Rodents are cute from afar, but they aren't quite as cute when they decide to move into your home. Just how much do you know about mice? For such small creatures, mice sure can be big eaters.
These critters have a special liking for nibbling on cereal grains and seeds; however, if such foods are not available, they aren't that fussy. They will eat whatever is found in your home. Let's learn about the food preferences of mice through this blog.
Grains and cereals are a mouse's two favorite food items and for good reasons. These carbohydrate-rich staples, supply the mice with quick energy in readiness for their active lifestyle.
Grains and Cereals are small and thus very easy for the mice to collect and store. The problem is that mice won't just eat what they need; they seem to like to gnaw through entire boxes with urine and feces making this food unsafe to be eaten by humans.
These would particularly include bread and other baked goods like cookies, cakes, and pastries. The structure of the food is very soft and doughy, hence easily chewable and digestible.
Mice can easily chew through plastic or paper packaging for such foods, hence they are very vulnerable targets in your pantry. Another powerfully attractive smell to mice is that of fresh bread or other baked goods. This often lures mice onto kitchen counters and into cupboards.
That timeless idea that mice love cheese is not wholly a myth; there is some truth to the idea. Cheese is packed full of fat and protein hence mouse devours on them. However, not all cheeses are equally appealing.
Softer cheeses, like Brie or Camembert, with strong smells, are more likely to attract mice than harder, dry varieties like Parmesan. Mice are also drawn to cheese that has been left out, as it becomes softer and more pungent over time, increasing its appeal.
The rich, nutty aroma and high-fat content make peanut butter an extremely inviting food source for mice. Mice are drawn by the strong smell from afar, and the sticky texture of peanut butter makes it hard to resist once it is found.
They will go out of their way to find peanut butter if needed; they will even brave a trap for the tasty reward it holds. This makes peanut butter one of the most effective baits for catching mice.
Nuts and seeds form a normal part of the diet for mice both in their natural habitat and in homes. In terms of nutritional value, such foods are packed with fat, protein, and other fundamental nutrients that act as a great source of energy for mice.
Typical house targets include almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and even bird seeds. In particular, they favor nuts that are yet unshelled because the gnawing of the shell to get to the nut wears their teeth down due to the ever-growing teeth.
The mouse is an omnivore and can eat everything from plant to animal matter. In your home, they do seem to have preferences: apples, bananas, berries, carrots, potatoes, and leafy green vegetables.
Fresh produce adds an extra edge because of its water content, making it not just a food supply but also a source of hydration. They seem to prefer reissues or rotting kinds of produce, which may be easier to chew through.
Another essential pantry item that mice enjoy is dried pasta. It is almost pure starch with half of its content being carbohydrates, making it an ideal source of energy for these little creatures.
In the same way that this happens with grains, they will gnaw into the package to reach the pasta, which creates a general mess of bags with holes and chewed-through pasta. Once inside the pasta, they might hoard it in their nests but break it into smaller, more manageable pieces.
One would also be cautious over the propensity of these rodents to carry out a potential feast on the food for their pets. Indeed, dog kibble, cat food, and even fish flakes are all high in protein and fat that attract mice.
Dry pet food is particularly a big draw, for it is easy to hoard and store. It goes a long way in explaining why mice are often found in pet bags of food, especially if they are not sealed tightly.
Mice have a pronounced sweet tooth. They are attracted to candy, chocolate, and even the crumbs left behind from cake. It's because these sweet contents make them able to gain their energy rapidly, which is why it may be especially destructive around sweets.
Mice will gnaw on and penetrate candy wrappers, break into cookie jars, and raid cake boxes. The attraction to sweets is so strong that it occasionally is even used to bait traps.
Mice are opportunistic scavengers; therefore, even the tiniest crumb or leftover is equivalent to a meal for them. Each crumb that falls on the floor, for example, behind the stove, refrigerator, or even between the couch cushions, translates into a food supply for them.
Mice have an excellent sense of smell, thus being able to locate even the tiniest crumbs. Once having found a good source of food, they come back again and again, usually sprinkling droppings and urine as they go along both ways.
Mice won't hesitate to dig through the trash if they think there is food. Leftovers, spoiled food, food containers, or wrappings, all of these can be an invitation to come and dine. If the top isn't tightly sealed on your refuse, that can turn into an array for those unwanted critters.
In particular, mice get excited about organic refuse like fruit rinds, veggie scraps, or meat bits. They also chew up leftover food wrappings if they smell a possibility of food lingering within.
Fats form an important part of their diet, and they especially love butter and cooking oils. Mice chew their way through containers to get at the fats and in the process, spill your kitchen.
High-calorie foods, including fats, provide mice with the energy required to live, especially during the colder months when food sources may be too sparse to depend on. The thing they like, however, is butter because of the smell and soft consistency that allows the mice to eat easily.
While mice can't chew through metal, they will chew on the labels of canned foods if they're soaked in food residue. While this, by itself, may seem minor, it might serve as a warning that your pantry isn't quite as mouseproof as one would think.
Specifically, mice tend to zero in on cans stored in such a way that food residue forms on the labels. They may also gnaw through the edges of cans in search of entry. These habits can lead to contamination and spoilage of your canned foods.
Being opportunistic feeders, mice do not shy away from meat in a domestic setting. Cooked meat is particularly preferred because it is easy to chew and has a high amount of protein, like chicken, beef, or pork pieces.
Mice will also gnaw on raw exposed meat, especially if it has gone a little bad since the softer texture allows them to chew easily. Such items as sausages, hot dogs, deli slices, and other processed meats also become very attractive to mice.
Another source of food that sends mice into a tizzy is baby formula. It has a nice smell and contains a lot of nutrients, which only serve to attract them even more. Mice can also easily gnaw through any type of packaging to get to powdered formula.
