Rats and mice are almost everywhere – urban or rural areas. It is estimated that there is one rat for every person living in the United States. There are many methods proposed to eradicate mice infestation, ranging from traps to electric deterrents. However, preventing them from getting food or water can play a significant role in getting rid of rats and mice.
Even though rats and mice are resilient animals, they still need food to survive. If you curb their daily intake, it can assist mouse control. But the crucial question is, how long can mice essentially go without food?
How Long Can Mice Go Without Food?
Mice get most of their energy from the food they consume. The items they eat are necessary as their digestive systems work instantly, allowing them to crave another meal just after a few hours.
Mice tend to nibble on tiny bits of food frequently. As they can crawl under tiny holes, they have access to areas where food is occasionally stored. There is no given location where their food supply is located, and so they tend to nibble on anything that comes in their way.
Considering their fast digestive system and constant craving to consume, food plays an essential part in their living process. This means that they can only survive anywhere between two to four days without food.
Like other animals, mice also need food to survive. However, they differ in the amount they consume. Many animals need a ‘full meal’ to give them sufficient energy. In the case of a mouse or a rat, their ‘nibbles’ or a few bites on anything edible can help them survive for some days.
How Can I Limit Mice’s Food Supply?
Since mice can crawl in tiny spaces, it is highly impossible to eliminate their food supplies entirely. However, there are measures you can take to limit the amount of food available to them. Some of these factors include:
- Sealing all potential mouse-prone food sources
- Keeping the kitchen and house floor clean, i.e., getting rid of any sorts of food crumbs
- Exterminating insects and other tiny pests that mice might consume
- Ensuring the cat or dog food bowl stays inside since that is also a source of food for mice
Certain Food Conditions That Allow Mice to Survive
Outdoors vs. Indoors
How long mice survive without food solely depends on their environmental condition. In cold temperatures, a mouse that runs from one place to another to avoid predators and seek shelter will have higher energy levels than a mouse that remains indoors.
Contrastingly, a predator-free home or a place where inhabitants are not aware of the presence of the mouse, means that they have free and easy access to food and require less energy consumed on movement.
In this way, the survival conditions depend solely on external factors such as the environment they grow in and the amount of energy they use on a regular basis, moving from one place to another.
Alternate Food Sources
If you feel you’ve cleaned up your house and covered all food sources to assist mouse control, that might not always be the case. Mice do not necessarily die after those two to four days pass. Instead, they have access to alternate food sources that help with their survival and sustenance.
One of the primary examples of an alternate food source is water. Any open area that has the slightest bit of moisture through water means that the mouse can consume that for survival. Furthermore, mice are usually smart enough to store food in ‘secret’ hiding places, so they can come back to it later on.
Additionally, the food you eat is not always the food mice eat as well. As mentioned above, they survive off of many things such as dead insects, underground fungus, seeds, etc. Removal of all these means of food may lower a mouse’s chance of survival.
How Long Can Mice Go Without Water?
Drinking water and remaining hydrated is essential for all living things. It helps digest food, regulates body temperature, and avoid the production of any toxins in one’s body. Moreover, it is imperative for survival and gives one the energy they require.
Similarly, mice also need water for survival. While they can go only two to four days without consuming food, they can survive for months without drinking a single sip of water. This is because they get enough moisture from the food they consume in the first place. The same moisture keeps them hydrated and does not require water consumption.
If you eliminate food but leave water sources open, mice will drink water to survive. Some ways you can limit the amount of water available to them include:
- Placing water for cats and dogs only at certain times of the day and then disposing of the remaining liquid
- Making sure all taps are tightly closed
- Keeping the air dry indoors with a dehumidifier. This ensures less ‘drinkable’ condensation
- Covering all small spaces in the basement or around the house to be free from water sources or puddles
Certain Water Conditions That Allow Mice to Survive
Water consumption does not necessarily have to be from a visible source. Mice can consume water from direct or indirect means, as long as they get the body moisture they require.
Direct Water
Direct means of drinking water are lakes, streams, puddles, or any visible water sources. In the home, similar means are from kitchen sinks, drains, and water condensation available in pipes or walls.
Indirect Water
Mice can still survive without ‘directly’ consuming water. As mentioned above, they extract moisture from the food they eat and hydrate themselves whenever necessary. Even some food items that are too dry for humans to consume contain the ideal amount of water for a mouse’s survival.
Effects of Minimal Food and Water Consumption on Mice
In a study conducted on the effects of water deprivation and restriction on mice, it was discovered that acute water deprivation has significant physiological effects with 18% body weight loss after 48 hours. Interestingly, a weight loss of 15% is detrimental for human survival, and creatures as small as mice are subjected to 18% only 48 hours after water consumption.
Assessing the body transformation soon after water depravity, researchers discovered that a mouse’s body fluids automatically regulate themselves when they notice a lack of liquid coming in. As a consequence, vasoconstriction occurs to maintain blood pressure levels and release aldosterone – a bodily function that preserves plasma sodium and drives the maintenance of body fluids through cellular dehydration.
The same study concluded that the amount of food consumed by a mouse is indicative of water consumption. If water deprivation is high, food intake would be low. This compensatory effect is known as dehydration anorexia, which allows reduced food intake to control the amount of solutes present in the body.
This sort of water deprivation adaption gives us an illustration of how long mice can survive without food and water, allowing us to understand their natural bodily functions throughout the process.
If you would like to know more about the survival instincts of mice without food and water, click here.
Related Questions
What do mice essentially eat?
Mice love to chew on just about any sort of food. However, to answer this question specifically depends on where you are situated. This is because urban mice, city mice, or wild mice all consume different types of food.
Rural mice will eat anything that comes their way, including carcasses. Wild mice are more likely to be vegetarians and nibble on plants, seeds, fruits, or vegetables in open gardens. On the other hand, urban mice or city mice survive on the garbage and enjoy eating meat. They also consume any ‘human food’ they find.
Can mice survive their whole lives without drinking water?
Even though it is highly unlikely for any premises to be without food or water, if that is the case, there is a high chance that the mouse will leave the area in search of energy. If they are situated in a place with plenty of food and water, they are unlikely to move anywhere.
Targeting a mouse’s food and water supply is the best way to lessen their chances of survival. If you combine this with other mitigation strategies, even if a mouse does not drink water, it probably won’t survive due to the preventive measures taken.
How much water do mice drink daily?
Any supply of clean water can be adequate for a mouse’s survival. If the weather is extremely hot, an adult mouse will drink approximately 24 to 35 ml of water on a daily basis. However, the average water intake is around 10 ml per 100 grams of body weight for an adult mouse.