The room is quiet, except for a faint scratching noise in the far corner. Suddenly, a cat pounces; pressing its paw on a long, grey tail. The furry owner of the tail slips away and races across the room. "Yeek! A mouse!" someone screams. Outside, a larger mouse with long ears hops under a bush. It sniffs the ground, picks up an acorn with its two front paws and chomps on its hard shell with its sharp teeth. Meanwhile, somewhere in the desert, a yellowish brown mouse is standing on the ground on its hind legs. Suddenly, it begins to hop around like a miniature kangaroo.

Mice are everywhere. They live anywhere in world except Antarctica. Antarctica is too cold for mice. Mice live in many places. House mice live in homes, barns, and other buildings. Field mice live in meadows, fields, gardens, and swamps. Mice choose safe places to build nests. They use whatever they can find to build their nest. Mice often use leaves, paper, or grass to build their nest. Mice stay in one home all their lives. They only move to another nest only if they have to. They could move if food runs out in their nest, or if their homes get too hot or cold.

Mice will eat almost anything. Food crumbs, food people have left uncovered, you name it. Some mice eat corn and grain. Others eat fruit, nuts, and seeds. Some of them even eat insects.

Mice eat this much because the must eat their weight in food every day, since they are active day and night searching for food. They do not sleep for long periods of time. Instead, they take short naps.

Mice eat more than usual in the fall. This is when there is a lot of food around. They store food in burrows and other hiding places. Stored food is called a hoard. Mice save hoards for the winter when food is scarce.

Mice have many enemies. Many animals hunt and eat mice. Mice also face many dangers. Cold weather, hunger, and illness can harm mice. People are one of the greatest dangers to mice. Many people try to trap and poison mice. Mice have other enemies too, in fields, woodlands, and swamps. Weasels, birds, foxes, snakes, and owls kill mice.

One of the reasons why mice have so many enemies is because they are small and don't have enough strength to fight back. They can only run away. Mice run in zigzag patterns when they are trying to escape. This makes them harder to catch.

Mice mate up to 17 times each year. They have one litter every year, with four to nine kittens in each litter. Mice are born without hair. Most of them are pink, but some kittens are darker colours. Mice are also born blind. They rely on their mothers for food. Kittens cannot leave the nest, because of all of the dangers they face outside.

Mice grow quickly. Some grow fur after four days. Field mice leave mothers when they are two weeks old. House mice take longer to grow. House mice leave nest when they are three weeks old.

Mice find their own places to live after leaving their nest. After they find a good place, the build their own nest.

Different kinds of mice share many of the same features. Firstly, the all have small, pointed noses, and rounded ears. They also have whiskers, black eyes, and long, scaly tails.

Mice are small animals. They weigh only roughly 28 grams. The heads and bodies of mice are usually three to four inches long. A mouse's tail is almost as long as it's body.

Mice have two kinds of teeth. A mouse's from teeth are called incisors. They are used to gnaw on thing like wood. A mouse's back teeth are called molars. Mice's molars are flat, and designed for chewing food. long as it's body. They have five toes on each foot, and each toe has a sharp claw. Claws help mice grip to a surface when they climb.