Liquid formula can also be attractive if the bottles are left out. Baby formula contamination by mice can be a serious health hazard, causing diseases and bacteria.
It might surprise you, but mice will sometimes chew on candles and soaps, especially if they contain animal fat or oils. While not a preferred food source, it’s a testament to a mouse’s willingness to chew on almost anything.
In the wild, mice have a more natural diet that alters according to their environment and season. While they're free to scavenge whatever foods they choose, their diet is still greatly influenced by the available foods. Here are 7 common foods mice eat in the wild:
In the wild, seeds and grains are major food sources for mice. They collect them in fields, forests, and even in cities. Seeds from grasses, weeds, and other wild plants are especially plentiful and easy for mice to harvest. These small, dense bits give mice energy to survive during the winter period when other food sources become scarce.
Berries are only one of the seasonal goodies wild mice enjoy. Vitamins and natural sugars are some of the contents that give a mouse its fast energy. During summer and autumn seasons when there are plenty, the mice will forage for berries.
It also gives them hydration, crucial to mice living in dry places. Wild mice particularly enjoy small berries with easy access like Blackberries, Raspberries, and Elderberries.
Being omnivores, mice also consume insects. This list includes beetles, caterpillars, and even grasshoppers. Insects are very important sources of proteins and fats required by the body to support its growth and maintenance.
In the wild, mice are opportunist hunters, taking advantage of the slow movement or overabundance of these insects in their habitat. This again makes it possible for young mice to consume these insects and acquire adequate nutrition for fast growth.
Food sources for mice include fungi. The fungi, which extend to include mushrooms and other types of wild fungi, turn into extremely crucial avenues of food during particular seasons such as fall when most plant-based food sources are in short supply.
Fungi offer mice sources of vitamins and minerals during times of the year when their diet may lack them. However, it is a dangerous route to take because mice need to be careful since some fungi are poisonous and hence dangerous if ingested.
In the absence of other food sources, mice will dig for roots and tubers. Underground plant parts, rich in carbohydrates, can sustain mice during hard times. Wild mice most of the time dig into the soil to reach roots and tubers from plants such as potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables.
This type of food is important, particularly during winter when vegetation above ground is scarce.
Although these are not so rich in nutrients compared to other foods, leaves and stems are also usually eaten by mice in the wild, particularly during times when food is scarce. Such plant parts offer mice some amount of roughage to keep their digestive system healthy.
The tender leaves and young stems of most plants will normally be eaten by mice, as these are easier to digest and pack more nutrients. In some cases, mice will even gnaw on woody stems to prevent their teeth from overgrowing.
To a lesser extent, mice also eat carrion, i.e. dead animals they may come across. This happens in the wild to a greater degree where food sources are not predictable. Carrion provides a rich source of protein and fat necessary for survival at lean times.
This food acquisition method, however, is also associated with certain risks, given that consumption of such carrion exposes the mice to several harmful bacteria and other parasites. In most cases, mice tend to scavenge on small animal tissues like birds or even insects, and not large carcasses.
While mice are known to eat almost everything, there are some specific things they just won't touch. These foods have intense odors, tastes, or characteristics that repel them.
Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, are mostly disapproved of by mice. After all, the smell of these citric acid-rich fruits is pretty forward and foul to them. The citrus smell is used most of the time as a natural repellent to keep mice away from certain places.
If desperate enough, mice will have a nibble at the rind but generally keep away from these fruits.
Mice abhor spicy foods. Capsaicin is a chemical that gives chili peppers their heat and is particularly objectionable to mice. Spicy foods will cause mouse irritation in their mouth and digestive tract, so they learn not to touch such items.
That makes spicy foods and spices, like cayenne pepper, pretty popular for being applied as natural rodent repellents.
Another potent smell that mice detest is that of raw onions and garlic. These foods contain sulfur compounds that are irritating to these mice in terms of smell and taste. Mice usually avoid places where raw onions or garlic are kept, and so they become very useful in natural repellent techniques.
This effectiveness may wear off with time as the foods dry out or rot, and so in such cases, they should be replaced frequently.
Peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and lavender oil are generally applied to repel mice naturally. These oils, with their pungent smell, overwhelm the sensitive sense of smell of mice, hence keeping them off areas where the oils have been applied.
More specifically, peppermint oil is one of the effective ones and can be used in various forms: sprays, diffusers, or soaked in cotton balls that are to be placed in problem areas. Other oils could also be potent, such as clove or citronella. Still, to another degree,
Mice do not like the smell of the coffee grounds or maybe just coffee's bitterness alone. Used coffee grounds can be sprinkled around places where mice are found naturally to repel them.
The rough texture of the grounds and its overwhelming smell make it hard for them to move around in treated areas; hence, they will begin to emigrate. Though coffee grounds are not an absolute solution, it is always helpful as an integral part of an integrated pest management strategy.
Another natural mouse repellent is the foul, acidic odor of vinegar. The smell is pretty reprehensible to mice, which will stay clear of any surface on which vinegar has been applied or sprayed.
Vinegar is used in cleaning solutions for disinfecting a place of the mouse and repelling them from the premises. However, as with most other natural repellents, vinegar needs periodic reapplies to maintain its efficiency, particularly in mouse-heavy environments.
Herbs and spices, in particular, cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon, have sharp pungent odors abhorred by mice. These can be put in pantries, cupboards, and places of storage for food to help ensure that mice stay clear of such areas.
The fragrance of these herbs and spices, often, should be quite enough to keep mice from approaching places where the treatment has been administered. Nevertheless, their efficiencies may vary according to the intensity of the infestation and depending on the availability of alternative food.
