New Category

Similar Pests:
House Mouse
Northern Long-eared Bat
Little Brown Bat
Indiana Bat
Eastern Small-footed Bat
Silver-haired Bat
Eastern Pipistrelle Bat
Big Brown Bat
Red Bat
Hoary Bat
Evening Bat
Norway and Roof Rat

Common during:
Winter
Spring
Fall


Common locations: Homes
Restaurants
Hospitals

Description:
House mice are gray or brown rodents with relatively large
ears and small eyes. An adult weighs about 1/2 ounce and
is about 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches long, including the 3 to 4 inch
tail. Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains,
they will eat many kinds of food. They eat often, nibbling
food here and there. Mice have keen senses of taste,
hearing, smell and touch. They are excellent climbers and
can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run
horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 13
inches from the floor onto a flat surface. They can slip
through a crack that a pencil will fit into (slightly larger
than 1/4 inch in diameter). In a single year, a female may
have five to ten litters of usually five or six young each.
Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they are
mature in six to 10 weeks. The life span of a mouse is
about nine to 12 months.

Prevention:
Effective mouse control involves sanitation, mouse proof construction and population reduction.
The first two are useful as preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some
form of population reduction is almost always necessary. Reduction techniques include trapping
and poisoning.

“Building out” rodents and trapping are the most effective control methods. Rodent baits should be
used only to supplement these methods. If there is a repeated need to use baits, it is likely that
sanitation and mouse-proofing should be improved. Remember that rodent baits are poisons.
Make sure they are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and always follow
the label instructions exactly. If baits are used indoors, be sure they are labeled specifically for
interior use.