House Mouse
Scientific Name:Mus musculus
Fun Fact:
Mickey Mouse was the first mouse character to be used in childrens cartoons and animation. Other mouse characters popular with kids are Speedy Gonzalez, Stuart Little, Itchy from The Simpsons and Tom from Tom and Jerry.
Lifespan: Less than 1 year
Description
The House mouse is a small rodent with a pointed snout, small rounded ears and a long hairless tail. Even though it is a wild animal, it primarily lives in association with humans.
House mice can grow to be 8 inches long including tail. They are light to dark brown in the wild but the colors in domesticated mice can range from black to champagne. Short fur covers the body with the exception of the ears and tail which have very little hair (fur). They are herbivores and like to eat all kinds of fruit and grains from plants.
House mice usually run, walk, or stand on all fours, but when eating, fighting, or orienting themselves, they rear up on their hind legs with additional support from the tail – a behavior known as “tripoding”. Mice are good jumpers, climbers, and swimmersMice can jump vertically up to 18 inches and their voices are defined as high pitched squeaks. They are most commonly found in homes, commercial structures as well as agricultural areas and open fields.
House mice are generally poor competitors in the wild and in most areas cannot survive away from human settlements in areas where other small mammals, such as wood mice, are present. It is reported that mice sleep up to 12.5 hours a day. If 2 or more males are placed in a cage, they will often become aggressive with each other unless they were raised together from birth.
Where do mice live?
Mice are so adaptable that they can comfortably live anywhere from deserts to apartment buildings. Mice take advantage of anywhere that has adequate space for them and an easily available food source. Human living conditions are attractive to mice because they provide the basics that mice need to eek out a living.
Reproduction
Female House mice have litters approximately 3 weeks after mating. They give birth to between 3 and 14 young. Mice populations increase rapidly because one female House mouse can have 5 to 10 litters a year which is upwards of 140 babies. The babies reach maturity at 6 weeks and the whole cyle starts over again.
Baby House mice, called pups, are born blind and have no fur or ears. They open their eyes 2 weeks after birth. Ears are developed by day 4 and fur begins to appear about 6 days after being born.
Other Interesting House Mouse Facts
- House mice are the most commonly used mammalian laboratory animal, due to their relatively close relationship, and associated high shared ancestry with humans, their ease in maintenance and handling, and their high rate of reproduction
- House mice like to build their nests near food sources. They will seldom travel more than 25 ft. to find food.
- House mice eat up to 20 times a day
- The mouse is a delicacy in eastern Zambia and northern Malawi, where they are eaten as a source of protein
- House mice are nocturnal. They have poor eyesight but compensate with excellent senses of hearing and smell
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