What does a mouse eat in winter? - briefly
In winter, mice subsist on cached seeds, nuts, dried grains, occasional insects, and, when necessary, bark or other plant material.
What does a mouse eat in winter? - in detail
Mice adjust their winter diet to the limited resources available in cold environments. Primary food items include:
- Seeds and grains: wheat, barley, oats, and millet that have fallen to the ground or been stored in barns.
- Nuts and kernels: acorns, hazelnuts, and pine seeds, often harvested from the forest floor or cached earlier in the season.
- Bark and cambium: thin layers of tree bark, especially from birch and alder, provide carbohydrates when other plant material is scarce.
- Invertebrates: beetle larvae, moth pupae, and other small insects that remain active under bark or in leaf litter, supplying protein and fat.
- Human‑derived scraps: spilled grain, cereal, dried fruit, and processed foods found in barns, sheds, or around dwellings.
During the cold months, mice increase reliance on stored supplies. They create small caches of seeds and nuts in concealed burrow chambers, retrieving them when external food is unavailable. Metabolic rates drop slightly, reducing overall energy demand, but the need for higher‑fat content persists to maintain body heat.
Nutritional balance shifts toward energy‑dense items. Fat‑rich nuts and insect protein compensate for reduced carbohydrate intake from fresh vegetation. In agricultural settings, mice may exploit stored harvests, consuming up to 10 g of grain per day, while forest‑dwelling individuals limit intake to 2–3 g of mixed seeds and bark.
Overall, winter feeding strategies combine opportunistic foraging, utilization of cached reserves, and selective consumption of high‑energy foods to sustain survival until spring.