Rats and Mice: The Most Common Rodents!
After reading this sentence, close your eyes and think of the word "rodent", then think of the first rodent that comes to mind. It's a mouse or rat, right? Of course it is!
Rats and mice are perhaps the most common rodents other than lemmings (yes, I mean those cute lil' fuzzballs running off cliffs as I write!)
Another theory about rats and mice (cue the Despereaux theme song!) is that rats eat their small cousins, mice. Actually, that only happens during a time that the rat cannot find other food sources but the mouse. So read and discover the world of these fascinating creatures.
Rats and Mice Table of Contents
- A Family of Rodents
- Rodent Facts
- Quiz: What are Rodents?
- Mice
- Add to the List of Rodents...
- Books about Mice, Rats and other Rodents
- Caring for your pet rodents.
- Featured Rodent Lenses
- Havahart Traps
- Mice and Rat Finger Puppets
- Hamtaro
- Redwall Books
- Rodent Pictures
- Redwall Video
- Redwall Abbey
- Redwall on Del.icio.us
- Who is blogging about mice?
- Learn more about Rats and Mice and their Relatives
- Antique Mouse Toys
- Experts on Rodents
- Tell us how you react when you see a mouse or a rat.
- Lenses that Love Rodents
A Family of Rodents
Who are rodents and who are not?
By the way, the Rodentia does not include rabbits; because rabbits have an extra pair of incisors and in other skeletal features. Rabbits, hares, and a few other species make up the Lagomorpha.
Shrews, moles and hedgehogs are also not rodents; they are classified in the Insectivora because they eat insects.
Rodent Facts
Mice are notorious nibblers, eating many types of food, but preferring seeds and grain.
A single mouse eats only about 3 grams of food per day (8 pounds per year), but because of their habit of nibbling on many foods and discarding partially eaten items, the amount of food contaminated is about ten times greater.Mice can get by with little or no free water, obtaining their water needs from the food they eat.
House mice are mainly nocturnal although daytime activity may be seen.
Nests are constructed of fibrous materials and generally have the appearance of a "ball" of material loosely woven together. Nests are usually 4 to 6 inches in diameter and can be found in any sheltered location.
Mice are sexually mature as early as 6 to 10 weeks old and may breed year-round. In perfect conditions, a nest of mice produce 2,500 heirs in a six-month period.
A mouse rarely travels more than 10 to 30 feet from it's nest to obtain food and water.
Under the same perfect conditions that same nest of mice can deposit 18,000 droppings.
They travel around perimeters rather than across empty spaces. Because of the keenly developed sense of touch in their vibrissae (whiskers) and in specialized hairs along the body, rats prefer continual body contact with at least one vertical surface such as a fence or wall.They are not afraid of new objects in their environment and are curious to "check things out". This behavior makes trapping easier, especially when traps are placed along walls where mice are most likely to establish pathways.
Quiz: What are Rodents?
Are you up for the rodent's challenge?
Read the information on this page. When you finish, take the "Rodent? Quiz" just for fun!
- "What is a Rodent?" Activity Page
- There are more species of rodents than of any other animal group the world. Nearly 40 percent of all mammal species are rodents, making them among the most successful animals on earth.
Rodents have many special features. All rodents have one pair of upper and lower chisel-shaped incisor teeth that are covered with hard enamel on the front and a softer substance like bone on the back. As the rodent gnaws, the backs of the chisel-shaped teeth wear away faster to maintain a sharp edge. The incisors grow all of the time or continuously. If the rodent does not keep gnawing, the front incisors will grow right out of its mouth and prevent it from eating.
Gnawing is not chewing. Gnawing means that the rodent nips off, or shaves off, layers of food or hard wood. When the food is inside its mouth, it chews the food into shreds. It does this with flatter teeth called molars, before swallowing the food. Some rodents have molars that grow all of the time much like the front teeth. Still others have powerful jaw muscles that let them chew in a special circular way that shreds hard fibrous foods better.
Most rodents, but not all, have four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back feet. Most rodents are nocturnal (awake at night).
Rodents, as a group, are very active and must eat a large amount of food. During the winter when food is scarce, some rodents hibernate. Others store food and wake from a deep sleep to eat from time to time. Small members of the rodent family give birth to many young. Rodents have lots of natural predators.
Mice
Mice are the most recoginized rodents.
Add to the List of Rodents...
Do you know of any rodents I missed? Just add them to the list.
Books about Mice, Rats and other Rodents
Caring for your pet rodents.
Not all rodents have the same needs.
I like to have at least one member of the rodent family in the classroom. We set up a schedule with parents and children to come in on weekends to care for them. Animals usually go home on long weekends and vacations.
You may find that children in older classes or in high school are happy to help out as well.
Featured Rodent Lenses
Learn more about Rodents and their care by visiting these great lenses.-
All in One Guide to Pet Rats
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Surprisingly or not, rats really do make great pets. They're clean, social, friendly, intelligent, and just plain cute. Unlike most small animal pets, rats are least likely to bite. Where it takes time to socialize a hamster, gerbil, mouse, guinea pi...
