Golden mouse

Golden mice are the most tree-living mice of the Southeast. They climb through vines and shrubs, using their tail to help them balance, and build round nests of shredded bark, leaves and grass in tangles of greenbrier, honeysuckle and grape.

They also build small feeding platforms where they eat seeds, leaving piles of husks. Several golden mice may share a nest, and they are generally calm and gentle.

Golden mice are a sign of the dense, vine-rich thickets of southern forests, and they eat and spread the seeds of many shrubs and vines.

They are also a food for owls, snakes, foxes and other predators, and a reminder that the tangled edges people often clear are home to their own wildlife.

Breeding — spring and autumn, less in midsummer
Gestation — about four weeks
Litter — usually two or three young
Eyes open — at about two weeks old
Weaning — at about three weeks old
Lifespan — usually a year or two in the wild

• Clearing vine tangles and thickets removes their nests and food.
• Leaving some greenbrier and honeysuckle at woodland edges keeps their habitat.
• Like other wild rodents, they can carry diseases; avoid handling them.

• Mice live on the ground. Golden mice live mostly in vines and shrubs.
• Vine tangles are useless. They are home and food for golden mice and many birds.

• White-footed mouse
• Cotton mouse
• Eastern harvest mouse