At what age can a mouse have babies?
- Mice reach their sexual maturity at about 5 weeks. Although they are capable of reproducing at this age, they usually don’t start reproducing until 6 weeks of age.
How long is the gestation period?
- Mice stay pregnant for about 3 weeks.
How many babies do mice typically have in 1 litter?
- A female mouse is capable of producing up to 8 litters in a year, with an average of 6 to 8 pups per litter.
Based on the above numbers, how many total mice / offspring can 2 mice produce in 1 year?
- Based on the above numbers, and under perfect conditions, a female mouse getting pregnant at 6 weeks, having her first litter of (8) pups at 9 weeks, can result in a total of 131,258 mice at the end of 1 year! That number is assuming that each female capable of reproducing follows on the above time table.
How late into life can a mouse breed?
- Mice typically don’t breed after 8 months. 8 months is considered elderly for mice. They are sometimes capable of breeding after this age, but doing so usually results in complications and death.
Other facts about mice:
- Mice have facial expressions, which communicate their moods to other mice.
- Mice like to stay very close to their home, usually only venturing out about 15 to 20 feet when looking for food.
- Mice are considered very clean and tidy.
- A mouse’s tail is usually equally as long as its body.
- Mice eat on an average of 15 – 20 times a day.
- Mice whiskers are used to sense smooth and rough surfaces, temperature changes and breezes.
- Mice prefer to travel adjacent to walls and other edges, which is why mouse traps should be placed along these same areas.