Do Mice Need to Drink Water?

Yes, they do!

You should always have a fresh supply of water available for your mice. Mice can die without fresh drinking water, even in a short time period.

There are two ways you can provide them with water in their cages:

Water Bottles

I covered the best water bottle on the accessories page. Water bottles are commonly used with most small pets and rodents, they simply attach to the side of the cage and hold enough water for days if necessary.

I advise changing the water every other day for fresh. When first introducing a bottle keep an eye on your mice to make sure they can use the bottle too.

There is usually a ball bearing at the bottom locking in the water. As the mouse licks the ball bearing it spins round and lets enough water out for them to drink.

Keep the bottle clean and with fresh water and there shouldn’t be any problems. Mice love using water bottles and it keeps their cage clean and dry.

Water Bowl

The other option is a water bowl. The advantages to a water bowl are that the water is even more easily accessible, and if you have several mice they can all drink at once.

The disadvantage is that unless you have a heavy bowl the mice might turn it over from time-to-time and make a mess.

A lot of less expensive bowls tend to be made from thin plastic, I advise avoiding these as mice will start chewing through it at some point. Buy a ceramic or metal bowl instead.

There is also the problem of bedding getting flicked into the water. You will be changing the water daily anyway so it’s not a huge problem, but expect some soggy bedding to make its way in and out of the bowl.

How Often Do Mice Need to Drink Water?

You should be making water available to them 24/7 so it doesn’t really matter how often they drink.

All mice are different, some will take sips every few minutes, while others will visit the water bottle for a big drink less often.

As long as there is water available and they are comfortable knowing there is always water available they will drink as often as they need to.

Don’t panic if you don’t see your mice drinking or if you think the water isn’t going down much. Mice are survivors, they will drink when they need to.