House Mouse Mus musculus Variable in colour, ranging from yellowish/brown to white upper bodies. White, grey or pale yellow belly. The tail is usually the same length as the body and sparsely haired. The House mouse is sometimes difficult to distinguish from native Australian rodents. Litter size is usually 4 to 6 but up to 12. Up to 11 litter per year.
The house mouse is exceptionally well adapted for living year-round in homes, food preparation and packaging establishments and other structures throughout Australia.

Homeowners are particularly likely to notice mice following their autumn migration indoors, where they have ventured in search of warmth, food and shelter. Once mice become established inside the home, they can be extremely difficult to control.

Thought to have originated in Asia, mice spread throughout Europe centuries ago. In the 1500s mice spread to the new world on the ships of the Spanish explorers. Almost without doubt, they were aboard the ships of the first fleet, and very quickly spread throughout Australia.

Next to humans, the house mouse has the widest distribution of any mammal on earth. They are found wherever humans are found and are almost entirely dependent on us for their survival. Rat and mouse bones have been found in caves where cavemen lived.
Although most people consider mice less objectionable than rats, mice are more common and cause significantly more damage. Mice are prolific breeders, producing six to ten litters per year.

Normally population levels are relatively low, however when conditions are favourable, mouse numbers can increase exponentially to plague proportions and they then become a serious pest of major economic proportions in Australia. Oddly, similar plagues are uncommon in other countries.

The mouse plagues in the grain belt of southeastern Australia produce hundreds of millions mice due to ideal food sources and mild winters. The greatest economic loss from mice is not due to how much they eat, but what must be thrown out because of damage or contamination. Food, clothing, furniture, books and many other household items are contaminated by their droppings and urine or damaged by their gnawing. House mice chew through electrical wiring causing fires and failures of household appliances. It is believed that rodents are responsible in causing a significant amount of all house fires.

Mice can also transmit diseases, most notably salmonellosis (bacterial food poisoning) when food is contaminated with infected rodent faeces. Other diseases include rickettsial pox, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, leptospirosis, ratbite fever, tularemia, and dermatitis caused by the bites of mites living on mice. Although not present in Australia, Hantavirus is another danger becoming more common in USA with several recorded human deaths each year.

Mice are nocturnal creatures and are adept at avoiding being seen by the homeowner. The most obvious indicators of their presence are sounds of them running, gnawing, or squeaking; damage to stored food; and nesting sites and the droppings they leave in the areas they frequent. Approximately 3mm to 6mm in length, fresh droppings are dark in colour and soft in texture. As they age, droppings become hard and brittle.

Mice are highly curious and explore their territory daily, paying special attention to new items or physical changes in their home range. Unlike rats, mice show no aversion to new objects (neophobia).

In comparison to rats, mice forage only for short distances from their nest, usually not more than 4 to 12 metres. When food and shelter are adequate, their foraging range may be less than one metre. For this reason, traps and other control devices must be placed in areas where mouse activity is most apparent. Mice prefer to travel adjacent to walls and other edges - an important point to remember when positioning control devices. Mice seem to prefer cereal grains and seeds. They are sporadic in their feeding particularly when there are many food sources available. In these situations, mice may make 20 to 30 visits to different food sites each night taking as little as 0.15 gram of food at each site. In all, the average mouse will consume only 3 to 4 grams per day.

Mice travel the same runway time and time again, leaving a greasy smudge mark along walls, pipes and holes. Footprints and tail drags can sometimes be seen in dusty locations. Tracking dust has proven helpful in determining the presence and location of mice. Mice can chew through anything that is softer than their teeth.

Measured on Moh’s scratch hardness scale, the rat’s lower incisors rank 5.5, which exceeds even the hardness of metals such as aluminium, copper, lead and iron (Corrigan; Rodents' Annoying Gnawing Habit 1997)
The sound of mice gnawing, squeaking, or running through the walls or ceiling is occasionally the only sign of their presence.
Favourite nesting materials are shredded paper, insulation, cotton balls, and string. These materials make excellent lures for snap traps.
If humans are present to provide warmth and food, mice can survive almost anywhere. In fact, colonies of mice have been found thriving in the supplies used on polar expeditions.
Each year, rodents cause more than one billion dollars in damage in the United States alone. Australian statistics are unavailable, however it is estimated that the mouse plagues do well in excess of $150 million in crop damage alone.

Unlike the teeth of other mammals, the front incisors of rodents never stop growing. In fact, continuously growing front teeth is a trait shared by all rodents. By observing captive mice and rats that have nothing to gnaw upon, it has been found that these incisors can grow up to five inches per year.
A mouse can jump down four metres without injury. What's more, mice have a 300 mm vertical jump. Mice can also scale rough vertical surfaces and walk along thin ropes and wires. The odour of mice is quite distinct. An experienced pest control specialist can tell the difference between rat and mouse odours.

Mice are prolific breeders as the following statistics demonstrate:

Age of onset of reproductive capabilities: two months
Gestation period: three weeks
Rebreeding time: immediately

Roof Rats (Rattus rattus) Variable in colour, ranging from black (rare), to grey through grey-brown above. Has a white or grey belly, often with a yellowish tinge. Agile climbers, often found nesting in trees, roofs and wall crevices. Distinguished from other rodents by their long tail, larger ears and slender, sleek appearance. Notorious for spreading the flea for carrying the bubonic plague, that killed thousands throughout Europe in 1665. Litter size is usually 5 –10 with up to 6 litters per year.

Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) The Norway or Brown Rat is the largest of the commensal rodents in Australia. Often found inhabiting warehouses, shipping ports and large urban settlements, largely on the Eastern Coast. Distinguished by its larger size, small ears and thick tail, which is usually shorter than its body. Colouring is variable, ranging from grey to brown above with a white or grey belly. Has a scruffy rather than sleek appearance, and has a very aggressive nature, not hesitating to attack when cornered.Norway Rats are poor climbers, although will reach elevated areas if the correct structures are in position to assist climbing. Litter size is usually 7 –12 (up to 18) and up to 6 litters per year.

Rat Facts

Rats can fit through a 13mm opening (about the diameter of a thumb)
Rats don’t always have to drink to survive.
Rats prefer food with a high fat content
A Norway Rat can gnaw through a lead pipe
Rodents are responsible for causing possibly as much as 20% of all house fires.
Where humans live, the rat lives; what humans eat, the rat eats.
Rats can climb inside of vertical pipes and conduits up to 3 inches in diameter
Rats can travel in sewer lines, even against substantial current, and dive through water plumbing traps
Over 500 species of rats have been identified throughout the world.
In the autumn of 1996, gnawing rats in San Francisco shut down the Internet.
Rats are colour blind and have poor eyesight.

Mouse Facts

Mice can fit through a 6mm opening (about the diameter of a little finger)
A family of 6 mice residing in a cluttered garage can grow to 50 – 60 mice in just 90 days
A single dominant male mouse will mark territory with urine 3,000 times in one day
Cereal food grains are the preferred food choice of the house mouse.
Mice generally eat 10 –20 times per day
A house mouse averages 50 droppings per day
A single female mouse may produce 56 offspring annually
House mice often frequent 20 to 30 feeding sites
A mouse travels 12 feet per second.

Did You Know?

A house mouse averages 50 droppings per day
House mice often frequent 20 to 30 feeding sites
A single female mouse may produce 56 offspring annually

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