House Mouse
Facts
-
Description
- House mouse are generally smaller weighing about 12 to 30 grams and up to 20 cm length.
- Light grey to light brown with a lighter belly.
- Droppings are rod-shaped with pointed ends about 3 to 6 mm in length.
-
Life History
- Females can produce 3-14 (6-8 on average) pups every 20 days, with 5-10 litters per year.
- Life expectancy is about 2-3 years.
- Short maturation time of about 35 days and high reproduction rate enable rapid infestation.
-
Damage
- Feed mainly on grains, meat products, insects, and cereal but it will eat almost anything available.
- Can transmit diseases, contaminate food, and damage food packaging.
- Although more commonly active in the evening, it is possible to see a house mouse roaming in your home during the day.
- Can use any opening, such as utility lines, pipe openings, and gaps beneath doors, to gain entry into a home.
- Often leave behind footprints or tracks on surfaces; a four-toed front foot and a five-toed back footprint is a clear sign of house mouse sighting.
- Shavings and debris is often the first indication of damage. Teeth and gnaw marks can also be found along the edges of frequently traveled routes, on the corners of objects or creating openings into an area.
- To prevent mice from entering the home, all cracks, crevices, holes and gaps larger than a pen cap should be sealed with cement or a mixing compound. Not advised to use wood as they can chew through the wood.