- Lifespan
- 1–3 years in the wild; up to 4 years in captivity
- Size & Weight
- 7–10 cm body length, 7–10 cm tail; 20–35 g
- Habitat
- Found in and around human buildings, farmsteads, grain stores, and cultivated land, preferring warm, sheltered environments with access to food.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread throughout the UK, found year-round in buildings and agricultural areas; permanent resident.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding on cereal grains, seeds, insects, and food waste; particularly attracted to stored grain and household foodstuffs.
- Predators
- Domestic cats, foxes, owls (particularly Barn Owls), weasels, and stoats.
- Mating Season
- Year-round in heated buildings; March to October outdoors
- Breeding
- Gestation period 19–21 days; litter size 5–6 pups; up to 10 litters per year in optimal conditions.
- Behaviour
- Nocturnal and highly social, living in colonies with a hierarchical structure. Excellent climbers and swimmers, they communicate through ultrasonic vocalizations and scent marking, leaving characteristic droppings and gnaw marks.