Friday, February 12, 2010

How do you tell the difference between a regular house mouse and a deer mouse?

I know Deer Mice carry hantavirus which can be deady. I just caught a mouse in my mouse trap and just curious.How do you tell the difference between a regular house mouse and a deer mouse?
http://www.pestworld.org/Database/PestCa鈥?/a>


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/si鈥?/a>





Look at the extent of the white on the deer mouse, it can be clearly seen on its side and on the face as well the deer mouse's tail is 2-toned, the top is brown and is white underneath, if you're in a more rural area the deer-mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) can be quite common, but generally in very urban areas the house mouse (Mus musculus) is usually the culprit.How do you tell the difference between a regular house mouse and a deer mouse?
As far as I know, deer mice live in fields and don't come inside.





I also think they're a bit larger, and more of a jumper.
House mice do not have bi-colored tails, the whole thing is one color. A Deer Mouse would have a darker (black or dark brown) color on the top of the tail and it would be a light color on the bottom of the tail. Deer Mice would have larger ears, and would be more brownish, while House Mice are usually more greyish. (at least in my area) I would assume you caught a House Mouse and Deer Mice do not usually go into homes.

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