Why are women so afraid of mice? Seeing this small nimble rodent, they jump on a chair in a panic and squeak all over the area so that the small tailed animals themselves scatter in fright. In fact, these creatures are completely harmless, except for a ruined bag of cereal or stolen cheese. This is what the mouse eats and what is her favorite treat. Therefore, hunting for food is her main driving force and the goal of a short life.
General characteristics
Mice belong to the order of rodents. In it, they constitute a separate family, in which there are 400 different species. Depending on the locality, they are called Asia Minor, Sichuan, Caucasian, and so on. In Russia, the most common types of mice are house and forest mice. Their closest relatives are hamsters, voles and rats.
Usually, the entire length of mice does not exceed 10 centimeters, half of which falls on the tail. The smallest species is the baby mouse, whose length is only 5 centimeters. These rodents have short prehensile legs, a small neck and a long tail. Availabilitywhiskers near the nose allows animals to navigate well in the area, in space, despite the time of day. Their ears are small, but they have excellent hearing, which often warns them of danger. The body is covered with short hair of different colors: black, brown, gray or white. Coloring can also be unusual: striped or variegated.
Habitat
Mice live on all continents. Together with man, they settled around the world and adapted to different climatic zones. Rodents feel great in the tropics, and in the mountains, and in the swamps. They are able to survive at a staggering height: 4,000 meters is not the limit for these little creatures.
Usually mice settle near human settlements. This applies primarily to the brownie and Cairo varieties. After all, in cities and villages at every step you can find what the mouse eats. Therefore, she is most comfortable here. But if natural disasters occur - fires, floods or earthquakes, rodents are able to leave their habitat and migrate.
Those species that live in the steppes or forests do not swim well. But marsh mice feel free on the water. There are three types of houses for rodents:
- plain mink;
- complex burrows in the form of labyrinths;
- nests made from grass stalks.
Mice are terrestrial. They rarely climb trees, but easily climb small shrubs.
Habits and behavior
Where mice live, there are usually a lot of goodies that they cantake a look. Getting out of their dwelling at night, they steal everything that lies badly: seeds, berries and other foodstuffs. But even during the day they can often be seen on the surface, especially in late August - early September, when the harvest ripens and you need to stock up on food for the winter. This does not mean that mice hibernate, they are active in the cold season as well. Just moving under the snow, they are inaccessible to human eyes. Home improvement and stock replenishment continue throughout the autumn, right up to the first frosts.
These animals are very careful. They are quite shy, always listening to all sorts of sounds. If they feel threatened, they hide or run away. They run very fast. An ordinary mouse, as well as representatives of other species, communicate with each other using a squeak. They can live alone or in small groups. Families unite in autumn to stock up on food for the winter.
What do mice eat in the wild?
Usually they like plant foods. It can be the fruits of trees, bushes, grass seeds. Sometimes mice eat insects. Those species that live in meadows and fields feed on cereals, cereal stalks and seeds. Inhabitants of swamps and river banks willingly eat plants, especially their green part. Various buds, root vegetables, shoots and leaves make up their daily menu.
What does a mouse eat if it lives in the forest? The answer is simple - everything that trees can give her. It can be the fruits of cedar and beech, as well as hazel, nuts and acorns. The biggest gluttonsof course, house mice. In the apartments of people for them there is all the most delicious: cheese, sausage, cereals, eggs. Some rodents eat their own kind. So, large yellow-throated mice feed on smaller individuals: forest or field. But this is if they are closed in a cage or one room. In the wild, these species coexist peacefully, and there have been no cases of cannibalism between them. This is due to the fact that small mice are more mobile. Catching them in the open is not always possible.
What do mice eat in captivity?
Some people are crazy about domesticated, domesticated rodents. Usually these are individuals of a small size, white in color. They are easy to train, get used to a person and easily cohabitate with him. What does the white mouse eat? Yes, whatever. It can be a variety of feeds that the industry produces. They are balanced with mineral supplements and grains so that your pet develops properly and always stays he althy. If you want to feed the animal with real food, you can give him different cereals and cereals. Avoid fatty and spicy foods. Feed your baby raw mealworm meat once a week.
