House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence. Mice are occasionally seen during daylight hours. Back to Top House Mouse Facts House mice are non-descript, brownish rodents with relatively large ears and small eyes. Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains, they will eat many kinds of food. They are sporadic feeders, nibbling bits of food here and there.
Mice have keen senses of taste, hearing, smell, 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 13 inches from the floor onto a flat surface. 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 ten weeks. The life span of a mouse is about nine to twelve months.