A house mouse can live anywhere from six months to around two years. Six months is closer to the average amount of time they live, but if they have ideal living conditions, including a steady supply of food, water, shelter, and no predators, they can live for up to two years. Ideal conditions also include no intense competition from other rodents for food as well as a somewhat temperate climate.
Wild mice that don’t find shelter in a home typically don’t live as long. They have to face the harsh realities of outdoor living, including predators and food scarcity. In the wild, the average lifespan of a mouse is reduced by nearly half!
Although a pet mouse might make an adorable addition to the family, most mice people typically encounter are uninvited houseguests. Knowing just how long these pests can live is a clear indicator to homeowners that if you have a problem with mice, you should not just sit around and wait for them to die.
Find out more about the mouse life cycle and their general life expectancy so you can better understand what to do if there’s an infestation in your own house.
Life Cycle of a Mouse
These small creatures have a surprisingly quick journey from birth to adulthood. A baby mouse starts off helpless but doesn’t stay that way for long—they grow up fast, hitting their stride as adults just a few weeks into their life. This can cause major problems in regards to rodent control because a small issue can quickly turn into a full infestation.
Baby Mice
When in the baby stage of their life cycle, mice pups are small, roughly the size of a quarter. They only weigh about as much as a sheet of paper, somewhere around 1g. They are blind and sometimes referred to as ‘pinkies’ due to the pink color of their hairless bodies. Unless you find a mouse’s nest, you are unlikely to encounter babies because they don’t wander away at this stage.
Juvenile Mice
By two weeks of age, their eyes and ears have opened and they have started to grow hair.
By three weeks, the mice are weaned from their mother. During this time, they leave the nest and are able to come and go as they please to find their own food.
The diet of a mouse varies based on its surroundings. They can eat practically anything, including dry foods, fresh or rotting produce, other insects, and more, but they have shown a preference for the same foods their mother ate while pregnant.
Adult Mice
A mouse reaches reproductive maturity by about six weeks of age. Male mice attract a mate by ‘singing’ ultrasonic songs (meaning people cannot hear them) and through the use of scents only other mice can detect, called pheromones.
Once a female mouse becomes pregnant, it will only take 18-21 days before she delivers her litter. The number of babies in a litter is about five or six on average. When you do the math, assuming half of each litter is female and can begin reproducing in six weeks, and when you consider that females get pregnant multiple times a year, these pests can multiply at an astonishing rate!
These pests can survive for months without water, getting the hydration they need from their food, or by licking the condensation from sink pipes. For outdoor mice, reproduction slows down during the winter months due to lower temperatures, and their peak breeding seasons are spring and fall. However, indoor populations breed throughout the year.
Check out detailed photographs of the weekly development of mice stages
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Preventing Unwanted Infestations
Taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to pest control runs the risk of exposing yourself and your family to the various mouse problems. For example, they can spread diseases such as the potentially life-threatening hantavirus.
While cats and dogs are natural predators that can help control the mouse population, they do not usually eliminate mouse infestations. Not only is a well-fed pet a lazy mouser, but mice actually love to eat pet food and may be more attracted to homes where a food supply is readily available.
If you’ve noticed droppings or any other signs of mice around your home and think you have a pest problem, it’s important to address it immediately. Learn more about helpful methods for getting rid of mice, including botanical solutions like Fresh Cab Rodent Repellent that help prevent the problem in the first place. Shop Fresh Cab online or in a store near you.
FAQs
A house mouse can live anywhere from six months to around two years. Six months is closer to the average amount of time they live, but if they have ideal living conditions, including a steady supply of food, water, shelter, and no predators, they can live for up to two years.
How long do mice normally live? ›
Domestic mice typically only live for 1–3 years. Their wild counterparts have an even shorter lifespan; some estimates are 3–6 months and only rarely up to 18 months. This extremely brief life is due to predation, extreme environmental conditions, lack of veterinary care, and inconsistent food sources.
Why do mice have such short life spans? ›
Mice are short-lived, dying mostly of predation in the wild; thus they do not need efficient anticancer mechanisms.
