Trust Pest Control

Description

Mice are small RODENTS, and like all rodents they possess gnawing teeth. The word mouse, however, has no distinct meaning beyond that in scientific classification systems. It has been applied loosely to many rodents simply because of their size and superficial similarities, such as a somewhat pointed snout, a slender and sparsely haired tail, relatively conspicuous ears, and an elongate body. (The word rat is used in an equally loose way for larger rodents of similar appearance.) In addition, many small rodents with distinctly different characteristics have also come to be known as mice. Among them are the short-tailed field mice, or field voles, Microtus; the pocket mice, family Heteromyidae; the jumping mice, family Zapodidae; and the squirrellike dormice and related forms, families Gliridae, Platacanthomyidae, and Seleviniidae. Many of these animals carry a variety of viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases . Mice associated with humans also have considerable economic impact through crop damage, destruction of trees, and food contamination. Garlough and Spencer (1944) noted the word "mouse" can be traced to the Sanskrit word musha which is derived from a word "to steal." Mice were well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans and were featured prominently in their art and literature. This cosmopolitan rodent is believed to have come originally from Central Asia. It is now found throughout the world from the tropics to the Arctic and Antarctic. Linnaeus originally named the house mouse Mus musculus. Later, taxonomists cosidered that two subspecies of house mice had been introduced from Europe into the New World: Mus musculus domesticus and M. m brevirostris. Especially in the Midwest these two forms came into contact and interbred. Taxonomic "splitters" came to recognize several hundred verieties. In recent years opinions have been revised again, and you are likely to see Mus domesticus cited in technical papers. Some specialists now want to reserve M. musculus for those mice in Eastern Europe. However, continuing to use our present technology (i.e., M. musculus) seems to me the appropriate and least confusing course of action. Life History Of The House Mouse. House mice are extremely prolific breeders. At 35 days of age they mature and carry embryos for 18 to 21 days. If a female aborts, she can become pregnant again within 48 hours. The average litter size is about six. Variations in genetics, food supply and temperatures affect these numbers. At low temperatures, mice produce fewer offspring, and they are smaller in size. A female suckles her young for about four weeks. The female may become pregnant following parturition or while still lactating. In such cases, the gestation period will be lengthened. Therefore, if all goes well, a female can have litters approximately every 40 to 50 days. Under optimum conditions (often found indoors) mice can breed throughout the year. Outdoors, mice are more seasonal breeders, peaking in the spring and fall. Newborn mice are extremely small, blind, pink and naked, except for short vibrissae. They weigh between 0.02 and 0.03 ounces.

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