What is a house mouse’s mating habits

House mice like all animals have the characteristic of reproduction. With reproduction comes the essence of mating. Different animals have different mating habits; what happens among the pigeons is different from what happens among the mice.

• The female habits

Female house mice produce pheromones with the intention of attracting the males. When the female mouse is on heat, her otherwise tightly closed virgina will normally open coupled by other behavioral changes. The female mice will normally engage in stroking her back as well as performing some sort of mating dance. This dancing wouldinclude acts such as lifting both her tail and head, vibrating of the eyes as well as spinning around. It is interesting to know that female mice know the ultrasounds made by its brothers and those made by unrelated males. They therefore do not pay attention if the sounds produced are those of a sibling.

• The male habits

Males certainly have a number of behavior. After all, it is them who go in search for a mate. Among mice is the male to male aggression. Two or more males that are interested in a particular mate will normally engage in some aggression whereby, the one who seems to be conquering the others wins the female mouse. The aggressions continue to exist even after finding their mate with the intention of protecting their mates. In most cases, a single male mouse would normally have more than one mating partner and are therefore said to be polygamous. However, some choose to stay true to one partner their entire lives.

• Mating process.

Mating will always proceed after courtship. This courtship is normally conducted by the males as a way of winning over a particular female as amate. After the male senses the pheromones produced by the female, it will respond by producing some ultrasonic sound. This is their mating call. Theultrasonic sounds have been identified to share some common features with bird songs such as frequency of syllable and variations that exist in duration. During the courtship period, the male will also engage in following and sniffing the female aside from just the ultrasonic sounds. Sometimes, they may go as far as licking the females. In the males, the calls continue even during the actual mating. A male mouse will normally be seen mounting on the female a good number of times before the mating act is said to be complete.

• Mice mating season

Unlike most animals whose mating season is during the warmer season; the mice are different. They mate during winter. What is a house mouse’s mating habits