Name: Common House Mouse

Scientific Name: Mus Musculus

Description of the Common House Mouse: House mice range from 65 to 95 mm in length from the tip of their nose to the end of their body; their tails are 60 to 105 mm long.

Fur color ranges from light brown to black, and they usually have white or tan hued undersides. Their long tails have very little fur and are scaly in texture.

House mice will generally have longer tails and darker fur when living close by or with humans. The weight of the common house mouse ranges from 12 to 30 grams. Domesticated forms of mice have been bred, and vary in color from white to black, or with spots.

Common House Mouse Range and Reproduction: Mus Musculus is found all across North America wherever humans are found. This non-native species can be found in populated areas throughout the state of Arizona. House mice nest behind rafters, in woodpiles, storage areas or any hidden spot near a source of food. They build nests from rags, paper, or other soft substances and line them with finer shredded material.

The common house mouse has nearly incomprehensible reproductive potential. Females will produce 5 to 14 litters per year ranging in size between 3 and 12, which means that the range of offspring produced from a single female is between 15 and 168 in a single year.

Health Information: Mice are agricultural pests when dwelling in farming locales; they consume and contaminate stored human food with their droppings in residential settings. In addition, they contribute to the spread of diseases such as murine typhus, rickettsial pox, tularemia, food poisoning (Salmonella), and bubonic plague. Recent research has also shown that they carry a virus–the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)–that may contribute to breast cancer in humans. (Indik et al., 2005; Stewart et al., 2000)

For Detailed Information, please call us or visit the Mus Musculus Information page at Animal Diversity Web.

Important Facts on the Common House Mouse:
•    House mice are quick runners (up to 8 miles per hour), good climbers, jumpers and also swim well. Despite this, they rarely travel more than 50 feet from their established homes.
•    House mice are generally nocturnal, although some are active during the day in human dwellings.
•    The house mouse is even found in inhospitable environments that, without the presence of human accommodations, would be nearly impossible to survive.
•    In homes infested with common house mice, there is almost always a musky odor: hence the Latin name Mus Musculus.