harvest mice Alex Clark

Alex Clark

Although some people are scared of mice, this is not a natural fear (like of heights) and we think mice are nice! England has three native ‘outdoor mice’ who likely won’t go anywhere near you, as they mostly live in woods and farmland. Where they live on insects, vegetation, berries, nuts and seeds. Also read how to help endangered dormice.

Wood Mice (field mice) are shy nocturnal creatures that live on seeds, nuts, earthworms, caterpillars and centipedes. Their many predators include owls, kestrels, foxes, stoats and weasels. Uniquely, they can shed their skin to try to escape predators (but only once). Unlike grey-brown house mice, these have brown fur with large black eyes, and bigger ears.

Yellow-necked mice are found in southern England and the Midlands. As the name suggests, they have a yellow band of fur around their necks. Smaller than wood mice, they are very good at leaping away from predators.

Harvest mice are tiny, with chestnut-coloured fur and a long tail to grip plants. They often live near farms with cereal crops (or near reedbeds) to build nests. Their numbers have reduced by 70% due to lack of habitat.

A project to rewild 150 harvest mice on an Ealing Nature Reserve is planting trees and reed beds. Grass will remain un-grazed, to provide nesting material for the patter of harvest mice babies!

Wild mice groom themselves and each other, wiping their faces and ears with their feet – then use their mouths to wipe their tails clean!

Wild mice look similar to voles. But the latter are easier to spot during the day, and have smaller eyes and ears.

How to Help England’s Wild Mice

Don’t drop litter (nor smoke) in the countryside. If you do light up, use a personal ashtray (dropping a butt on dry grass can cause wildfires). Don’t have barbecues in the countryside or woods, and avoid releasing balloons or fire lanterns (these travel before falling from the sky).

Inspect sheds and outbuildings before knocking them down (always after youngsters have left the area) as many mice, hedgehogs and frogs like to shelter or hibernate inside or under them. Although yellow-necked mice like hedgerows and fruit orchards, many come indoors during cold weather.

Main threats to wild mice are farm chemicals and lack of woodland habitat. So support local organic box schemes and farm shops, and buy recycled paper products (toilet rollkitchen roll, tissues, notebooks.

Wild mice often hide in birdboxes. So as with birds, choose plain wooden ones (for the right species, sited properly). Never use coloured or tin birdhouses, these attract predators and can over-heat. 

How to Humanely Deter Mice

‘House mice’ (in buildings) are simply wild mice searching for warmth, food and shelter. The best way to deter them is to not leave food lying around.

To prevent them coming through buildings, Mouse Mesh may deter, also sold in a thicker version to deter rats. Keep the grille clear of leaves and don’t cover vents to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Read more on humane ways to deter critters.

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