House mouse
Scientific name: Mus musculus
IUCN listed as: Least Concern
Learn before you visit!
Here are some facts about the species – Discover what they eat, find out about their natural habitat, see what they like to do, and more… Set the reading style to suit you too, everyday speak or something aimed towards children.
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Diet
House mice are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. Their diet typically includes seeds, grains, fruits, and insects. In urban environments, they can also consume human food scraps and garbage. This adaptability in diet helps them thrive in various environments, from fields to homes. Their foraging habits can impact agricultural production and stored food supplies.
House mice eat seeds, grains, fruits, and insects. In cities, they also eat food scraps and garbage. This varied diet helps them live in many different places. They can even impact farms by eating stored grains.
Breeding
House mice breed rapidly, with females capable of producing multiple litters each year. A typical litter consists of 4-12 pups, and gestation lasts about 19-21 days. Newborns are blind and hairless but grow quickly, becoming sexually mature at around six weeks of age. This high reproductive rate enables house mice to quickly colonise new areas. Their breeding success is a key factor in their status as a common pest.
House mice have lots of babies quickly. A mother mouse can have 4-12 babies at a time, and they grow up fast. Baby mice are ready to have their own babies in just six weeks. This helps them spread quickly in new places.
Habitat
House mice are highly adaptable and can live in a wide range of environments, from forests and grasslands to urban areas. They often inhabit human structures such as homes, barns, and warehouses, where they can find food and shelter. Their ability to thrive in diverse habitats contributes to their widespread distribution. However, they are often considered pests due to their tendency to invade human spaces and contaminate food supplies.
House mice can live almost anywhere, from forests to cities. They often live in homes, barns, and stores where they find food and shelter. This ability to live in many places makes them common everywhere. But, they can be pests because they get into food supplies.
At the zoo
In zoos, house mice are often part of educational exhibits showcasing common urban wildlife. They are kept in enclosures that mimic their natural environments and are provided with a diet similar to what they would find in the wild, including grains, fruits, and occasional insects. These exhibits help educate the public about the role of house mice in ecosystems and their interactions with humans. They are easy to care for and breed, making them a staple in many educational programmes.
In zoos, house mice are shown in displays about city animals. They live in homes that look like their natural places and eat grains, fruits, and insects. These displays teach people about how mice live and their impact on humans. Mice are easy to take care of and help with learning.
Behaviour
House mice are nocturnal and highly social animals. They live in colonies with a clear social hierarchy and communicate through a variety of vocalisations and pheromones. Their behaviour includes foraging for food, building nests, and grooming. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, which aids in their ability to explore and inhabit various environments. Their social and adaptable nature makes them one of the most successful mammal species.
House mice are active at night and live in groups. They talk to each other with sounds and smells. They like to explore, climb, and swim. Their social life and ability to adapt help them succeed in many places.
Fun facts
- House mice are excellent climbers and swimmers.
- They can reproduce rapidly, with females having several litters each year.
- These mice communicate using a variety of sounds and scents.
- They are found worldwide, thriving in both wild and urban areas.
- House mice have been used extensively in scientific research.
- They are great climbers and swimmers.
- Female mice can have many babies each year.
- Mice use sounds and smells to talk to each other.
- They live all over the world, in both nature and cities.
- Scientists often study house mice in labs.
More animals to discover at our zoo
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