What is the life expectancy of a mouse?

Author: Prof. Donnell Kling  |  Last update: Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Domestic mice typically only live for 1–3 years. Their wild counterparts have an even shorter lifespan; some estimates are 3–6 months and only rarely up to 18 months. This extremely brief life is due to predation, extreme environmental conditions, lack of veterinary care, and inconsistent food sources.

How long can a mouse live in your house?

House mice have adapted to thrive around humans. Inside a house that provides shelter and plenty of crumbs or stored goods, the average lifespan of a mouse is about two years. As long as the pests have access to food and water, the only real threats to their survival are disease and humans or pets.

How long will a pet mouse live?

A pet mouse is inexpensive compared to larger pets, and even many other pet rodents, but mice are comparatively short-lived: typically only 2 to 3 years.

How can you tell how old a mouse is?

A mouse is born

On the fourth day, their ears are fully developed. Hair begins to grow around the sixth day, and by day 10, they have a protective coat of fur. The pups still won't open their eyes until around day 13 or 14, but after that, they are almost fully-grown adults.

What is the lifespan of a wild mouse?

How Long Do Mice Live in the Wild Versus as Pets? In their natural habitat, mice can live between six months and 18 months, with the former being much closer to the average. They are vulnerable to medical conditions as well as predators.

How to Make Mice and Rats Disappear in 60 seconds without using Poison or Traps

Is it OK to touch a wild mouse?

Mice can carry a number human-transmissible diseases. For this reason, you should take care in handling mice that aren't kept as pets. You should also throw away food at the first sign that mice have gotten to it, even if you're not positive.

What temperature kills mice?

If the temperature reaches about 98 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), the mice can become dehydrated, experience heat related illness, and die.

Do mice get attached to humans?

Both mice and rats are also highly social animals. They become attached to each other, love their own families, and easily bond with their human guardians—returning as much affection as is given to them.

What time of year do mice have babies?

Living indoors, mice can reproduce all year round, but outdoors, breeding occurs during the spring, summer, and fall. Winter becomes too cold for mice to reproduce outdoors. Mice also have longer lifespans when living indoors. In the wild they can live up to 12 months, but indoors they can live up to two years.

How long can mice go without eating?

Mice are small but frequent eaters. They can only go two to four days without food. Before you think it's easy to starve them out, consider that they may have food cached or go outside to forage.

Is it OK to keep a house mouse as a pet?

They are highly social, living in groups in which they care for each other – although in contrast to rats, mice do not enjoy much physical contact with humans. To keep a pet mouse on its own, therefore, is not kind or appropriate.

How long do mice sleep?

Unlike humans, mice snooze for about 12 hours a day, and their sleep is condensed into cycles of several minutes to an hour long.

What happens when a mouse is dying?

In mice that died spontaneously, gradual weight loss was the most frequent and earliest sign of imminent death. Hypothermia developed during the 2 wk prior to death. Slow or labored breathing were observed in about half of the mice before death.

How many mice are there if I see one?

Signs of an Infestation

A much more likely scenario is that you're already too late. Spotting one elusive mouse typically means there are at least five or six hiding out in your walls, basement, or attic. This is particularly true if you see a mouse at night or in a low-traffic area of your home.

Will a mouse go near a sleeping human?

However, they are not typically interested in crawling on people while they are sleeping. In fact, mice are generally afraid of humans and will do their best to avoid contact with us. If you do happen to find a mouse in your bed, it is likely that the mouse has been displaced from its nest or is looking for food.

Can mice go away on their own?

Contrary to popular belief, mice do not leave on their own, and in order to successfully rid your home of them, you will need to contact a professional pest control company. Dealing with a mice infestation inside of your home is something that no homeowner wants to deal with.

Do mice mate for life?

California mice (Peromyscus californicus) are monogamous rodents that form lifelong relationships with a partner, sharing a home and parenting duties. But if the partner dies or disappears, the bereaved mouse often finds a new life partner… and reproduces.

Will a mother mouse come back for babies if you touch them?

Nest of Mice, Rats or Voles Disturbed

Rodents are excellent mothers and will come back for their babies if you give them a chance. Once a nest is discovered or disturbed, they will often move the babies to a safer location.

What does a mouse nest look like?

Mouse nests are typically small and compacted blobs of soft materials. Most nests look like messy clumps of shredded paper, insulation, and fabrics that they could have gathered on their own, like dust bunnies in a corner. These nests range in size but are often smaller than a baseball.

Why do mice come towards you?

Why mice enter homes. One fact about mice is that they are naturally attracted to food sources, warmth, and shelter.

How to get rid of a mouse?

How to get rid of mice in your house
  1. Eliminate entry points.
  2. Use mouse traps.
  3. Choose the best bait for mouse traps.
  4. Proper placement of mouse traps is critical.
  5. Place bait stations carefully in the house.
  6. Good sanitation won't get rid of mice, but poor sanitation will attract them.

Do mice know their names?

Mice and rats are so smart that they can recognize their names and respond when called.

What kills mice the quickest?

Zinc phosphide is an acute toxicant that causes the death of a house mouse within several hours after a lethal dose is ingested. It appears to be the fastest way of getting rid of mice by reducing their population.

Can a mouse bite you?

Like with any pest, rats and mice can bite if they are under extreme duress. In general, it's best not to risk it. This means avoiding approaching a nuisance rat or mouse that you find in your home. Instead, always contact your local rodent exterminators to help get rid of the rodents for you.

Does a cold room keep mice away?

Mice will inhabit cold areas if there is a consistent food supply or if they have limited access to warmer spaces. Ensuring cold rooms are sealed and free of food sources can help deter mice from these areas.

Previous article
What are high touch points?
Next article
How to purify well water naturally?