House Mouse
Front teeth
One pair of distinctive chisel shaped incisors with hard yellow enamel on front surfaces.
Head
Bulging eyes in a small head.
Ears
Large rounded ears.
Colouring
Brownish-grey above, white to grey or pale yellow below; soft dense fur to 7mm long.
Tail
Scaly tail, about same length as body. 75-100 mm.
Body size
60-100mm
Body weight
10-25g
Preferred habitat
Secluded parts of buildings, reed beds, cracks in the ground or shallow burrow systems, make nests of shredded materials. Closely associated with humans, common in urban areas. They are mainly nocturnal.
Background
The house mouse is native to Asia, but has spread readily throughout the world, where they always live in close proximity to humans. It is likely that house mice initially arrived in Australia on the First Fleet.
Feeding
The house mouse preferentially feeds on cereal grains. However, this species will consume many different kinds of foods.
Breeding
The house mouse is a very prolific breeder, with females able to mate within 1-3 days of giving birth. Generally, house mice produce between 5-10 litters per year, each litter containing between 3-15 young. Breeding can occur throughout the year, but will depend on climatic conditions.
Impacts
Despite their significant distributions throughout Australia, house mice are not currently considered to be a great threat to biodiversity. Nevertheless, there have been some concerns about the impacts of house mice on native vegetation because of seed predation. In some locations, house mice also prey on young birds.
In urban areas, house mice are considered to be a nuisance because they spoil food and food packaging, carry and spread diseases, damage buildings, and can threaten agricultural productivity because they feed heavily on grain, fruits and vegetables. Under plague conditions, house mice have been responsible for severe agricultural losses in many locations.
What You Can Do
If you have a problem with house mice in and around your house, you might consider the following options:
• Remove access to all food sources.
• Dispose of garbage away from your house.
• Remove any animal or pet foods that might be openly available.
• Mouse-proof any food storage areas or containers.
| Information above taken from Australian Museum website fact sheet on house mouse. Click on image below to further information. | The above information taken from Northern Territory Government - Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport site on house mouse. Click on image below for further information. |
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