Where did all the mice come from?

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Miha Mihelic, Biologist, sat down with us to explain why there are so many mice in the Soča Valley in 2021, and if there’s anything to be worried about.

Are there more mice around than usual?
Yes, very much so. The reason for that is that a lot of the babies survived because of a good stock of food over the winter. The good stock of food is due to a productive fall plant season. Now we have mice all over the place. 

Do they cause any harm?
The mice can enter barns, stables or even our homes. They might be carrying a disease that’s harmful to people. It is in the poop of the mice, so when you go to try to clean it up, you actually can make the particles airborne with the broom, then inhale them and get the disease. 

What’s the disease like?
Shivering, flue like symptoms. It attacks the liver, but they treat you at the hospital and it’s not life threatening, unless potentially if you have other debilitating weaknesses already.

Do you drink less water from the Soča River because of the mice?
No, the Soča River has such a big volume it’s a minimum risk drinking it.

Are they here to stay?
Mice are food for owls and snakes. We will have more baby owls and baby snakes surviving next year. It’s called an undulation and it’s a normal course of nature. Plants will be “tired” this season, resulting in less food for mice, resulting in less mice next year. 

Is the increase in mice amounts a reason to worry about anything?
No, not really. If you live where there’s lots of mice around, be careful about the mice poop. However, people plant rat poison everywhere and it might be harmful to other animals than the mice. If a rodent eats rat poison and a cat or owl eats the mouse while it’s still alive, the “predator” might die or be injured.

Should we try to kill as many mice as we can?
I think those doing that should just try to chill out and do something else with their time. Just be careful how you sweep your old parts of property. Who cares if there’s lots of mice around.

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