How many pups does a mouse give birth to over its lifetime? - briefly
A typical house mouse produces five to ten litters, each with five to eight pups, yielding an estimated total of 30 to 80 offspring over its reproductive lifespan. Under laboratory conditions the breeding period lasts roughly ten months.
How many pups does a mouse give birth to over its lifetime? - in detail
A female mouse reaches sexual maturity at 5–8 weeks and can reproduce throughout most of her 1–2 year lifespan. Each gestation lasts about 19–21 days, and a typical litter contains 5–8 pups, although numbers as low as 3 and as high as 12 are recorded in optimal conditions. After weaning, a female may become pregnant again within 24–48 hours, allowing up to 10 – 12 litters per year under favorable circumstances.
Estimating the lifetime output requires combining average litter size with probable breeding frequency. Assuming:
- average litter size = 6 pups,
- average number of litters per year = 9,
- reproductive period = 10 months (≈0.83 years),
the calculation yields:
6 pups × 9 litters × 0.83 years ≈ 45 pups over the animal’s life.
In laboratory strains with controlled environments, females often produce 7–8 pups per litter and can have up to 12 litters, raising the total to roughly 80–100 offspring. Wild mice experience higher mortality, limited food, and predation, typically resulting in 30–50 pups per lifetime.
Factors influencing the final count include:
- nutrition quality,
- housing density,
- genetic strain,
- seasonal variations,
- health status.
Thus, a mouse generally yields between 30 and 100 offspring during its reproductive span, with the most common estimate centering around 45 pups for an average individual.