Researchers from Leiden University have come across a very exciting finding. They have found that the favorite pastime of the wild mice is running on the wheel.

Researchers wanted to determine if wheel running is just a simple behavioural 'artifact of captivity' among lab mice or the activity is exciting for wild mice as well. To carry an experiment, the research team kept many exercise wheels outside in regions where wild mice are quite prevalent.

With the help of motion-activated cameras, they observed the wild mice in those areas. Researchers were surprised to see the level of joy among wild mice during wheel running activity.

Johanna Meijer, a brain electrophysiologist, said it was funny, but important at the same time. She took around 12,000 video clips of different wild mice running. Some of them even returned to the wheel later.

Researchers said they consider wheel running can be linked with captive housing. They did not expect wild mice performing the same in nature. "Yet, here we show that when running wheels are placed in nature, they are frequently used by wild mice, also when no extrinsic reward is provided", affirmed study authors.

Only difference could be wild mice do wheel running in the state of curiosity. But captive lab mice run the wheels as a necessity to get rid of stress from captivity or to maintain an active body. The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.