Mice love food and will often eat anything they can get their tiny paws on – and that includes meat.
Yes, mice eat meat. Contrary to what TV would have you believe, these furry rodents don’t subsist on a diet of cheese only. After all, they’re opportunistic omnivores, which means they feed on a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, seeds, and meat.
But should your pet mouse eat meat? What are the benefits and dangers of feeding your little friend meat?
Why Meat is Good for Mice
Meat is a good source of various nutrients essential to the survival and continued good health of mice. These nutrients include the following:
Protein
The best reason to feed mice meat is the fact that meat is far richer in protein than most types of foods.
Like all animals, mice need protein for the development and maintenance of strong, healthy bones. This means protein plays a key role in healthy growth, making it particularly important for young mice. Without protein, a mouse will be prone to bone breakage. A young mouse may even suffer from stunted growth.
This nutrient also builds and repairs tissues, keeps the fur and skin healthy, and provides mice with energy. A mouse that doesn’t get enough protein can experience fur loss, patchy skin, weakness, and slower wound healing.
Additionally, protein supports healthy reproduction and lactation. Therefore, a lack of protein can result in decreased reproductive efficiency as well as a reduction in a mother mouse’s ability to care for her young.
Protein has even been observed to reduce weight gain in young mice.
Vitamins and minerals
Meat is loaded with a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
For example, meat contains vitamin B12 a.k.a. cobalamin, which is necessary for the formation of DNA and red blood cells. It’s also crucial for the development and function of brain and nerve cells.
Meat contains iron, which is a core element of hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen from a mouse’s lungs to all other parts of its body. A lack of iron can lead to a reduction in the number of red blood cells; as a consequence, a mouse won’t have enough oxygen traveling throughout its body, resulting in fatigue.
Another crucial mineral meat supplies mice with is zinc. This is a key player in cell growth, protein formation, DNA creation, healthy immune function, the healing of damaged tissue, and enzyme actions necessary for many significant biological processes.
Raw vs. Cooked Meat
So we’ve established it’s good for mice to eat meat. But should they eat meat raw or cooked?
Raw meat
Raw meat is bad for mice.
This is because raw meat may contain bacteria known as Escherichia coli (E. coli), which can cause your pet mouse serious health issues and even death. Raw meat may also be home to Salmonella, another dangerous bacteria species.
Raw meat is also very likely to trigger an allergic reaction in a mouse, which may manifest in the form of skin irritation.
Raw meat is tough for mice to digest, which can result in diarrhea and stomach upsets.
In addition, raw meat is generally high in fat. Feeding a mouse raw meat frequently can increase the risk of obesity, which in turn is associated with serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
Cooked meat
Cooking meat solves many of the issues described above.
For starters, subjecting meat to high temperatures kills any bacteria that can harm your pet mouse.
It also drastically reduces the chances of the meat causing an allergic reaction, softens the meat to make it easier to digest, and lowers the meat’s fat content.
If you want to keep your diminutive friend safe from the adverse effects of consuming raw meat, make sure to cook any meat you plan on feeding it.
However, it’s also important to make sure you cook the meat properly for your pet. This brings us to…
Cooking Meat for Mice
When cooking meat for mice, make sure not to use any ingredients such as salt, sugar, herbs, spices, oil, or fat.
Such ingredients can make a mouse ill. For example, sugar can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea and stomach upsets. Its long-term effects are even worse, as it can make your mouse grow obese and therefore make it more susceptible to dangerous chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
Spices and herbs such as onion and garlic, on the other hand, are extremely toxic to mice. Even a small amount of these ingredients can cause severe illness and, in the worst of cases, death.
In short, cook meat as plainly as possible to make it safe for your pet to ingest.
You should also slice meat up into tiny pieces to make it easier for a mouse to eat and digest. If your pet accidentally swallows a large chunk of meat, it can end up choking on it. And as mice lack the ability to vomit, your little friend could suffocate and die.
The Types of Meat Mice Can Eat
So we should cook meat before feeding it to mice. But what kind of meat can our rodent pals consume?
Chicken and turkey meat
Cooked chicken is among the healthiest meats you can give a mouse. Chicken meat contains an abundance of protein, granting your pet an energy boost and the building blocks its body needs to stay in excellent health.
Turkey meat is also good for mice, though not as good as chicken.
Insects and worms
Insects are rich in protein and easy to digest, making them great options for mice.
Many pet stores sell insects you can feed your mice. Good examples are mealworms, which come in live and dry varieties. Either variety is good for mice.
As wild insects may be carriers of disease-causing pathogens, avoid catching them to feed to your pet. Stick to insects available at pet stores!
Gastropods
Mice also enjoy chowing down on protein-rich snails and slugs, both of which can be purchased at pet stores.
As discussed above, it’s not a good idea to feed mice any creatures, including gastropods, caught in the wild.
Fish
Believe it or not, mice can also eat fish! Just make sure to bake it, remove its bones, and cut its meat into small pieces.
The Types of Meat Mice Can’t Eat
Avoid feeding your pet processed meat, as this normally contains ingredients, such as salt and seasonings, that are unsafe for mice – sometimes even in tiny amounts.
Most processed meats, for example, are loaded with salt. Ingesting an abundance of salt can cause severe dehydration, blindness, deafness, muscle paralysis, and ultimately death if you fail to get your pet any veterinary help.
For this reason, don’t give your pet mouse the following foods:
- Bacon
- Cold cuts
- Jerky
- Salami
- Sausages
We also don’t recommend feeding mice red meat, as this is tougher to digest than poultry such as chicken or turkey.
Other Foods Mice Can Eat
In addition to meat, your pet mouse can eat various fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
Fruits
Mice can eat and benefit from the nutritional value of various fruits, including:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Berries
- Mangoes
- Melons
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Pears
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Tomatoes
- Watermelons
Before feeding your mouse any of these fruits, make sure to wash them thoroughly and remove their pits or seeds. Also, keep these fruits fresh and raw.
Don’t give your pet acidic fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapes, and raisins, as these may trigger some extreme allergic reactions in mice.
Vegetables
The following vegetables are not only delicious but also nutritious for mice:
- Arugula
- Beans
- Bok choy (and other Asian greens)
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Capsicum
- Carrots
- Celery
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Curly kale
- Endives
- Parsley
- Peas
- Shallot
- Snow peas
- Zucchini
Before feeding your mouse any of these vegetables, make sure to wash them thoroughly. You can also chop them up into smaller pieces to make eating them easier for your pet. Also, make sure these veggies are fresh.
While mice eat all sorts of vegetables, they prefer the crunchier varieties as these help them keep their incisors from growing too long.
Seeds
Your mouse will enjoy dining on the following seeds:
- Birdseed mix
- Millet
- Oats
- Sunflower seeds
As such seeds are high in fiber, we recommend occasionally feeding them to your pet. Fiber can keep a mouse’s digestive system healthy to prevent issues such as diarrhea and constipation.
Keep in mind, however, that different mice have different preferences when it comes to seeds, so your pet may eat some kinds but not others. For this reason, you should gradually introduce seeds to your pet.
FAQs About Meat for Mice
Let’s answer some other questions about meat for mice!
Should pet mice be fed meat?
While meat is good for mice, it’s not absolutely necessary to add chicken, turkey, insects, gastropods, and/or fish to their regular diet. This is because commercially produced, vet-approved mouse food already contains the nutrients found in such meat. Some types even contain meat.
You can include the aforementioned meats to your pet’s diet to add variety to its meals and give it a health boost. However, it’s a good idea to consult a veterinarian before doing so, as they can determine whether or not your pet needs such supplements.
Can mice eat rotten meat?
Wild mice eat rotten meat, so surely pet mice can do so, as well?
The fact is wild mice eat rotten meat only because food is hard to come by in the wild. As such, they eat whatever they can find, even if it’s not the healthiest option for them.
As the owner of a pet mouse, however, you have the opportunity to provide your mice with safer, healthier, and more delicious options.
As wild mice are used to eating filthy foods, they also have hardier digestive and immune systems that protect them from suffering myriad health issues.
In contrast, pet mice don’t enjoy the advantages of having a sturdier stomach and immune system. For this reason, they’re better off eating fresh foods.
Can eating meat make your mouse stinky?
Feeding your pet mouse too much protein and unhealthy edibles such as junk food can make mouse poop stinky.
To prevent smelly poop, give your mouse only healthy foods. You should also ensure its diet consists of no more than 50% protein.
Conclusion
Yes, mice can eat meat! Mice don’t just feed on plant matter; as omnivores, they eat both plant and animal matter. In fact, meat is good for mice as it’s an excellent source of protein and other essential nutrients, including iron, zinc, and vitamin B12.
However, it’s important to know what types of meat mice can eat. They can, for instance, eat chicken, turkey, gastropods, and some insects safely, whereas red meat and processed meat can make them ill. It’s also essential to cook poultry and fish before feeding it to your pet, as such meats, if eaten raw, can cause a mouse various health problems.
Don’t forget to feed your mouse fruits, vegetables, and seeds, as well!