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"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."
~Isaiah 12:2
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"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."
​~C.S. Lewis

Harvest mice

5/2/2014

5 Comments

 
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One of my favorite animals is the Eurasian Harvest Mouse. (From now on I will refer to it as the harvest mouse.) This fascinating little member of the rodent family is found in Europe and Asia. For most of the year harvest mice live in grain fields. Once that crop is harvested many find homes for the winter in hedges. 

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The main parts of a harvest mouse's diet are seeds and insects, although sometimes he will sip on some nectar or have a snack of fruit.
Some common predators of our furry friends are cats, foxes, stoats, weasels, and quite surprisingly... toads! 

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From early spring to late fall a female harvest mouse might have up to three litters. Each litter consists of three to eight blind helpless babies who look like tiny pink raisins! Before the tiny raisins are born, the mother climbs up a stalk of grain until she is a foot or two above the ground. Then she begins weaving green leaves into a tennis ball sized nest. This cozy home has chewed leaf bedding inside for her babies.  By sixteen days of age her youngsters are independent. They stay close to the nest for a few more days, then leave to find their own territory.

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These incredible creations are very agile and quick. Their furless tail acts as an extra limb, helping to balance when they are climbing up swaying stalks. One of these mice can hang on with his back feet and tail while stuffing his cheek pouches full with grain using both of his front paws. Amazing!

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Photos courtesy of Google
5 Comments
Ellen V.
5/2/2014 11:44:09 pm

Great Pictures Katie!! I really like the last one!

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Mammau
5/2/2014 11:51:39 pm

Step on those mice. I loved the post but do not like mice!! :). I am so proud of you!!

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Ellen Manuel
5/3/2014 06:38:58 am

Great post! I love the photos too. What a cute type of mouse! In our part of Europe, it's so desert like that we don't see many mice. We do have rats, but they aren't as cute as harvest mice! They climb in the trees and even walk across telephone wires (just like squirrels would do in the USA!) They aren't as cute as squirrels, though, because of their long skinny tails. See you soon!

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Grandma
5/5/2014 01:02:34 am

Well-researched & written! They look like hamsters(except for the tail).

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Aunt Joy
5/11/2014 07:03:26 am

Sweet little mousies! Great research. These are some of our favorite furry friends!

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    Behind the Keyboard

    Hey there, I'm Katie! I'm a bookworm trying to keep pace with my ever-growing "to read" pile.

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    "To love God passionately is to love truth passionately." ~ John Piper
    "I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun - not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else." ~C.S. Lewis
"My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight."
​~C.S. Lewis
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​~C.S. Lewis
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