What’s the Deal With Mice?

Over the course of a year one female mouse can have upwards of five thousand pups which is alarming to any home or business owner. I know what you’re thinking, how does one female mouse give birth to this many mice in a single year? Well, it’s not just one mouse we are talking about. For instance, one mouse usually has a litter size anywhere from   3-13 with an average liter size being anywhere from 6-8. Now, if all 13 of those mice are all female then… well, I will let you do the math. To make a long story short, mice can reproduce exponentially.

Mice in the Wild

In the wild, the average mouse does not usually live longer than one year; but in your home or business,  it can live up to three. Outside mice like the comfortability of dense vegetation, leaf litters, tall grasses, tree cavities, unused automobiles or equipment or even storage sheds. No matter where they live on the exterior of your home it does not trump living inside the sweet, warm, and easily accessible home or business that has plenty of food. To them, human shelter is like staying in a five star hotel with unlimited room service.

How Much Do Mice Eat

Mice also don’t need much food to survive only consuming up to one gram a day. This is such a minuscule amount of food compared to the food debris they can easily find foraging through the darkness of the night. To put it into a more appealing perspective, this is a little less than two pistachios a day. On top of that mice do not need much water to survive. Thats right, mice already have the upper hand when it comes to survival compared to us humans, which need about half a gallon of water on a daily basis to avoid dehydration. Mice generally get their water from the food they consume, however, this does not mean they will not consume water if readily available.

Mice in the Winter Months

It may seem the winter months tend to make matters with mice worse; forcing them inside. Mice are busy all year round and are always looking for a cozy place to stay that has a food source away from natural predators. This is because mice prefer temperatures any where from 86-90 degrees Fahrenheit. It may seem like mice always want to get into your home or business mainly because of the warmth, but it is also because food sources dwindle down when snow fall or the colder weather comes along. Many mice actually prefer to live outdoors believe it or not, but their little bodies need a safe haven to survive until spring rolls back around.