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Mice
The house mouse is the most commonly encountered and economically
important of the commensal rodents, the Norway and roof/black rats being the
other two. House mice are not only a nuisance, they damage/destroy materials
by gnawing, and eat and contaminate stored food, they are also of human
health importance as disease carriers or vectors. It is thought to be of
Central Asian origin, but is now of worldwide distribution and found
throughout the United States.
Appearance: Adult with head and body length 2.5-3.5" (6.5-9 cm),
tail length 2 3/4-4" (7-10.2 cm), weight about 1/2-1 oz (12-30 g). Fur
smooth, color usually dusty gray above and light gray or cream on belly
(some mice light brown to dark gray above), but fur color varies
considerably from area to area or location to location regardless of living
habits.
Signs of Infestation
1. Gnaw marks. New gnawings or holes tend to be rough whereas, old gnawings
are smooth from wear.
2. Droppings. Fresh droppings are soft and moist whereas, old droppings are
dried and hard; house mouse’s about '1/8-1/4" (3-6 mm) long, rod shaped, and
with pointed ends vs American cockroach about 1/8" (3 mm) long and with
ridges.
3. Tracks/footprints. Front foot 4-toed and print is in front of hind print
with 5-toes. Fresh tracks are clear and sharp whereas, old tracks are at
least partially obscured by dust. 3. Tracks/footprints. Front foot 4-toed
and print is in front of hind print with 5-toes. Fresh tracks are clear and
sharp whereas, old tracks are at least partially obscured by dust.
4. Rub marks are usually less noticeable and smaller in size than those of
rats.
5. Burrows. Indoors they often nest in various materials such as insulation.
If active, free of dust and cobwebs. Entrance usually with material
packed/compressed, rub marks sometimes visible.
6. Runways. Frequently use the same paths, usually along walls, stacked
merchandise, etc., and to interior objects. Active runways free of dust and
cobwebs, with fresh droppings. Tracks may or may not be visible.
7. Damaged goods. Mice prefer seeds or cereals.
Biology: The house mouse is a prolific breeder. They reach sexual
maturity in 35 days. Pregnancy lasts an average of 19 days (range 18-21).
The average litter size is 6 (range 5-8), with about 8 litters per year, but
averaging 30-35 weaned/female/year. Therefore, a female can have a new
litter about once every 40-50 days. More than 1 litter may be present in the
nest at one time. Life expectancy is normally less than 1 year, but mice
have been known to live as long as 6 years. Over a 6-month period, a pair of
mice will eat about 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of food, produce about 18,000
droppings, and void about 3/4 pint/12 oz. (355 ml) of urine. The most common
way mice transmit disease organisms is by contaminating food with their
droppings and/or urine. The most threatening organism spread by mice is
Salmonella, a cause of food poisoning, spread via droppings. Other
transmittable organisms include tapeworms via droppings, rat-bite fever via
bites, infectious jaundice/leptospirosis/Weil’s Disease via urine in food or
water, a fungus disease (Favus) of the scalp either by direct contact or
indirectly via cats, plague and murine typhus via fleas, Rickettsial pox via
the mite Liponyssoides sanguineus (Hirst), lymphocytic choriomeningitis via
droppings, and possibly poliomyelitis (polio). Another problem is house
mouse mite dermatitis which is caused by these mites when they feed on
humans.
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