Deer Mice
Author: Bruce Neville

Description:
The Deer Mouse is a medium sized mouse with a tail that is about the length of the rest of the body. The upper part of their bodies can be tan to brownish to dusky gray. The under part of their bodies and their feet are white. Their eyes are large and black. Their tails are furry and don't have a tuft of elongated hairs at the tip. Their tails are dark on the top and white on the bottom.

Deer Mice are approximately 7 inches long (half of this is its tail) . They weigh approximately 1 ounce.

Geographic range:
Deer Mice are found throughout New Mexico. They are however, not usually found in the eastern grasslands.

Habitat:
Deer Mice can be found in almost any dry habitat that provides cover. They are the most common species of Peromyscus in ponderosa and mixed- conifer forests in New Mexico. They are also found in woodlands, grasslands, and deserts, but other species of Peromyscus are actually more common in these habitats.

Food Web:
Deer Mice feed mainly on a variety of seeds, but they also eat berries, plants, and insects. Deer Mice store seeds to eat later. Deer Mice are eaten by owls, snakes, and carnivorous mammals like coyotes.

Reproduction and Development:
Deer Mice breed yearound, but they tend to breed more in the warmer months. After a gestation (time young spend in the womb) period of about 24 days, the female gives birth to a litter of 3 to 5 (can have 1 to 9) blind and hairless young. Their eyes open when they are 12 to17 days old. Their first pelage (coat) is blue-gray. The babies are weaned when they are 4 weeks old. Females who are born in early spring may breed during the same year.

Behavior:
Deer Mice dig short burrows with nests made of grasses at the end. They may also build nests in sheltered places, such as buildings or hollow logs.

Deer Mice are active at night (nocturnal) and generally look for food (forage) throughout the night. They tend to forage near the ground, but they will sometimes climb low shrubs for food. Deer Mice do not hibernate and remain active during the winter.

Deer Mice have home ranges of approximately 1 ¼ square yards. They are tolerant of other deer mice and several may roost together in a single burrow.

Ecosystem roles:
The Deer Mouse plays an important role in controling insects that may be considered pests because they feed on their eggs and larvae. On the other hand, if their predators are eliminated (like owls or snakes) they can actually be considered pests themselves.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Peromyscus
Species: Peromyscus maniculatus

References:
Findley, James S., et al. Mammals of New Mexico. Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1975.

Findley, James S. The Natural History of New Mexican Mammals. Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1987.

Related Terms: white footed mouse, ratón de ciervos, peromyscus maniculatus