House Mouse (Mus musculus)

The house mouse appears to have originated in the steppes of Central Asia and is believed to have been present in Britain from as early as the 9th Century.

As it is much smaller the house mouse should not be confused with the two rat species. However, the house mouse may be confused with three other species of mouse found in Britain, the wood mouse or long-tailed field mouse (Adopemus sylvaticus), the yellow-necked field mouse (Adopemus flavicollis) and the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus). Both species of Adopemus look most like the house mouse but prefer to live out of doors. They do sometimes enter houses, but can more commonly be found in sheds, garages and outhouses.

House mice are light, intermittent and erratic feeders, tending to sample from a large number of different sites. Mice can survive on a relatively poor diet and can survive without water provided their food supply is moist.

Mice are very good breeders. In optimum conditions the female house mouse can become sexually mature at only six weeks old with gestation lasting between 19 and 21 days, the average litter size is 4 to 8 offspring. Mating is possible almost immediately after the birth of each litter and in ideal conditions the female can give birth to a litter about every 25 days, therefore about 6 to 8 litters per year. House mice can live for over two years if conditions are favourable, though their average life span is approximately ten months.

Mice carry pathogenic (harmful) organisms such as Salmonella bacteria which when deposited on food preparation surfaces or on food itself can cause food poisoning.

Mice can cause serious damage to property through their constant gnawing. As well as damaging consumable and non-consumable goods they can also cause fires or flooding by gnawing through wiring, cables and pipes.