Tunnels for mice: getting around the enclosure safely

A mouse does not like crossing an open space. In the wild it runs along walls, under leaves and through narrow passages, always with something above and beside it. Tunnels give your mice that feeling of protection in their enclosure. They connect the nest with the feeding spot, the running wheel and the climbing corner, so your mice can move around freely and confidently.

In this category you will find tunnels made of bark wood, willow, cork, wood, plastic and fabric, plus bridges and corner pieces that you use as cover. Tunnels work best in an enclosure with a thick layer of bedding. The Zooply bedding that we use every day for our own mice forms, together with the tunnels, a tunnel system that your mice love to potter around in.

In short

• ✓ Put tunnels along the edges of the enclosure and use them to connect hiding places.
• ✓ For mice, choose a narrow diameter, such as 7 to 10 cm; in that they feel sheltered.
• ✓ In a group, provide several routes, so that one mouse can never corner another.
• ✓ Natural materials such as bark, willow and cork may be chewed; check plastic and fabric regularly for gnaw damage.
• ✓ Bury tunnels partly in the bedding; that way real burrows form.

What will you find in the Tunnels category?

Bark wood tunnels

The bark wood tunnels from Trixie, with a diameter of 7 cm and a length of 20 or 30 cm, suit mice well. According to the product information they are made of alder wood with bark, without glue, nails or screws. The short tunnel with holes (15 × 5 cm) is a little roll that your mice crawl through and can look out of. The maze (labyrinth house) and the Multi-chamber House with three chambers are also in this category: in them your mice find several passages and spaces under one roof.

Willow tunnels and corner pieces

Willow tunnels are woven from willow twigs and come in ø 10 × 25 cm, ø 15 × 33 cm and ø 20 × 38 cm. For mice the smallest size is the most sheltered; the larger sizes are also very usable as a cover over a nesting spot. You put the willow corner pieces (20 × 10 × 13 cm and 30 × 20 × 20 cm) in a corner of the enclosure. That creates a screened-off spot where mice can shelter underneath. Willow may be chewed and doubles as chew material.

Cork tunnels

The cork tunnels from Trixie are made of 100% natural, untreated cork, in a size up to ø 14 × 40 cm and a larger one up to ø 19 × 55 cm. Because cork is a natural product, every tunnel differs in shape. Cork is light, feels warm and combines beautifully with mouse scaping.

Bridges

You bend the flexible wooden bridges (22 × 10 cm and 28 × 17 cm) into an arch. That gives you a tunnel, a cover or a walkway to a higher area. The rainbow play bridge (14 × 8 × 7 cm) is a coloured wooden bridge. The bridge with vegetables and nuts (135 grams) is an edible bark wood bridge; see it as a treat and enrichment, not as daily food.

Plastic and soft tunnels

The extendable play tunnel from Trixie (ø 10 cm, from 19 to 75 cm long) creates long routes through a large enclosure or during time out of the enclosure. The Clavio play tunnel from Flamingo (25 × 6 × 6 cm) is made of quilted fabric with two openings at the side and, according to the product information, may be washed by hand. The Relax tunnel from Trixie (ø 15 × 35 cm) has a soft inside and a crinkly outside. For all these tunnels: mice chew plastic and fabric. So check them often.

Underground tunnel and other items

You bury the underground tunnel from Trixie (36 × 17 cm) in the bedding, so your mice can really walk underground. The willow tunnel with hay and carrot (110 grams) is a tunnel that is also a treat.

How do mice use tunnels?

Mice use tunnels in three ways. As a route: they dash through quickly from one place to another. As a hiding place: at an unexpected sound they dive into a tunnel. And as a resting place: many mice sleep in a tunnel during the day, especially if it lies half under the bedding. That means that with just a few tunnels you already have much more life in the enclosure. You see your mice more often, because they feel more confident.

Mice mark their regular routes with tiny drops of urine. That is normal behaviour: it is how they recognise their own paths. That is why they often keep using the same tunnels. When cleaning, do not move everything at once. Leave a few tunnels in their usual place, and the enclosure stays familiar.

What should you look for when choosing?

