What Do Mice Eat? Foods Mice Love and How to Protect Yours

TL;DR

• Mice eat almost anything, but seeds and grains come first. Insects and plants fill in when they can find them.
• They often pick foods high in fat, protein or sugar, like bacon, chocolate candies, butter and nuts, even when grain is available.
• Cheese isn't their favourite food. For a trap, peanut butter, nuts, chocolate and dried fruit often work well, in a small amount.
• A house mouse eats about 3 grams of food a day, spread over many small meals during the night, and spoils much more than it eats.
• Throw out any food mice have reached (University of Kentucky). Store the rest, plus pet food and seed, in containers with tight lids (Public Health Agency of Canada). Glass, metal or heavy plastic usually works best.
• Need help? Get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

The short answer to what do mice eat is seeds and grain first, then almost anything else within reach, with a clear preference for foods rich in fat, protein or sugar. That answer matters twice in a Canadian home: it tells you which pantry items to protect, and it tells you what to put on a trap.

Most people only start asking once tiny bites show up in a cereal box or a bag of dog food, often in the fall. By then the mice are treating the kitchen as a feeding ground, and the diet they follow outdoors explains why a pantry suits them so well.

What Do Mice Eat?

Mice eat almost anything, but their diet is built on seeds and grains, with insects and plants added when they can find them. According to UC IPM (University of California), house mice are omnivores that eat whatever is available, including cereals, grasses, roots, seeds and even insect larvae. They are not fussy and are not afraid to try new foods, which is why a single mouse can work its way through a whole pantry.

Seeds and Grains

Seeds and grains are the foundation of what mice eat. House mice "eat many types of food but prefer seeds and grain," according to the University of California wildlife damage guide by Robert Timm. UC IPM notes that house mice are closely tied to people precisely because we store their favourite foods, cereals and grains, in our kitchens, barns and garages.

Insects

Insects are an important protein source for mice. House mice can eat insect larvae, and in garages they may eat insects such as cockroaches. Deer mice may rely even more on them: small invertebrates such as insects, earthworms and snails can be an important part of their summer diet, according to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Plants

Plants fill the rest of the outdoor menu. House mice eat grasses and roots, deer mice also eat fruit and fungi, and meadow voles (the "field mice" of many Canadian yards) usually live mostly on grasses and other green plants.

Water

Water matters less to mice than you might think. House mice can survive with little or no free water because they get moisture from the food they eat, although they readily drink when water is available. That is why removing water alone will not drive a mouse out of your home.

What Do Mice Like to Eat Most?

Mice like seeds and grain best, but they often pick foods high in fat, protein or sugar even when grain is available. The University of California guide names bacon, chocolate candies, butter and nutmeats as possible examples. These rich foods are also what makes the best trap bait.

High-Fat Foods

High-fat foods are among what mice like to eat most. Nuts, peanut butter, butter and bacon are rich in fat and protein, and UC IPM describes peanut butter as very attractive to house mice. Mice have poor eyesight and find food with their excellent senses of smell, taste and touch.

Sugary Foods

Sugary foods are a strong draw too. Chocolate candy, dried fruit and marshmallows are all listed as snap trap baits in the University of California guide (the Government of British Columbia also lists dried fruit and marshmallows), and in offices mice may feed on cookies and candy bars kept in desks. If you keep sweets in a drawer or a paper bag, a mouse will find them.

Do Mice Like Cheese?

Mice will eat cheese, because they eat almost anything, but cheese is usually not their favourite food. None of the university extension guides we consulted lists cheese among the foods mice prefer or among the recommended trap baits. Seeds, grain, nuts, peanut butter and chocolate all rank higher, so use those instead if you want a trap to work.

What Food Attracts Mice Into Your Home?

The food that attracts mice into your home is whatever they can reach easily: pantry staples, pet food, and seed stored in garages and sheds. The urge is strongest in fall, when cold weather pushes mice into buildings in search of shelter and food. Food is only part of the picture, though: warmth, clutter and nesting material matter too, as our guide to what attracts mice to your house explains.

Pantry Staples

Pantry staples are the first target. Cereal, rice, crackers, oatmeal and snacks are all grain-based foods that match what mice prefer, and UC IPM notes that mice can gnaw through food storage containers to reach them. If you store vegetables, our guide on whether mice eat potatoes covers that case.

Pet Food

Pet food is an easy meal for mice. The University of California guide names pet foods among the stored items mice feed on in homes, and a bowl left out overnight or a bag left open in the pantry gives them a steady supply.

Seed in Garages and Sheds

Seed in garages and sheds feeds many of the mice that end up in your house. In the garage, mice may eat sacked or spilled pet food and grass seed, and bird seed is the same kind of grain-and-seed food they prefer. Store these in metal or heavy plastic bins rather than the bags they come in, if you can.

Crumbs and Scraps

Crumbs and scraps are enough to keep mice going. Mice need only small amounts of food, and they have even been reported living in buildings under construction on the crumbs from workers' lunches. The University of California guide notes that good sanitation will seldom completely control house mice, so cleaning helps but cannot replace sealing and trapping.

How Do Mice Eat?

