Pet mice keep me up at night

Question
I recently got two female mice that get along very well. I
have no problems with them, except that they seem to be most
active as I'm going to sleep at night. This is a little
distressing, because I may be living with a roommate who may
not find the noise charming when we try to sleep.

To help with the noise, I take the wheel out at night. But
obviously, they still tend to do mousey things like fix
their bed and feed pretty loudly.

My question is, would I be able to cover them at night with
a thick blanket to keep out the noise? I don't want to suffocate them, but there is no other place to keep them and
I need my sleep.

Also, is there anyway to tweak their sleeping schedule to be
more conducive to mine?

Thanks!

Answer
Dear Brooke,

Mice are nocturnal, which means they are supposed to be awake at night. If you take out the wheel they won't get enough exercise. Covering them with a blanket will be too stuffy. Unfortunately, you are a bit stuck. There are very quiet wheels-- for instance the Silent Spinner.  But there are no quiet mice. Quiet as a mouse is a fable : )).

One option is to get a white noise machine. These machines make a sound that keeps you from hearing light background noise and they help people to sleep. You may be able to find a CD or radio alarm that has this option. Often there are other options as well, such as light rain or a waterfall.

I have had mice in my bedroom for 37 years and I can even sleep through a squeaky wheel or wheel hitting something. But it took my partner quite a while to be able to sleep through their night noises. Now he is fine though. But if you have a roommate, hopefully that person will love mice.

Wish I could help more!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha