Finding a stray mouse in your home is definitely not something you want to do. Mice in your home usually mean dirt, mess and disease, and responsible homeowners do everything they can to keep them out.

Even so, mice are fascinating animals, and there’s more to them than just looking for cheese. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about mice:

Mice Have Terrible Eyesight

Maybe it’s because they tend to do most of their exploring at night — or maybe it’s the reason for it. Either way, mice have weak eyes. They’re no good in both bright light or pitch black. In fact, mice see best in dim conditions — but even then their eyes are not that good.

To make up for this poor eyesight, a mouse’s other senses are actually very developed. Smell, touch — both of those are very strong. However, where a mouse’s senses really take off is hearing. Mice have incredibly sensitive ears, able to hear sounds well above anything humans can detect.

Mice Can’t Stand Cold

If you’ve ever had a mouse sneak into your house from the outside, chances are it happened in the fall or winter. Why? Well, mice might be wild animals, adapted to living outside, but that doesn’t mean they have to like it! In fact, mice really don’t like the cold at all. Once the weather changes and the thermometer starts to plummet, most mice will try and find warm places to spend the next couple of months — and the central heating in your house will fit the bill just nicely.

Their Teeth Grow Fast

Mice are known for their sharp teeth, and there’s a reason for that. Mice teeth grow at the astonishingly fast rate of 0.3cm per day, and they never stop! This means that unless mice do something, their teeth will grow and grow until their mouth can’t handle them.

To fix this problem, mice are constantly gnawing on things to grind their teeth down. The result is very sharp teeth — and a mess!

Mice Can Jump

Mice might be tiny, but they can actually get to rather high places. Not only can they climb, but they can also jump very high. Even though the average mouse might be between 4-9 cm in length, they can jump up to 25 cm — that’s four or five times their body length!

Mice Can Also Squeeze

If you’re trying to keep mice out of your house, you have your work cut out for you. This is because a small mouse can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps. This means that you have to be very diligent and find every nook and cranny, or that mouse will find a way in!

If you would like to learn more about mice or how to keep them out of your home, please contact us at Ideal Pest Control today!