Vocalisations are not important to most shrews, and are mostly heard during fights. Secretions and the sense of smell is probably important in social interactions, but these secretions may also be distasteful to some carnivores. Shrews are always hungry. They have a very high metabolic rate, and many species must eat their own weight daily to survive. They are constantly looking for food, and may survive no more than 2-3 hours without food.
Shrews are active in bouts throughout the day, both summer and winter.
It is amazing that they are able to find enough to eat and to survive the long and cold northern winter, even if they are protected by the snow. None of the Norwegian shrews are known to be able to enter torpor to conserve energy during resting periods. In the subnivean layer, shrews may hunt dormant invertebrates, in addition to a few species that may also be active in winter. They also readily eat dead animals, including their own conspecifics. Few live longer than 1.5 year.