The name mouse comes from "Mus", a Sanskrit word that means thief. During the day mice usually stay in their nest, holes or digs and come out during the night in search of food. They usually stay within a few meters of their holes. Their presence is often discovered through their droppings although signs of gnawing, scratching or tracks may also indicate activity. Mice and Rats generally live in nests, and holes made from shredded paper, sacking, cloth and other assorted odds and ends. Mice are found mostly inside, in walls, cupboards, stored boxes or in other warm areas like behind refrigerators or cook top in kitchens.

Mice and Rats have been living with humans for centuries and they have been responsible for spreading many diseases, including the bubonic plague and salmonellosis. Mice also transmit rickettsial pox, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, leptospirosis, rat bite fever, tularemia, dermatitis, and Hantavirus. In addition to disease transmission, introduction of ectoparasites, and food contamination, rats and mice can produce asthma and allergies also. Apparently, people with allergies can develop hypersensitivity to proteins in rodent urine, causing asthma attacks.

Mice and Rats are prolific breeders, producing six to ten litters continuously throughout the year. Rats and Mice usually live anywhere between 6 and 36 months. Some species of rats can breed every two to three months and produce a litter of 8 to 12 offspring each time, so it does not take long for rat populations to increase many times over, if left unchecked.

Rats and mice gnaw through stored food packaging, eating portions of the product, but - perhaps more significantly - contaminating it with their faeces, urine, and shed hairs. They also contaminate food preparation surfaces such as table tops, food production machinery, and cookware in cafeterias.

Though mice are excellent climbers, in the wild, they prefer to remain on the ground and construct paths through the grasses and foliage to link areas of food, water, and nesting supplies with their living area.

Highly curious, mice explore their territory daily, paying special attention to new objects or physical changes. Unlike rats, mice show no dislike to new items.

The greatest loss from mice is not due to how much they eat, but what must be thrown out because of damage or contamination. Each year, rodents cause more than one billion dollars damage. Mice can chew through anything that is softer than their teeth. Though generally classified as herbivores and eat a regular diet of grains and fruit, mice will eat almost anything they encounter.