What Do Mice Eat?

Mice, particularly house mice, are the most commonly encountered rodent pest that people find in their homes. They tend to make nests out of whatever unused materials they can find, and often begin to infest homes by crawling or digging through tight holes in walls. Typically, mice invade homes during colder months as they search for a food source. Here’s what you should know about what food mice gravitate toward and how to prevent them from making a mess in your home.

What Do Mice Like to Eat?

Mice will eat just about anything, but their favorite foods include grains, sweet fruits, seeds, and nuts. Contrary to popular belief, cheese is not a mouse’s favorite food, though as omnivores, they will gladly eat it and practically anything that’s available. The most important thing to a hungry mouse is ease of access – they aren’t that picky at the end of the day. Though there are some foods that mice prefer, when in need, mice will eat pet food, insects, bird food, and food scraps found in the trash.

Mouse Eating Habits

Mice tend to be attracted to warm, safe environments where they can access different types of foods — and unfortunately, your home may fit the bill, especially during colder months. House mice usually feed at dusk and dawn, occasionally emerging during the day and in the middle of the night. Most wild mice are afraid of humans and will try to avoid being spotted. They also have good hearing and will spook easily if they sense you approaching so it’s unlikely you’ll actually see a mouse eat.

As mice look for food and nesting sites, they can quickly cause a lot of damage. They are known to gnaw on electrical wiring and will use it both as a food source and for nesting material. Along with wiring, they may burrow into insulation, trash cans, cardboard boxes, papers, and other materials to build nests and raise young.

Signs of a Mouse Infestation

Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve experienced a mouse invasion. They tend to migrate indoors when temperatures drop in search of somewhere cozy to spend winter. And unfortunately, if you have food in your home that you haven’t properly stored in airtight containers, you run a high risk of attracting mice. Some of the most common signs of a mouse infestation include:

• Damaged food containers with gnaw marks on them
• Finding food scraps with nibble marks
• Finding small, rod-shaped feces
• Electrical damage from chewing
• Oily rub marks on walls and/or four- or five-toed footprints on the floor

This can prove dangerous not only to your pantry and electrical system but also to allergies and asthma, as particles of mouse droppings and urine can get into the air and trigger these conditions.

Learn More about Identifying Mice

How to Keep Mice Out of Your Food

Mice are known for contaminating the food sources they raid. They can carry many microbes and pathogens that are harmful to humans, such as hantavirus. Hantavirus is one of the more dangerous diseases mice can spread because the virus is airborne. Other types of bacteria are spread through contact with mouse fur, paws, or droppings. As mice search for food, anything that comes in contact with the mouse itself or droppings could potentially be contaminated.

To keep mice out of your food, make sure you properly store all food in airtight containers. It can also help to store foods high on shelves inside cabinets. While these measures won’t necessarily prevent rodents from getting into your food altogether, it’s much less likely for rodents to chew through sturdy containers as opposed to plastic bags. Cleaning regularly and taking out the trash can also help deter mice.

And of course, a huge part of prevention is ensuring mice don’t have easy access to your home itself. Seal any entrances that mice may use to invade, double-checking common entry points like basements, crawl spaces, and garages.