5 Interesting Facts About Mice

In this way, mice are kind of the opposite of humans. Whereas humans can go a long time without food but only a few days without water, mice can only last two to four days without food — but quite a while without water. There is mostly because they have really fast metabolisms and burn through so much energy so quickly. Also, a lot of the foods they eat are quite moist, so they can get enough moisture to survive without actually drinking.

Keep this fact in mind if you're trying to rid your home of mice. If you're able to completely get rid of their food source, you can effectively starve them out. Eliminating sources of moisture, like leaky pipes, is of secondary importance.

When you see a mouse in your house, you should assume there are more where it came from, and you should also take action quickly. If you wait even a few weeks, the mouse population will have grown exponentially!

Mice have about eight to ten litters of pups per year; each litter has four to seven pups. So a single female mouse will give birth to up to 70 pups in a single year. Since mice start breeding when they're just a few months old, many of those 70 pups will be having their own offspring by the end of the year, too.

Homeowners often report that they found a black mouse, white mouse, or gray mouse — they figure that the color of the mouse's coat is an important factor in determining what kind of mouse they have. But actually, house mice come in an array of colors. Most are the classic gray-brown with lighter bellies, but if you find a black, white, silvery gray, or pale brown mouse, it's probably still just an average house mouse.

You might think of spring as the season when animals are breeding and pests become a big problem, but actually, mice are more of a problem in the winter. There are two reasons for this. When temperatures drop, mice seek shelter from the cold. They move from the fields and woods into houses, sheds, and garages. Mice also breed more in the fall, so their population spikes going into winter.

If you've had problems with mice in the past, keep a close eye out for signs of them as fall rolls in. Fall is also the time to start sealing off cracks, making sure food is put away, and taking other steps to make your home less appealing to mice.

If you find fleas in your home but you do not have pests, keep a close eye out for signs of mice. Many mice are infested with fleas, and they can bring these fleas into homes. The fleas may linger in carpets and on furniture. For this reason, you should treat your home for fleas and take measures to get rid of mice at the same time.

Now that you know a little more about mice, you'll be able to act appropriately if you find one in your home. Contact the experts at Bobby Grisson's Pest Management for reliable rodent control services.