How big do mice get?

House mice are small mammals under the category of Rodentia. The common mouse characteristics are small rounded ears, a pointed snout, and a long naked tail which looks almost hairless. It is among the numerous species of the genus Mus and it is a wild animal. The house mouse lives mainly in the areas that are populated by humans. The mouse may be domesticated if someone would like to keep it as a pet.

The adult house mouse has a body length of around 3 to 3.9 inches starting from the nose to the base of its tail. The tail length may be 2-3.9 inches or 5 to 10 cm. Its weight is normally 40 to 45g. In the wild, their colors differ from light to dark brown, but the mice that are produced in a laboratory are found in many colors, including white, champagne and black. Some have short hair while others do not have hair at all. The tail and the ears have short hair. Their hind feet are short in comparison to the Apodemus mice, and they only measure 15-19mm in length. They have a normal gait in their run with a stride which is over 4.5cm. They may jump vertically up to 18 inches high. The mice make a high pitched squeak, and the house mice may thrive under different conditions. They live in or around the homes and other commercial structures, including open fields or agricultural lands.

The newly born males or females may be distinguished based on the anogenital distance since that of the males is about double of that of the female. Starting from 10 days, the female will have five pairs of mammary glands with nipples while the males do not have nipples. When the mice are sexually mature, the more striking difference is the presence of testicles in the males. They are large compared to the entire body and sometimes they may be retracted within the body.

You may find out there are mice in your house if you see them roaming around. Sometimes the mice may be spotted scurrying on the wall or running away from their hiding places. You may also see the droppings since where there are mice, there are also many droppings. The droppings are small pellets that are found mostly where the mice pass. The droppings can look rod shaped with pointed ends. You may see also their footprints on the areas where they have passed. The mouse has a four toed foot at the front and a five toed foot at the back. It is really important to know the ways through which we can avoid the wild animals’ entry in our possessions as it may lead to serious damages.

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