White-footed mouse

White-footed mice are agile climbers that forage both on the ground and in trees at night. They store seeds and nuts in hidden caches, and often use old bird nests as feeding platforms or roof them over as nests of their own.

In cold weather they may enter a daily torpor, lowering their body temperature to save energy, and several may share a nest.

White-footed mice are one of the most important small animals in eastern forests. They eat and bury tree seeds, eat large numbers of moth pupae — including those of the spongy moth, a serious forest pest — and feed owls, foxes, weasels and snakes.

They are also a main host for the ticks that spread Lyme disease, which has made them central to research on how forests, mice, ticks and people are linked.

Breeding — spring to autumn, and in winter in the South
Gestation — about 22 to 25 days
Litter — usually two to six young
Eyes open — at about two weeks old
Weaning — at about three weeks old
Maturity — at about six to eight weeks old
Lifespan — usually less than a year in the wild

• White-footed mice sometimes enter cabins and sheds in autumn; sealing gaps keeps them out.
• Like other wild rodents, they can carry diseases, including hantaviruses; clean up droppings wet, with gloves and ventilation, rather than sweeping.
• Glue traps and poisons cause slow deaths and poison the owls and foxes that eat mice.
• A nest of young mice found in a shed can often be left until they leave in a few weeks.

• All mice in a shed are house mice. In the country many are native white-footed mice.
• Mice only cause problems. In forests they plant trees and eat pest insects.
• Poison is the tidy solution. Poisoned mice are eaten by owls, hawks, cats and foxes, which are poisoned in turn.

• Eastern deer mouse
• Cotton mouse
• Golden mouse
• House mouse