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The House Mouse
The fact that "Mus musculus", the common house mouse is a very
inquisitive and aggressive animal was firmly established by the Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries (Infestation Control Division) during some
preliminary research into the behaviour of mice. Mice released in a
mouse proof room, 440 sq. ft. in area, were observed to make systematic
examinations of the walls and floor during many journeys backwards
and forwards from and to the nest, the area being extended at each
journey. No mouse was bold enough to encircle the room on its first
journey. They collided with fresh objects placed in any part of the room
previously examined, but after careful examination of the object this
mistake was never repeated. It is understood that in a dim light their
vision is limited to approximately 1 foot.
Mice display no aversion to objects handled by humans or to immobile
humans themselves, for example an observer lying in the room was
examined from head to feet and one family of mice chose the inside of
his trouser leg as a nesting place!
It was discovered that when two or more mice meet one is always
dominant and even when confined together the dominant mouse continues
the persecution of the subordinate which will not move about
freely unless the other is asleep. There may be several dominant mice
in the various colonies, but one is always supreme. Dominant mice
always feed first.
The mouse although indiscriminate in its droppings, is extremely
clean in its grooming, licking fur and feet to remove contaminated substances.
This knowledge is made use of when other means of control
have failed. Poisonous tracking dust which is blown into the runways
and holes contaminates fur and feet and when it is cleaned off by the
mice it leads to wholesale extermination.
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