Watching Cinderella with my daughter, I caught the scene where Gus is gathering more cheese than the other mice. He gets himself into trouble stacking that last piece of cheese. It got me wondering, how much do mice need to eat?
Masters of Survival
Without questions, mice are survivalists. They require very little nourishment to maintain health. Surprisingly, they don’t need much more to go beyond surviving and increase their population.
Amount and Frequency
Mice are nibblers. If you have ever had a mouse get into things, you have probably seen this. They nibble the corners of boxes. Mice eat off a small corner of a candy bar. Rodents may even eat out of your dog’s food dish for months without anyone noticing. They eat whenever and wherever they are hungry. Their feeding habits may look like:
- Snack every one to two hours
Cute little brown mouse snacking on a large cookie. - Two main meal times, morning and evening
Mighty Mouse
Tiny but mighty, mice eat around 0.13 ounces of food each day, or between 10-15% of their body weight. The daily calorie requirement for a mouse is 161 calories; Enough to maintain energy, activity, and mating cycles.
Food Sources and Water Requirements
Mice are generally indiscriminate when it comes to a food source. Given the option, they prefer foods high in carbohydrates. Commonly preferred mouse foods include
- Grains
- Seeds and nuts
- Cereals
- Chocolate and sweets
When food is unavailable, mice are not picky. They will eat a variety of foods and nibble on accessible household items.
Water
Mice need very little water to thrive. They obtain an adequate amount of fluids from the food they eat. Other water sources within the home include condensation on pipes, water around drains, and pet dishes. They may even get water left in bathtubs, showers, or gutters outside. They don’t need the freestanding water, but they will take it if it happens to be available.
How to Stop Mice
Clearly, it is going to be difficult to starve a mouse out. This doesn’t mean it is not important to minimize food, but it can’t be your only tactic. In order to stop mice, you need to:
- Minimize food sources
- block off entry points
- Remove mice inside the structure
- Reduce rodent pressure outside of the structure
If you have some mice you want out, reach out to the rodent experts at Rove Pest Control to get the right plan in place.