Being small mammals of the order of rodents, mice are characterized, among other things, by their diet. In fact, the best-known species of the mouse, the domestic and the field, have different types of diets.
The physiognomy of mice can already give us the odd clue of what mice eat. Mice have a great sense of smell that allows them to detect food from a long distance.
And likewise, their habitat also offers a perspective on how they obtain their food. Mice usually live both in areas with little vegetation and in mountain forests, without forgetting homes if they are domestic.
After this brief review of their general characteristics, it is time to analyze the digestive system of mice, where it is revealed that they are herbivores. In this way, your digestive tract is adapted to consume plant matter. However, it is not decomposed by the stomach or intestine of the mouse, so that this animal has the habit of ingesting fecal material to obtain the proteins and vitamins that it would obtain from the correct absorption of plant matter.
However, experts consider mice omnivorous animals since it is also common to see them feed on other small animals or even on human food scraps.
Another point to value is their teeth, which do not stop growing, so food helps mice to file their incisors.
And when it comes to the amount of food, what the mice eat should be 10% of their body weight. In addition, they require 15% protein along with 85% vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates.
What do house mice eat?
Based on the fact that the life expectancy of a mouse is shorter abroad since it is more exposed to being eaten by its predators, domestic mice have a type of diet adapted to their living conditions, such as a specific feed for mice that provides them with the nutrients they need for their day today.
This kind of feed includes dehydrated fruits such as apples or bananas, dehydrated vegetables such as carrots, soybean oil, cereals, carob beans, seeds, nuts, beans, dairy products, and foods rich in fiber.
In turn, this type of diet can be complemented with the administrations of small pieces of natural foods that help them wear down their teeth such as carrots, celery, spinach, cucumber, peaches, pears, broccoli, and bread. chewy, cheese, and meat.
What do field mice eat?
In the case of living in the wild, mice feed on breast milk for the first 25 days of life.
After weaning, what field mice eat are plants , fruits, seeds, roots, vegetables, insects, other small animals such as beetles, caterpillars, cockroaches, grasshoppers, worms, snails; scorpions, and human food scraps.
As for the myth that the mice were crazy about cheese, experts say, whether a house mouse as one field, often prefer beans, fruits, and sweet foods. In fact, their supposed attraction to cheese is due to their keen sense of smell, but they may even hate this food.