Diameter

A mouse feels safest in a narrow tunnel that fits snugly around it. A diameter of 7 to 10 cm is pleasant for fancy mice. Wider tunnels are not dangerous, but feel less sheltered. They are handy as a cover or if you bury them halfway.

Material

Mice chew everything. They may chew bark, willow, cork and untreated wood; that is actually good. Plastic and fabric are easy to clean, but get damaged if your mice chew on them intensively. If you see sharp edges, holes in plastic or loose threads in fabric, remove the tunnel. Thin threads can wrap around feet.

No dead ends in a group

In a group of females it is nice if tunnels are open at both ends. A mouse can then always keep going. Long tunnels with one entrance or tight corners give a dominant mouse the chance to trap another. So it is better to put down several short routes than one long one.

How to place tunnels cleverly

Start at the nest. Put one tunnel from the sleeping house to the feeding spot and a second to the running wheel or the sand bath. Put tunnels along the walls, because that is where mice prefer to walk. Do not leave tunnels in the middle of the wet wee spot; they will quickly get dirty and start to smell.

Bury some of the tunnels. With a generously thick layer of bedding you can make a tunnel disappear completely, with only the openings visible. Your mice will make new little passages around it by themselves. A mixture of bedding with some hay or nesting material makes sure self-dug burrows do not collapse straight away.

Turn tunnels into a foraging game too. Hide a few pieces of mouse food or a dried mealworm in a tunnel. Your mice will go and investigate and stay busy for longer.

Cleaning and replacing

When cleaning out, shake tunnels out and remove dirty bedding and food leftovers. Wash plastic tunnels with warm water and a mild product, rinse well and let them dry. Clean natural materials such as bark, willow and cork dry with a brush, or rinse them briefly and let them dry completely. Replace a tunnel if it keeps smelling musty, is soaked with urine or has been gnawed so far that it falls apart.

Useful combinations

Tunnels make the most difference in a fully furnished enclosure. These categories tie in well with them:

• Bedding: a thick layer of Zooply bedding to bury tunnels in.
• Houses: the hiding places that you connect with tunnels.
• Mouse scaping: cork, branches and natural materials to furnish the enclosure as a little piece of nature.
• Dried flowers and grasses: Zooply flowers and grasses to scatter around the tunnels as foraging food.
• Snacks: Zooply insects such as crickets to hide in a tunnel.

Frequently asked questions about tunnels for mice

How many tunnels do I need?

There is no fixed number, but more routes give more calm. In an enclosure with a small group of mice, two to three tunnels are a good start, alongside the houses. Then watch how your mice use them. If they mainly keep walking along one wall, put an extra tunnel or cover there.

Is a plastic tunnel safe for mice?

Plastic in itself is safe and easy to keep clean. Mice do chew on it, though. As long as the tunnel is intact, there is nothing wrong. If you see holes with sharp edges or bits of plastic in the enclosure, replace the tunnel with one made of bark, willow or cork. Those may be chewed.

My mice sleep in the tunnel and not in the house. Is that OK?

That is fine. A tunnel that lies half under the bedding feels like a burrow to a mouse. Put some nesting material nearby as well, so they can make a little nest of it. Do make sure there are still enough other hiding places as well.

Can I also use tunnels outside the enclosure?

Yes, during time out in a screened-off, mouse-proof area, tunnels give support and confidence. The extendable play tunnel is handy for that. Do keep a close eye on your mice: mice are small, fast and squeeze through small openings.

Why do my mice not use the new tunnel?

New things smell strange. Put a handful of used nesting material or old bedding in and around the tunnel, so it smells of their own enclosure. Put it along an existing route, for example against the wall next to the house. Usually the tunnel is discovered within a few days.

When should I replace a tunnel?

Replace a tunnel if it keeps smelling musty after cleaning, if there are sharp edges or loose threads, or if it has been gnawed so far that it becomes unstable. A willow or bark tunnel that is slowly being eaten away has done its job. That is actually a sign that your mice are using it.

Buying mouse tunnels at Knaagplaza

At Knaagplaza, the webshop of 't Knaagplein, you will find tunnels in materials and sizes that suit mice. Combine them with a thick layer of Zooply bedding, our own premium brand that we use every day for our own animals in the shop and the breeding facility. That way, together with your mice, you build an enclosure full of safe passages.