What is the maximum age of a mouse? ›
In well-maintained specific-pathogen-free animals, C57BL/6 mice should live 26-30 months on average. Mice in nature live 3-4 months on average and up to 18 months at the most. Hence the biology of mouse aging as studied in the laboratory is not relevant to their life in the wild.
What is the life cycle of a mouse? ›
The typical mouse life cycle will vary, but typically lasts about two years indoors, which can be a problem for residents. Mice cause both damage and the spread of disease, problems made much worse by their high birth rate. On average, an adult female mouse can have over 60 babies in one year.
At what age are mice considered old? ›
Mice ranging from 18 - 24 months of age correlate with humans ranging from 56 - 69 years of age. This age range meets the definition of “old,” which is the presence of senescent changes in almost all biomarkers in all animals.
Why do mice multiply so fast? ›
Mice naturally reproduce quickly and those living in your home can have an even higher reproduction rate. Your home provides a shelter that is safe from predators and often has a dependable food supply of crumbs or items in your pantry, giving female mice the perfect habitat and conditions for reproduction.
Which rodent has the longest lifespan? ›
The longest-lived rodent, the naked mole-rat (Ctenohystrica, Heterocephalus glaber) is recognized as an animal model of biogerontological interest (Buffenstein, 2005; Austad, 2010; Edrey et al., 2011; de Magalhães et al., 2007a) with a maximal lifespan of more than 30 years in our captive care (Lewis and Buffenstein, ...
Do mice avoid sleeping humans? ›
Mice are generally wary of humans and prefer to avoid direct contact. However, they may explore the sleeping area if they perceive a food source nearby. To prevent this, ensure your bedroom is free of food remnants, and take steps to seal entry points. If needed, consider using traps as a proactive measure.
How long until mice open their eyes? ›
Description of Developmental Stages: Birth - Day 14
| Age | Description |
|---|
| Day 11 | Teeth are beginning to erupt Eyes start to open |
| Day 12 | Eyes are open Pups begin to nibble solid food |
| Day 13 | Pups increase solid food intake |
| Day 14 | Pups increase in weight and size, eating more solid food |
11 more rowsCan you tell how old a mouse is? You can typically tell how old a developing mouse is by seeing how much fur they have and how developed their ears and eyes are. That being said, seeing baby mice in the wild is extremely unlikely so it would be difficult to do this unless the baby mice are being raised in captivity.
Do mice like being petted? ›
Pet mice are characterised by their friendly nature and their curiosity. They are highly social, living in groups in which they care for each other – although in contrast to rats, mice do not enjoy much physical contact with humans.
What smell does mice hate? ›
The strong scent of peppermint is overwhelming to mice. Similarly, essential oils such as eucalyptus oil, bergamot oil, clove oil, and cinnamon oil are potent in keeping mice at bay. One study noted that eucalyptus oil applied once a day was more effective as a rat repellant than once a week.
What happens after a mouse dies? ›
When a mouse dies, its body starts to break down and release various gases. The result is an incredibly foul odor that can quickly fill a room. The odor of a dead mice might not be that bad at first, but it will continue to get worse until it overpowers your nostrils.
Do mice mate for life? ›
California mice (Peromyscus californicus) are monogamous rodents that form lifelong relationships with a partner, sharing a home and parenting duties. But if the partner dies or disappears, the bereaved… mouse often finds a new life partner and reproduces.
Will mice eventually leave? ›
Once they realize that your home is a good source for food and a good place for shelter, they will never leave and will start making their nests and look for a spot where they can stay and hide.
Do mice live in your house all year round? ›
It's a misconception that mice are only a winter problem, house mice are active all year round.
How quickly do mice multiply? ›
With a short gestation period of just about three weeks, one mouse can give birth to 5-6 babies. A typical female mouse can birth between five and 10 litters per year. She can mate immediately after giving birth, meaning mice can birth a second litter in as little as 25 days after the first.
How long can mice live in the attic without food? ›
Mice are heavily dependent on food, much more than drinking water. Mice can only survive for about 2-4 days without a meal, despite their ability to go a month or more without directly consuming water (since they absorb a lot of the moisture that hydrates them through their food).
