07 November 2017

12 fascinating facts about mice

Written by Rentokil Pest Control Ireland

So, as I’m sure you are all aware, winter is quickly rearing it’s cold, dark head around the corner and along with the freezing weather, it also likes to bring with it mice!

Mice are truly amazing creatures. Able to adapt and survive in a variety of locations they have successfully become a common pest found across the globe.

View our infographic to discover 12 fascinating facts about mice.

1.Mice can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps!

By flattening out their bodies, mice are able to squeeze through gaps as small as 6mm. That’s roughly the size of a pencil!

Because of this, when it comes to preventing mice, it’s advised that you fully inspect your property for any gaps and holes and fill these in using expanding foam or wire wool.

2. Mice are like Daredevil.

For anyone that’s read the comics or watched the Netflix show, you’ll know that due to his lack of sight, the superhero Daredevil’s other senses are heightened beyond normal human ability.

Well this is something mice have in common with the Marvel superhero from Hell’s Kitchen. Due to their poor vision, mice rely on their other sense such as smell, hearing and touch to get around.

3. Mice don’t like the cold.

I don’t know about you, but I hate the cold, especially at night time. And well, mice are no exception.

During the autumn and winter months, mice like to squat in your homes and businesses to escape the cold and find somewhere warm, with lots of food, to see through the cold times ahead.

4. Mice have weak eyesight.

Mice see best in dim light, but as you know this doesn’t really affect them as their other senses make up for it.

5. Mice teeth never stop growing

Mice, much like other rodents, have a set of incisor teeth that never stop growing. Their teeth grow at a rate of 0.3mm a day!

Because of this, mice have to constantly gnaw on items which range anywhere from cardboard boxes to wires and furniture in order to grind their teeth down to a reasonable length.

6. Mice have supersonic hearing

A mouse’s hearing is superb compared to ours. Research shows that mice can hear ultrasound up to to 90kHz!

To add to this, they also use ultrasound to communicate with one another and even serenade each other with love songs.

7. Mice are amazing at high jump

Ok, so not only do they have superhuman hearing but they can also jump to incredible heights!

Mice have been recorded to jump to a height of around 25.4cm. Considering their average size is between 3 and 10 cm, that’s impressive!

8. Mice are fantastic climbers

On top of their impressive jumping skills, mice are also amazing at climbing!

Not only do they have amazing rope-climbing skills, but they can also scale any rough vertical surfaces up to 2 metres high!

9. Mice are OCD when it comes to travelling

Although they are amazing jumpers and climbers, mice do have peculiar travelling tendencies. This may sound a bit strange, but mice like to travel adjacent to walls and along edges.

10. Mice love to explore

Like some of the great explorers of our time, mice are keen adventurers. On a daily basis they like to explore their territory for any potential food sources available.

11. Mice are greed

There’s one thing mice and I have in common, that’s the fact that we both love food!

Mice are omnivorous and will pretty much eat near enough anything they can get their hands on; they also like to stop off at numerous food stands during their adventures to sample the local cuisine.

On an average night mice make between 20 and 30 visits to different food sites taking as little as 0.15g of food from each location.

12. Mice like to gnaw and chew

As you now know because their teeth constantly grow, mice have to gnaw and chew on items to grind them down to comfortable size.

A downside to this is that it can often include items such as electrical wires, which in turn can lead to electrical fires and other damaging possibilities.