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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Mice Plague

We are now having an infestation of mice in South Australia and Western Australia. Even up at "The Camp" in western NSW we've been catching mice - I caught 7 mice and a grey rat in one night.

The recent rains and the subsequent boom in grain crops have proven ideal for mice to breed. Mice reach sexual maturity by 4-6 weeks. However, females should not be bred for the first time until they are 8 to 12 weeks old. Female mice come into estrus (heat) every 4-5 days (this is the time they will be fertile and receptive to a male). They will have a fertile estrus within 12-28 hours after giving birth, and within a couple of days of weaning a litter.
The gestation period of mice is usually 19-21 days. Mice can breed shortly after giving birth. If they breed while already nursing a litter, the gestation period can be longer (around 28 days).


 
The above video was made 2 months ago.
 
The following video is one from the 1993 mice plague!
 

5 comments:

Janet said...

OMG ! the odd mouse the cat bring in I can handle but that ! think I`d end up having a nervous breakdown !

LindaG said...

I've seen similar on TV here. It's terrible. And I have no idea what can help, simply because of what you said there - how often they are able to breed.
All I can say is good luck!

Wren said...

Good heavens!! I had to take my car into the shop because the windshield wipers wouldnt work. A mouse built a nest so tight in the motor house they had they had to rip the motor apart. Best of luck to you..

Gill - That British Woman said...

I am touching wood when I say this, but we haven't had a mouse in the house for a few months now thank goodness. It was like a mouse motel when we first moved in......good look with your mice issues...

Gill in Canada

John Going Gently said...

OMG
even my albert would have raun a mile!!! bloody scary!