Learn the Importance of Ridding Your Home of These Pests Quickly
From previous posts you learned how mice can squeeze into tiny openings and how to search your home for mouse activity. You also learned how mice leave such little evidence you might not notice they are in your home and how to close the entry points. There is a saying we’ve heard from clients in the pest control industry: “If I’ve seen one mouse I probably have more.” This phrase is true, knowing the life cycle and gestation cycles of mice. Read on to learn the crazy truth to the question ‘how quickly do mice reproduce?’
The House Mouse Life Cycle
The female mouse’s gestation period lasts 19-21 days. Each litter consists of 3 to 14 baby mice, called pups. The average litter size is between 6 and 8 pups. One female mouse can have between 5 and 10 litters per year.
That’s a lot of numbers, you may think. So, how quickly do mice reproduce actually? For quick math of 5 pups and 5 litters per year is 25 pups, but we know it will be more than that! If we use the max litter size of 8, mice could have anywhere between 40 and 80 mice per year!
Keep in mind that those numbers listed above is only for one mouse! So, when you’re wondering ‘how quickly do mice reproduce?’ you need to consider multiple mice.
Female mice reach sexual maturity at 6 weeks of life. So, if only 1 or 2 mice slipped into your home in the middle of the night, it isn’t long before those 2 turn into 8 or more mice, and so on. If left untreated, mouse reproduction can quickly become exponential versus linear.
Mice are born blind and without fur or ears. After 4 days, mice develop ears. After 6 days they develop fur. And not until day 13 do their eyes open. Pups are weaned from their mothers after 21 days. Once weaned, they are free to roam about.
In the wild mice only live a year or less. Whereas inside a protected environment, such as a house, mice can live between 2 and 3 years. As a result, they will have plenty of time to reproduce. This is another reason why mouse control is so important.
Fleas often infest mice, and the flea carries a lot of diseases. Learn of 5 Types of Diseases Mice Carry.
If you have year-round mouse concerns, check out our Peak Seasons Plan!
Next Steps
You’ve learned the answer to how quickly do mice reproduce: quickly! You’re also looking for help. Check out our other resources for DIY tips, or just give us a call: we’d love to help you!
If you’ve searched your home for mouse activity and found some, you’re able to take the next step. The next step is performing your own pest control treatments, or calling for help. Done Right Pest Solutions is happy to help answer any questions and give advice. If you are in need of any preventative maintenance or mice extermination, call or text Done Right Pest Solutions at 651-342-9489.
Check out our Complete Mouse Control Guide that has all this information and more!