Mus musculus
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Mus musculus (Linnaeus) - (house mouse)
The house mouse is native to Europe and Asia, but now has a world-wide distribution. In temperate regions, it is usually closely associated with the human environment and food stores. Cereals are preferred. It can be also an agricultural pest (e.g. see Singleton et al., 2005), but rarely damages fields far from houses.
While the loss of food in stores through house mice is small, more damage is caused when they contaminate food with urine, droppings and bacteria. House mice can also carry and transmit human diseases. In addition, they chew through wooden structures and even electric wires, resulting in fire hazards. Finally, they cause mental distress for some people.
Mice populations do not co-exist with rats and mice might migrate to stores after rats are controlled. Control typically involves the use of baits, treated with rodenticides as well as rodent proof stores and containers. For safety reasons, baits should be coloured. The mice cannot distinguish colours and are mainly active during the night. However, in the domestic environment, the baits still pose risks to children and pets.
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Hausmaus |
| • English: | house mouse |
| • Español: | ratón doméstico |
| • Français: | souris domestique |
Typically, the head and body of the house mouse is 6-8 cm long, with the tail about the same length. The colour is brown to grayish with a lighter belly. Normally, there are 5-10 litters per year, most often with a size of 5-6.
Synonyms
Mus domesticus
For details see the respective page in Wikipedia.
