The house mouse is a species of rodent that has spread throughout the planet, becoming one of the most common mammals. This was due to their ability to coexist alongside humans.
Habitat
The brownie mouse, the photo of which is presented in this article, is actually a wild animal. It got its name for living near a person. House mice in the world live everywhere, with the exception of permafrost, Antarctica and highlands. The Latin name of the animal is Mus musculus, while a 3rd word is added to it, demonstrating the habitat, for example, house mice that live in southeast Asia are Mus musculus castaneus. In our country, house mice also live almost everywhere: Krasnodar Territory, Rostov Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Astrakhan, etc. The only exceptions are the regions of the Far North.
Lifestyle
The house mouse lives in various biotopes and landscapes, including man-made landscapes. It is very closely associated with people and often inhabits outbuildings and residential buildings. In the north they carry out seasonalresettlement. For example, at the end of summer, the animals begin to massively move to warm places: grain and vegetable stores, residential buildings, and warehouses. The range of such migrations can reach 5 km. Often they winter in stacks, in haystacks and forest belts. In the spring they leave their "winter apartments", returning to gardens, kitchen gardens, and fields. In the south of the range, they often live all year round without human habitation. In this place, house mice are tied to various reservoirs, oases.
In nature, they settle on soft, not very dry soils. Small holes are dug there of a simple device. Inside, they arrange a litter, using vegetable soft rags for this. Often they also occupy the burrows of other animals: mole voles, voles, gerbils - or use cracks in the ground and natural voids for housing. Settling near a person, they arrange their nests in the most protected and secluded corners, mainly under the floor, in attics, in heaps of household waste and garbage. In this case, any materials available to them are used for the nest: scraps of fabric, paper, feathers, wool, artificial fibers. House mice diligently maintain order in their nest. In the case of severe contamination of the litter, severe infestation with parasites or getting wet, they simply leave the place, moving to some new one.
In nature, they are nocturnal and twilight animals, but in human habitation they adjust their daily regimen to people's lives. Sometimes, under artificial lighting, they remain active around the clock, reducing it only during the period of active activity of people. WhereinThe activity of animals is polyphasic, there are up to 20 periods of wakefulness per day, which last up to 90 minutes. Like many other mice, they follow fixed routes when moving, creating conspicuous paths with small piles of dust and droppings held together by urine.
House mice are very nimble, mobile animals; they run, jump, climb and even swim well. But they do not often move away from their nest. Each mouse in nature has an individual area: males up to 1200 m2 and females up to 900 m2. But with a high density of animal populations, they settle in small family groups or colonies consisting of the main male, several females with their children. Hierarchical relations are always established among the members of this colony. Males are quite aggressive relative to each other, females show aggression much less often. Skirmishes are very rare within family groups, mainly they consist in the expulsion of offspring that have already grown up.
Description
House mice are long-tailed, small rodents with an oval body, small head, beady eyes and rounded ears. The tail is covered with sparse hairs and ring-shaped scales. Animals that live in nature are of the zonal type of color, in this case the hair at the base of the tail is brownish-brown, the middle is fawn, while the tip is painted in a pale gray tint. The abdomen is colored much lighter - to white. At the same time, decorative mice that were bred by selective breeding havea huge range of colors: black, white, gray-blue, yellow, as well as colors that combine several shades. White mice are albinos, since they practically do not synthesize melanin, which is responsible for the coloring of tissues. Breeders also bred tailless, long-haired, short-tailed, hairless, satin and curly mice.
Character
House mice are curious, lively, cunning, intelligent, but very shy animals. Unexpected noise or harsh sounds frighten them. They are social animals and do not like being alone. Without communication and attention, house mice yearn and begin to run wild. Females are excellent mothers, and males show paternal feelings for their offspring only if there are no other males in the cage.
Relationships with other pets
House mice are pets that can be dangerous to dogs, cats, rats and birds.
Attitude towards children
They can be started in those families in which children are 10 years old. They want to have a "own" animal, although there is no experience in caring for it. Many are interested in the question: "Do house mice bite or not?" It is worth noting that they are not aggressive, although they can bite until they have time to adapt to the owners and the environment, therefore, it is first necessary to help children get to know the animal, as well as tame it. Very young children should not be left alone with these miniature, yet nimble and dexterous creatures.
Training
House mice are pets thatThey are among the smartest animals among rodents, while decorative varieties quickly get used to their owners and are perfectly tamed if they are given enough attention, while talking affectionately and softly. They are able to remember their nickname. Mice quickly begin to recognize the aroma of the person who brings food, and they will meet him with a cheerful squeak. Animals can be trained to respond to various whistles and various commands, for example, “Come!”, “Serve!”, “Home!”
It is worth noting that scientists have been studying house mice for a long time. Kotenkova E. V. (Doctor of Biological Sciences), for example, has devoted a lot of time to this issue, writing several scientific papers about their behavior, as well as their role in ancient mythology.
