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Interesting mouse behavior
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Posted by maifleur 5b-6 KCMO (My Page) on Thu, Jun 10, 10 at 17:17
| Year before last we had an invasion of mice because there was few things to eat in the area. Some were normal house and field mice but one was that looked like a regular field mouse had an odd habit. Before taking off it would strike the nearest surface with it's tail making a noise similar to a rattlesnake. Thankfully between spring and more food outside and two of my cats stalking them inside we finally are rid of them.
I thought the behavior was just of my mice but I recently went to a feedstore for birdseed and as I got out of the car there was a mouse that also clicked it's tail on the pavement as it took off to tall grass. I am wondering if others have noticed this behavior and is it copied by several mouse families? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| That's interesting. I have never seen that, but I'm not that close to them to notice. I do know that beavers slap their tail on the water to warn others, before they dive when they are alarmed. Maybe that's what the mice are doing?? |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| well lets just be glad that their mice and not rats! |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| I used to raise mice when I was younger and they would do this in their cage. It is a warning that a predator is nearby. A mouse in an underground burrow can hear that through the ground. They usually communicate with ultrasonic 'squeaks' but that frequency range does not travel through the ground well. |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| Thanks for the information. I had never noticed it before. I try and catch the mice before the cats get them and release outside. If they did not chew everything they can get the teeth on they would probably make nice pets. This particular one was doomed. He chewed on my large bar of cooking chocolate. I can stand many things but not that. |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| Not the chocolate! Mice make great pets if you like small rodents. They're cheap and quite smart. If you leave them to it you will end up with too many mice though and they learn by imitation so if one finds its way out of the cage (they are very curious and try everything) then several more will follow it out before you realize! I found that if one gets out of your hand and lands on the carpet they will not know what that place is and will stay put. If it happens a second time they will recognize that they will be put back in the cage and try to seek shelter. If it happens a third time, without fail, they will hit the ground running! If you have pet mice though you will end up with loose mice in your house. Either some expert escape artist work or them attracting other mice from outdoors. Pet mice don't come with an understanding of predators though so if your mouse encounters a cat that's it. |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| Only one of my cats knows that you are supposed to eat the beasties but the other hunter would bat it to death. I will allow those that want to keep pet mice to do so. They are so very cute when they sniff the air. |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| Pet mice are not illegal anywhere that I've lived so I'm not sure why you say you will allow people to do it. I'm talking about pet mice from a pet store of course. Some people just buy them to feed to their other pets but most people who do that find it cheaper and more fun to raise their own from the mice they buy. |
RE: Interesting mouse behavior
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| My comment was about personal choice. If others want to raise mice they can raise them. My choice is not to do so. |
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