enough for up to three small mice and is a great way to encourage bonding between your pets.

Kaytee

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Though you probably already provide a well-balanced diet of mouse pellets and fresh produce, a great chew toy is essential to maintaining a mouse’s health and well-being. The Kaytee Lava Block Small Animal Chew Toy is an affordable option that provides entertainment while helping to keep your pet’s teeth clean. Chewable from all sides, this volcanic rock and wood chew trims teeth and promotes oral health. It has a variety of textures to keep your mouse interested and engaged for days. Each block measures 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches and is made of all pet-safe materials, so you don’t have to worry about harming your tiny friend.

Niteangel Small Animal Activity Toy, Fun Pet Balls

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Many mice are drawn to chasing small objects, so pint-sized balls can be a perfect toy for a playful mouse. This trio is made of chew-friendly, all-natural materials, so your mouse can roll them around and nibble on them, and you won't need to worry about the materials being safe to ingest.

The balls are on the bigger side, measuring 2.6 inches each, but reviewers say their mice still love playing with them and chewing on them. The variety pack is especially useful for pets who are easily bored since it provides plenty of textures to choose between.

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Final Verdict

Safe, large and quiet, Exotic Nutrition’s Silent Runner Small Animal Exercise Wheel is ideal for all mice to encourage exercise and play. The BWOGUE Pet Small Animal Hideout is another excellent choice, as it provides opportunities for multiple types of natural play behaviors, including climbing, exploring and nesting.

Variety

Select several types of toys that stimulate different natural behaviors of mice. For instance, choose a running wheel or saucer for running, a tunnel or hideout for hiding and nesting, a bridge or rope toy for climbing and balancing, food toys for foraging, chew toys to help wear down teeth, and small toys to carry and throw.

Safety

Make sure any toys you purchase are made with safe materials intended for mice or other small pets. Wood toys are great for chewing, but certain woods are not safe for mice, so always double-check before giving specific woods to your mouse. Running wheels should be as large as possible (preferably 8 inches or larger) so mice don’t bump their noses or tails while running. If given a too-small running wheel, mice might compress their bodies and run in an unnatural position, potentially causing injury.

FAQ

Are pine wood toys safe for mice?

Commercially purchased pine toys labeled for use in mice, rats, and other rodents are safe for mice. Such toys are made from kiln-dried white pine. Fresh pine is toxic to mice (pinecones are also toxic). Do not give your mouse pine branches or pinecones from your yard. Aside from pine, some woods are safe for mice and some are not. Always check before giving your mouse anything made of wood, or stick to specific wood toys made for mice.
What are the safest toys for mice?

Toys made specifically for mice and other rodents are usually safe choices. Other safe toys for mice include homemade toys, such as toilet paper and paper towel tubes, cardboard tissue boxes and even paper and hay, which mice love to use to nest and build.
How do mice like to play?

Mice love to play, especially with other mice they know and get along with. Mice will even play games of chase together. Mice also love to play with toys, including small balls and other toys they can carry and push. Mice love to express their natural behaviors through play, including climbing, exploring, running, chewing, foraging, and nesting.