Mouse (Wood) - Breeding

Mating begins in March and continues through into the autumn, even into the winter if it is mild enough and there is plenty of food. After a gestation period (the time between mating and birth) of about 4 weeks, the female gives birth to 4 - 7 naked and blind young. She may produce 4 litters a year, although it is normally two or three. The babies are born into a nest chamber, deep in the burrow, which is lined with leaves, moss and grass. They open their eyes at 6 days old and by then they will have a full coat of fur, darker than that of the adult. After 3 weeks, the mother forces her youngsters out of the nest and they are then on their own. Many do not live for more than 3 - 4 months and the overall population has an annual variation, the greatest number being in the early autumn, the lowest in the early spring.