Do Mice Have Bones? 11 Most Common Myths About A Mouse Busted

Mice are actually the sweetest creatures as pets and they are considered to be very good as pets.

Mice are mainly herbivores, which means that they only eat fruits and grains, and sometimes your furniture and other things. Mice are generally about 5-7 in (12.7-17.78 cm) long in size and can hear and make ultrasonic sounds to communicate.

Do you know that mice can also make a number of different facial expressions like humans, such as pain, pleasure, disgust, and fear? Mice are very interesting creatures. These pests may enter into small spaces very well without hurting themselves.

Their bodies are designed in a way that allows them to squeeze and provide flexibility to fit into tight spaces. