Rodents - Mice
The house mouse is the most commonly encountered and economically
important of the commensal rodents. They are not only a nuisance, but
they damage and destroy materials by gnawing, and eat and contaminate
stored food. They are also of human health importance as carriers of
disease. The house mouse is found worldwide and throughout the United
States.
The adult house mouse has a head and body length of about
2 1/2" - 3 1/2" with its tail being an additional 2 3/4" - 4" long. It
weighs from 1/2 - 3/4 ounce. It has a smooth fur coat that is usually
dusty gray above and light gray to cream colored on the belly. Colors
will vary from light brown to dark gray above.
The house mouse has a pointed muzzle, small eyes and
prominent ears. Its feet are short and broad. The tail is uniformly
dark and semi-naked. Droppings of the house mouse are about 1/8" - 1/4"
long, rod shaped and have pointed ends. They can be distinguished from
cockroach droppings because they lack the ridges which are prominent in
cockroach droppings.
The house mouse exhibits many signs of infestation:
- gnaw marks (new marks rough - old are smooth from wear)
- droppings (fresh are soft, moist - old are hard and dry)
- tracks (4 toes front feet - 5 toes hind feet, both about same size)
- rub marks (small, greasy marks, hard to notice)
- burrows (soft materials, openings free of dust or webs)
- runways (frequent same paths along walls or stacked goods)
- damaged goods (prefer seeds or cereals)
The house mouse is a prolific breeder. It can reach sexual maturity in
35 days. Pregnancy lasts about 19 days. The young are blind and naked,
except for vibrissae (long whiskers). They are weaned in about 3-4
weeks. Life expectancy is normally less than 1 year.
The size of an average litter is 6 young, with the potential
for about 8 litters per year. A female can have a litter about every
40-50 days. More than 1 litter may be present in the nest at the same
time. Each female will average 30-35 weaned per year.
Mice have excellent senses, except for sight. They are color
blind and can see clearly for only about 6". They are excellent
climbers and can run up walls which have rough surfaces. They are able
to swim, but seldom do. They are able to jump about 12" high and can
jump down about 8' without injury. They can survive in temperatures as
low as 14°F. They can run horizontally along pipes, ropes and wires.
A house mouse needs about 1/10 ounce of dry food per day and
about 1/20 ounce of water (which is normally taken from the food
source). It will produce about 50 droppings per day. Over a six month
period, a pair of mice eat about 4 pounds of food, produce about 18,000
droppings and excrete about 12 ounces of urine. The most common way
they transmit disease is by contaminating food with their droppings and
urine.
Mice are very social. Related males and females are
compatible, but unrelated males are typically aggressive. They maintain
a territory with the boundaries marked by urine. Territory size varies,
but is usually very small. If food and water are plentiful, they may
never venture more than 4-5 feet from their nests. Seldom will they
travel more than 15 feet away. Mice are very inquisitive. They are
likely to explore new things very quickly.
The house mouse is a nibbler. It eats only a small amount of food at
any one time or place. They will eat many kinds of food, but prefer
seeds. They feed mainly at dusk and just before dawn, but will nibble
frequently in between. They sample new foods, but will return to old
sources unless the new food is preferred. Required moisture is obtained
from their food, but they will take free water when available, with a
preference for sweetened water over plain water.
The house mouse prefers a nesting site that is dark, where
there is abundant nesting material nearby and where there is little
chance of disturbance. Nesting materials include paper products,
cotton, packing materials, insulation, fabrics, etc. They will nest in
almost any concealed space, such as walls, cabinets, furniture or
stored products. They require an opening of 1/4" to gain entry and are
nocturnal in habit.
Allgood Pest Solutions provides Pest Control and Termite Control
for Georgia including Atlanta, Marietta, Kennesaw, Alpharetta, Roswell,
Duluth, Suwanee, Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Dalton, Macon, Dublin,
Sandersville, Vidalia, Douglas, Savannah, McRae, Milledgeville,
Swainsboro, Brunswick, St. Mary's.
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