Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains, they will eat almost anything. They are sporadic feeders, nibbling bits of food here and there. Mice have keen senses of hearing, smell, taste, and touch. They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 12 inches from the floor onto a flat surface.
Mice can squeeze through openings slightly larger than inch in diameter.
In a single year, a female may have five to ten litters of usually five or six young each. Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they reach reproductive maturity in six to 10 weeks. The life span of a mouse is usually 9 to 12 months. The first two are preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction is almost always necessary.