Biology and behaviour
House mice can live and breed in houses, buildings and other structures such as garden sheds which give them protection from the cold and wet weather. They also provide them with the three essentials for survival – food, water and shelter. Although an abundant supply of food is preferable, house mice can survive on relatively poor diets, eating between 3 to 4 grams of food a day. They can survive without access to free water, obtaining their daily needs from their food.
The ideal environments for house mice are spaces free from disturbances and close to food and water. They are extremely good climbers, climbing walls, pipes, cavities and ducting. They have very hard incisor teeth, which can penetrate materials such as concrete, lead and aluminium. This can result in expensive damage and even fires when electric cables are damaged.
House mice like to know the area where they live and will familiarise themselves with their home surroundings; in most cases activity will be restricted to a radius of up to 10m. They use the same familiar pathways, producing smears by the continual rubbing of their fur against surfaces.
In urban areas, house mice are able to breed throughout the year, producing between 5 and 10 litters each of about 4-8 young. They can live for more than two years, though the average life span is about 10 months.
House mice are inquisitive animals with irregular and unpredictable feeding habits. They will feed from numerous different sites each night rather than one or two sites close to their nest. House mice will feed on almost anything, but generally prefer cereal-based foods such as grass and canary seed. In some urban areas they have become unable to digest cereal-based food, preferring high protein foods instead. These house mice have been termed "behaviourally resistant" because their avoidance of normal foods seems to be genetically based.
How to prevent infestations
- Don't leave open food out in the kitchen overnight
- Don't leave uneaten meals intended or a pet cat or a dog in dishes out overnight
- Empty food waste bins in the kitchen frequently
- Place food in rodent proof containers
- Empty bins regularly, ensure that spillages and refuse is not allowed to accumulate in the yard or garden
- Seal structural defects in the house to prevent mice gaining access to your home (mice can squeeze through gaps in excess of 5mm)
- If signs of infestation are noticed such as fresh mouse droppings, gnawing marks, smears, take immediate action to control the infestation
- If treating an infestation of mice by yourself don't leave mouse bait down for extended periods – remove as soon as the infestation has been controlled. If control is difficult to achieve contact Bury Metro Pest Control Unit for further help on 0161 253 5353
- If a baiting programme is to be successful it is vitally important to maintain an uninterrupted supply of bait available for the mice. This can be achieved by ensuring that all revisit appointments made with Pest Control are kept.
- Do not interfere with or reposition any bait stations laid as part of a treatment programme and keep children and pets away from bait stations at all times
- Further advice and assistance can be obtained from the Bury Metro Pest Control Unit
