Ask A Scientist Zoology Archive

name         Jenny A.
status       student
age          9

Question -   Dear Mr.Scienist,
What do field mice eat?  Do they eat apples or carrots?
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Yes field mice will eat apples and or carrots...in fact these critters are
quite smart and quite able and willing to eat almost anything that we eat
and more...as you might know when they find a place to stay in your home. 

Here is a partial list of things I know they will eat:

apples
apple tree bark
pears
pear tree bark
peaches
peppers
potatoes
tulip bulbs
tomatoes
lady's slipper roots
seeds of any kind...grass seed, pumpkin seeds etc.
oats
corn
wheat 
black beans
white beans
navy beans
kidney beans
peas
bread
cookies (Oreos... if they can get them...)
olive oil
corn oil
walnuts
peanuts
almonds
macadamia nuts
chestnuts
macaroni (cooked or uncooked)
dog foods (a favorite because it is somewhat of an antidote to some mouse
poisons...BUT NOT FOR HUMANS!!!)
cat foods

There's more but my brain is tired.

Dr. F.
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White-footed or deer mice, the common wild mice of much of the midwest, are
"opportunistic omnivores," according to The Mammals of Illinois. That means
they eat almost anything they can find, including seeds, insects and insect
larvae, and leaves and other plant parts. Apples and carrots would not be
available to most mice in their natural habitat, but I'm sure they would eat
them if they were available.

J. Elliott
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