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Whitefoot the Wood Mouse: A Mouse Unit Study
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Whitefoot the Wood Mouse welcomes everyone to his nest where learning never ends. He has dozens of mouse related activities to teach young children across the curriculum. Whitefoot welcomes homeschoolers, teachers, parents and children to turn into...
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Woodchucks: How much learning could a Woodchuck teach if a Woodchuck could teach school?
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Woodchucks chuck wood and Groundhogs determine the coming of spring. They eat your garden, dig holes under the porch but look adorable when they are first born and start to venture out of their dens. Watching the woodchuck babies venturing out from...
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Rodents R Us! Headquarters
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Rodents R Us! Hiyas! I'm up with rodent lenses! It's helpful for teachers and such!
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The Redwall Series!
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Brian Jacques definitely started an exciting series when he published his first book, "Redwall". The book was a great tale of a horde of rats attacking a large abbey for animals, and a young mouse's rise to Warrior of Redwall Abbey (see bel...
Havahart Traps
Havahart Traps are a safe way to observe wild rodents up close.
Havahart traps are the ideal way to capture and observe wild mice, rats, chipmunks and squirrels.
My daughter discovered this last summer when the chipmunks decided that our kitchen was a free restaurant.
We put all the food in glass jars and then set out the Havahart trap.
As we caught each one we observed it for about 20 minutes, writing down everything that we noticed.
Soon she was able to distinguish each individual.
Havahart 1020 Two Door Cage Trap for Mice and Rats 10 x 3 x 3
Amazon Price: $13.69 (as of 07/25/2008)
Mice and Rat Finger Puppets
These little finger puppets are great for pretending to be in Redwall or for any other Rat and Mice play. They make great stocking stuffers and can be carried in a pocket book to keep kids amused on trips to the doctor or dentist.
Mouse Finger Puppet - Brown
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
Folkmanis Mini Field Mouse Finger Puppet
Amazon Price: $4.80 (as of 07/25/2008)
Folkmanis Mini Squirrel Finger Puppet
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 07/25/2008)
Hamtaro
After quite a few adventures and lots of mischief, Hamtaro one day discovers a tunnel to the outside, and meets Oxnard and Boss, who help him form the Ham-hams, a helpful band of justice-serving hamsters. And even more adventures are yet to come!
Redwall Books
Rodent Pictures
Sisters
USA 2006 (October 18...
USA 2006 (October 18...
Snoqualmie Squirrel
What!!...you STILL t...
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Misha
Scabbers
the baby mice
the baby mice
Redwall Video
Funny Redwall Situations
I tried to find as many funny parts of Redwall as I can. The song is "The Cantina".
Runtime: 1:50 | 4592 views | 25 Comments
Redwall Abbey
|\_/|
(^.^))
(> <)) Squirrely!
- Welcome to Redwall Abbey
- Hello Friend...
Welcome to Redwall Abbey.
Come in and meet Father Abbot. - Snowfur's Redwall Encyclopedia
- A website containing games and other redwall trinkets, plus the famous Mossflower Talk!
- The DAB
- Seen in Brian Jacques's Triss, the DAB (Dibbuns Against Bedtime) is a society of baby creatures formed against the adult rules.
Play and interact with others online, and earn candied chestnuts, which can be spent and eaten ^^!
Redwall on Del.icio.us
Learn more about Rats and Mice and their Relatives
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Hamtaro
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Hamtaro is an adventurous and curious hamster who belongs to a girl named Laura (named Amy in the original books), and who secretly leads a society of hamsters called the Ham-hams. While he rescues hamsters in trouble and goes on huge adventures, he...
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Creatures of the Woodlands
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It is Springtime! The little Woodland Creatures are building nests, peaking their heads out of their dens and preparing to bring new life to the forest. The Thornton Burgess Books, such as Old Mother Westwind, are just full of charming woodland creatu...
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Lemmings: Arctic Classroom Theme
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When the winds start to howl and the snow begins to blow you can capture your student's attention with this innovative Arctic Unit Study focusing on lemmings. Your little lemmings will be excited to learn with a theme that includes little furry crea...
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Whitefoot the Wood Mouse: A Mouse Unit Study
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Whitefoot the Wood Mouse welcomes everyone to his nest where learning never ends. He has dozens of mouse related activities to teach young children across the curriculum. Whitefoot welcomes homeschoolers, teachers, parents and children to turn into...
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River Otters: Playful Friends of our society!
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Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate you classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme. Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fic...
Antique Mouse Toys
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Experts on Rodents
Lily has written a wonder All in One Guide to Pet Rats. Her love and caring for rodents shines through her lens.
All rodents are fascinating to watch at a distance but ask a vet before adopting a pet rodent.
Tell us how you react when you see a mouse or a rat.
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Lenses that Love Rodents
Rodents R Us! Headquarters
Rodents R Us!Hiyas! I'm up with rodent lenses! It' more...1 point
The Redwall Series!
Brian Jacques definitely started an exciting serie more...1 point
River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!
Learn about River Otters through games and hands-o more...1 point
Woodchucks: How much learning could a Woodchuck teach if a Woodchuck could teach school?
Don't just hibernate, pop your head up and find ou more...1 point
