There is often, but not always, an inverse relationship between deer mouse population density and home range size. Deer mice use and maintain several home sites or refuges within the home range. Prairie deer mice travel over a different area within the home range on successive nights, returning to the nest on the same path used for the outward trip. The extent of travel and intensity of use of the home range varies with habitat change and loss or gain of conspecific neighbors. Home range fidelity is fairly strong.
Adults shift home ranges in response to habitat alteration or disturbance.
Nests are also constructed in various structures and artifacts including old boards and abandoned vehicles. Deer mice also consume nuts, berries and other small fruits, and fungi. In Colorado pinyon-juniper woodlands 77 percent of the deer mouse diet was pinyon seeds when the seeds were available. Peromyscus species rarely alter vegetative cover since they do not eat leaves, twigs, or stems to any great extent. He concluded that deer mice are capable of causing substantial loss of tree seed crops.