The breeding season for this mouse is March till November with a gestation period of 25 -26 days resulting in an average of 5 naked and blind young being born.
In the wild they may survive 18 – 20 months and will live on a diet of berries and tree seeds such as beech, oak, ash, lime and sycamore.
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Wood mice have a distinctive way of eating hazelnuts; they will leave a chiseled looking edge to the inner part of the circular hole they create to get at the hazelnut inside (a bit like the side of 5p or 10p piece)
Latin name: Apodemus sylvaticus
Also known as the field mouse or long tailed field mouse
Identification
- Pointed muzzle
- Large ears
- Yellowish brown coloured fur on its back with a pale grey underside, also has a yellow streak between its forelegs
- Very long tail, darker above than it is below, the length of the tail is the equivalent to the length of the head and body combined
In the Garden
Wood mice are extremely common and are found in almost all habitats, providing an important food source for garden creatures like stoats, foxes and owls.
They live in burrows in the ground or underneath garden buildings such as sheds or outhouses and will forage around bird feeders and where small pets like guinea pig and rabbits are kept.
Did you know…?
- Wood mice live throughout most of the UK and Europe except Northern Scandinavia, Finland and North Western USSR.
- Usually spends its whole life within an area of just 180 meters in diameter