Mice eat by nibbling: they take many tiny meals through the night instead of a few large ones. This habit explains why you find small bites taken out of many packages rather than one empty box.

How Much Food a Mouse Eats

A house mouse eats roughly 3 grams of food a day, or around 8 pounds (3.6 kg) a year, according to the University of California guide. UC IPM puts it at up to 20% of the mouse's body weight daily. An adult house mouse usually weighs only about 11 to 22 grams, so a small handful of crumbs can be a full day's food.

When Mice Feed

Mice feed mainly at night. UC IPM says house mice eat in about 200 small meals each night, which is how they earned their reputation as nibblers. You may still see one in daylight now and then. For more detail on their feeding rhythm, read how often mice eat.

How Far Mice Travel for Food

Mice travel only a short distance for food. A house mouse often moves around an area about 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9 metres) across and seldom goes farther for food or water. In practice, this means the mice raiding your pantry are probably nesting close by, inside a wall, a cabinet base or behind an appliance.

Food Hoarding

Food hoarding is part of how mice eat. House mice may eat food where they find it or carry it away to a more hidden spot. Deer mice go further and may store seeds in holes, tree cavities and even old bird nests, with up to about 0.6 L (1 pt) in a single cache, according to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Finding a pile of seeds or kibble in a drawer, a boot or the insulation is a classic sign of mice.

Food Contamination

Food contamination is the bigger problem, not the amount mice eat. Mice nibble many foods and drop what they do not finish, so they destroy considerably more food than they consume. They also leave urine, droppings and hair in it, and the diseases they can pass on include salmonellosis (food poisoning). Throw out any food that mice have reached. If you have ever wondered about their stranger habits, see our answer to whether mice eat dead mice.

What Do Different Types of Mice Eat?

Different types of mice eat different things, depending on whether they live with people or outdoors. Not sure which one you have? Our mice identification chart shows the differences.

House Mice

House mice eat human food more than any other type, because they live mostly inside buildings. They prefer grain and seed but take bacon, butter, chocolate and pet food when they can. In Canada, house mice are mostly found in the southern parts of the country, in homes, farms and businesses.

Deer Mice

Deer mice are outdoor omnivores that eat insects, earthworms, snails, seeds, fruit, fungi and even carrion. They store seeds for later, and in autumn they often move into houses. HealthLinkBC names cottages, trailers and garden sheds among the places people meet them. Deer mice matter for your health: the Public Health Agency of Canada lists the deer mouse among the carriers of hantavirus, and HealthLinkBC notes that in Canada the virus has been found in wild mice, specifically the deer mouse.

Meadow Voles

Meadow voles, often called field mice, tend to eat mostly plants: grasses, sedges, dandelions and goldenrod, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. They usually stay active all winter and can strip the bark from trees in yards, particularly fruit trees. They rarely raid the pantry, but they can damage your garden and young trees.

How Do You Keep Mice Out of Your Food?

Keeping mice out of your food means removing easy meals and closing the gaps they use to reach them. Then use what you now know about their diet to bait traps.

Sealed Containers

Sealed containers are the simplest defence. The Public Health Agency of Canada advises storing food, water and garbage in containers with tightly fitted lids. Glass, metal or heavy plastic usually works best, since mice can gnaw through flimsy food storage containers.

Pet Food Habits

Pet food habits make a big difference. UC IPM suggests feeding pets only the amount they will finish in one sitting, then picking up the bowl. Keep the bag in a sealed bin, and do the same with bird seed and grass seed.

Entry Points

Entry points have to be closed, or mice will keep coming back to the food. Seal openings larger than about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) with steel wool, wire screening, metal flashing or cement, as the Public Health Agency of Canada recommends. Our guide to finding and sealing mouse entry points walks you through it. HealthLinkBC also suggests reducing wood piles, thick bushes, food and garbage within about 35 metres of your home.

Best Bait for Mouse Traps

The best bait for mouse traps is the food your mice are already eating, according to UC IPM. Good choices include:

• Peanut butter, very attractive to mice, but avoid it if anyone in the home has a peanut allergy
• Nuts, chocolate candy or dried fruit
• Bacon tied securely to the trigger
• A small cotton ball, since mice are often looking for nesting material

Use only a small amount on the trigger plate: if you use too much, the mouse can take it without setting off the trap. Replace bait when it goes stale, because stale bait can lose its pull. Our step-by-step guide on how to set a mouse trap and our tested picks for the best mouse trap can help you get started.

Safe Cleanup

Safe cleanup protects you from germs in mouse droppings. Do not sweep or vacuum droppings, because that stirs up dust. The Public Health Agency of Canada advises spraying them with a disinfectant or a mix of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water (UC IPM also names a 10% bleach solution) and letting it soak for about 10 minutes before wiping. Our guide on how to clean mouse droppings covers each step.

When to Call a Pest Control Professional

Calling a pest control professional makes sense when you keep finding fresh droppings or chewed food despite sealed containers and traps, or when mice are in the walls or attic. A licensed professional typically starts with an inspection for entry points, then seals them and sets traps or locked bait stations. You can get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form, and our mice guides cover the rest of the problem.