Food
In house mice, the main diet is cereals and seeds. They are happy to eat wheat, oats and millet, uncooked pumpkin and sunflower seeds. They can also be given dairy products, white bread, egg white pieces, and boiled meat. The green parts of various plants can make up a third of the animal's diet with a normal amount of water. At the same time, mice prefer cabbage and dandelion leaves, slices of cucumber, beets and carrots, green grass from succulent feed. Mice need up to three milliliters of water during the day. In summer, they can feed on insects, as well as their larvae. Mice have a very high metabolism, so they should always have food in the feeder.
Maintenance and Care
A mouse can be kept at home in a fine meshmetal cage, as well as in a special organic glass container with a lid. It is necessary, as mice are great high jumpers. The terrarium or cage should be spacious enough, as the animals are very active and need movement. In the form of bedding, strips of uncolored paper or shavings are used. A house (a jar, a box, a pot, etc.) is installed in the cage, in which the mice will arrange a nest, a drinking bowl, a feeder, put a piece of chalk, as well as other devices for playing. Ladders, levels, shelters, branches are suitable for this, it is also desirable to put a wheel for running.
The terrarium or cage is placed as far as possible from windows, radiators, air conditioners and doors, as animals do not like temperature fluctuations, direct sunlight and drafts. The best air temperature is 20°C with an air humidity of 55%. Every day, garbage and leftover food are removed from the cage, feeders and drinking bowls are washed. The litter is changed three times a week, at least once a month it is necessary to carry out disinfection and complete cleaning of the terrarium or cage. Mice feces have an unpleasant pungent odor. At the same time, females smell much weaker than males.
In the terrarium, it is advisable to install pieces of large tree branches directly with bark (birch, willow, mountain ash) so that the animals can grind their incisors on them. It should be borne in mind that lilacs are poisonous for these animals. Wooden toys can also be placed in the cage, with which the animal will play, grinding off the incisors. With well-organized housing, house mice do not need walks. If the animal does go for a walk, then the place for its walks must be limited by the hands of the owner or the table. It must be remembered that various houseplants are poisonous to mice, including aralia, yucca, Christmas star, feces, etc.
When keeping several animals at once, it is desirable to create same-sex groups: 2-3 males or 2-3 females living in a common cage get along well together. At the same time, those that came from the same brood get along better. Newborn babies should not be handled and it is undesirable to disturb their mother.
Such mice are evening and nocturnal animals, they can interfere with sleep by noise and various sounds, although they mostly adapt to human mode.
Diseases
- Infectious diseases caused by parasites, microorganisms and viruses.
- Cystitis, tumors of various etiologies.
- Mousepox, pneumonia, salmonellosis, respiratory mycoplasmosis, genital mycoplasmosis, otodectosis, otitis.
Mice damage
The destruction of such mice is caused by the damage they bring to human stocks, as well as equipment and household appliances.
Wild house mice, which man has been fighting for centuries, are able to eat almost anything. As a result, food, candles and soap, wiring, etc. become eaten in the house.
Animals in warehouses gnaw grain, destroy crops of various root crops, eat stocks of cereals, in addition, significantly pollute the house with their waste products. They actively excrete their waste, therefore even a small population can cause great harm. So, the animals do not eat the bulk of the grain, but rather pollute it.
In addition, house mice (we will learn how to get rid of them below) are carriers of a huge number of pathogens of various diseases. They can transmit E. coli, helminth eggs to a person, cause plague and typhoid fever. They very often live blood-sucking insects, including fleas and ticks, passing with pleasure to humans.
Consequently, house mice can cause significant harm. How to get rid of them, unfortunately, not everyone knows. The professional destruction of animals is becoming the main activity for suburban areas, private houses, catering organizations, as well as various types of institutions. This service can be ordered from specialized companies, or you can use a mousetrap in the old fashioned way.
A bit of history
In nature, white mice are periodically born - albinos, which are almost impossible to survive, because they are very noticeable, and also instantly become prey. But in ancient times in Crete they were kept in the form of living amulets that bring good luck. They were also kept in temples, where they were specially cared for by ministers. 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt, mice were bred and kept, paying close attention to the colored species. The Egyptians attributed supernatural abilities to them, in addition, depicted them on their clay vessels.
Bduring the period of Ancient Rome and in the Middle Ages, healers used mice and rats for medicinal potions, while in Asia they are still specially bred for such purposes. With the development of veterinary medicine and experimental medicine, mice and rats began to be used for various studies as laboratory animals. It is believed that decorative and laboratory mice originate from white, spotted and black fighting mice, described in the book in 1787 edition. It tells about the animals that were used for fighting at that time. They were brought by English merchants from Japan. Subsequently, mice formed a special line of house mice, while decorative breeds began to be bred as pets.
Today, in various countries of Western Europe and America, there are Clubs of mouse lovers, the main purpose of which is to breed new varieties of these animals. Most often, individuals of various colors are obtained: gray, white, red, brown, purple or pinkish, with spots. There are special peer-reviewed exhibitions.
But in our country, decorative mice are less known than in the countries of America and Europe, but among animal fans they are becoming more and more popular every year. In the clubs of lovers of various rodents, special sections of decorative mice have been created, nurseries have been opened that are engaged in selection and breeding work, and exhibitions are held where house decorative mice are exhibited along with other small animals.
