Key Features of Mice
The mature House Mouse is a small and slender rodent which measures, excluding the tail, between 1 and 2 inches long. It is characterised by large ears, a pointed nose and small eyes. The House Mouse has a long tail which is at least as long the head and body combined and its fur is nearly always light grey or brown in colour.
The presence of House Mice is usually detected by the presence of dark coloured droppings, damage to food products and damage to packaging or building fabric. The House Mouse, and sometimes the Long Tailed Field Mouse, venture into properties to seek warmth, shelter and to create a nesting site.
Biology
Mice become sexually mature in eight to ten weeks and have the ability to multiply at a frighteningly fast rate. A pair of mice can produce as many as eight litters each of 16 young per year.
They are exceptional climbers and can squeeze through very small gaps. They also have a compulsive need to gnaw in order to keep their incisor teeth worn down to a constant length. To achieve this they will nibble on anything that they can. Because of this Mice can seriously damage water and gas pipes, electric cables, packaging and food products. This can be potentially disastrous as many instances of electrical fires and floods have been attributed to them.
On average mice will shed 70 droppings during a period of 24 hours and will frequently urinate to ensure that its territory is successfully marked.
Mice will not take repeated meals from any single item as they are often erratic, sporadic feeders. The moisture that they obtain from their food sources is usually enough to ensure that they do not need to find a water supply.
Mice can contaminate far more food than they consume and they are capable of carrying many diseases, in particular food poisoning.
