What does the house mouse look like?
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The House Mouse, Mus musculus, is small (100ml) and has rather large ears, a pointed snout and tail as long as its body. They can live indoors and out, those that live indoors are usually darkish grey with a lighter grey on their belly, while those living and nesting outdoors are a more light sandy yellow-brown colouring. They tend to live for about 1 year and the female may have 6-10 litters in that time (each with 5-6 young). Young mice may take as little as 6 weeks to reach reproductive adulthood.
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House Mouse
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Where do they come from and what do they eat?
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The house mouse can access buildings through holes and cracks as little as 7mm in diameter (size of a pencil) and often will do so in adverse weather conditions, in search of warmth, food and shelter. Mice are generally regarded as omnivorous in their feeding habits, feeding on a variety of foods including nuts, fruits, grains, meats, dry cereals and animal feed. Mice feed mostly around dusk and during the night, but if the area is relatively undisturbed, they may feed during the day as well. Even though they do not directly consume large amounts of food, damage due to gnawing, nibbling and contamination with urine and faeces can be very serious.
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Mouse heaven
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Why are they considered a pest?
Some of the diseases transmitted to humans by the house mouse are, choriomeningitis, mild meningitis, weil’s disease, infectious jaundice, tapeworm and salmonella (food poisoning), just to name a few. Mice in buildings pose a serious threat to human health. The disease threat alone justifies the need for the implementation of positive pest management procedures.
How do I know I’ve got mice?
- Evidence of small pointed droppings (3-4mm).
- Damage to food and foodstuffs from feeding and gnawing.
- Damage to non-food items e.g. plastics, wiring and storage materials.
- Run marks on surfaces from continual contact of dirty greasy mouse fur.
- Visual sightings of the actual pest.
What can I do about an infestation of mice?
- Implement high standards of hygiene, sanitation and housekeeping practices.
- Store all food and foodstuffs in rodent proof containers and limit the use of cardboard and cardboard boxes for storage.
- Keep all waste and garbage in sealed containers and dispose of daily.
- Carry out building alterations to prevent their entry (e.g. sealing cracks, crevices, holes and other potential entry points with durable, rodent resistant materials.
- Set baits or traps if you think the problem may get out of control.
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