The Mouse – An Unwelcome House Guest
The mouse is a small mammal found commonly within the home either as a pet or an uninvited visitor scavenging for food and warmth. This tiny animal averages only a six month life span due to the larger amount of predators that find them a convenient meal, but often live within captivity for two years or longer. Their diet is mainly composed of grain and various fruits, and they also have a particularly fond craving of cheese. This rodent is especially susceptible to various diseases and easily transmits them through frequent waste deposits throughout a home. For this reason alone an infestation of mice can eventually lead to a life threatening experience for humans and their removal must be accomplished as quickly as possible.
Both male and female mice become fertile at the young age of around fifty days, sometimes within twenty-five to forty days in females. An average litter will consist of ten to twelve younglings and the gestation period is around twenty total days. After giving birth a female mouse becomes fertile approximately a month afterwards, or three to five days after completion of weaning the young. Mice breed year round so even a small population with the presence of at least one male can become a very large colony within a relatively short amount of time. Female mice also willingly nurse young that are not their own, allowing for a large amount of babies at any given time.
Because of their rapid reproductive capabilities, mice are often found within scientific laboratories for various genetic and pharmaceutical tests. This allows researchers to view several generations of the mammal and predict long term side effects of each process before confirming the procedure for How To Identify Scale On Plants humans. When bred within captivity, mice are generally docile and their small size and weight make them the optimal patient. Countless frustrations are avoided by this trial research and humans should appreciate the mouse’s contribution to our rapid medical advancements because of their sacrifice.
So why do mice ultimately seek the comfort of our homes? The answer should be apparent; they wish to survive. Leftover food in the form of crumbs makes a great meal for the common house mouse, and indoors they face far fewer predators. Outside they fall prey to snakes, various birds, foxes, dogs, cats, scorpions, and some spiders; and many of their young end up consumed before maturity. Inside they are still actively sought by our household pets but with ample hiding places their chances of survival are much greater.
If you have an infestation of mice within your home it is because there are ample food sources available. Since they can eat almost anything, jump up to thirteen inches vertically, climb any rough surface, and hide nearly anywhere they may appear a tough houseguest to evict. Professionals have found several successful methods which include bait traps and various poisons, but often a homeowner can drastically Homemade Bed Bug Spray Rubbing Alcohol reduce or eliminate the …