Feed house mice once a day. Do not exceed the dosage of food, otherwise the rodent may get sick. Features of each variety are described in the encyclopedia. After reading it, you will learn in detail what the white mouse eats. Based on the information received, you can correctly form a pet’s diet so that it is always he althy, active and lives next to you for a long time.years.
Rodent winter diet
Looking at the photo of a field mouse or a domestic mouse, you can see that these animals are small. And like all small animals, they have an increased metabolism, so they eat often and a lot. During the ripening period, animals can cause great damage to agriculture, as they are forced not only to satisfy their daily gluttony, but also to prepare winter supplies. At this time, rodents actively collect all kinds of nuts, grains, seeds and hide them in secret places, but never store food in their mink.
The mound house mouse is very interesting in this regard. She lives in the fields of Ukraine, Moldova and Hungary. When the harvest comes, she picks up the fallen spikelets and grains of cereals and carries them to the hole. Here the products are stacked in the form of a slide. Every day this hill grows, turning over time into a stack, which reaches 80–100 centimeters in height and two meters in length. Then they mask this hill with earth. Because of this feature, they were called Kurganchikov.
Reproduction
Mice are very prolific. They have no special marriage rituals. The male simply smells the female, finds her and mates. Sometimes there is rivalry between males and a fierce fight for the right to fertilize.
After a short pregnancy, the mouse gives birth to three to ten mice. They develop very quickly, and after three months they can bear offspring. Each female can give birth 3-4 times a year, so rodents multiply very rapidly. Interestingly, some specieslive together in whole family clans, like people. In one mink, young mice successfully coexist, forming pairs, together with their parents.
In nature, predators regulate the rodent population. The wide distribution of animals throughout the territory of a certain area makes them easy prey for foxes, forest cats, birds of prey and snakes. If there is famine in the forest, then even wolves and coyotes do not disdain mice. In their natural habitat, the animals usually live 7-9 months. At the same time, mice in captivity can last as long as 5 years. Therefore, they can become your life partners for years. If you are still in doubt whether to buy rodents for your home or not, then look at the photo of a field mouse. These cute animals will enchant you with their innocence and cute looks, and their rapid breeding may even become your business and generate income.
The harm caused by rodents
Knowing what the mouse eats, we can easily conclude why it is unprofitable for a person to live in a house or in a field. Understandably, people don't want to share their food supply with rodents. Therefore, they are trying in every possible way to get rid of the unwanted neighborhood when their traces are found in storerooms and barns.
Besides stealing food, the animals also leave their droppings everywhere, so it is no longer possible to use a bag of cereal in which pests were hosting. Rodents also spoil the bark of fruit trees, which can lead to the death of seedlings. In Africa, for example, mice completely destroy coffee plantations, causing great damage to people.
Rodentscarry many diseases. The most dangerous in this regard are not brownies, but field mice. Their feces and urine contain dangerous bacteria that can enter the human body and provoke an epidemic of pseudotuberculosis, hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne encephalitis and other deadly ailments.
Benefit
It's hard to overestimate her. And first of all, it again comes from what the mouse eats. The basis of the diet of some species includes insects. By eating them, the rodent saves humanity from harmful and annoying insects, which can often also be carriers of viruses. At the same time, being a delicacy for foxes and owls, they make their existence possible. When storing supplies near their minks, rodents do not always fully use them. And the remaining fruits sprout, give the forest a new tree or a field of fruit crops.
The benefits of mice for humanity lies in the fact that these animals are often used in laboratory experiments. They are testing vaccines and medicines that will bring great benefits to humanity in the future. In addition, these animals are excellent pets that do not require special care. Even the smallest child can look after pets. Being unpretentious and small, as well as easily trainable, they will become favorites for your entire family.
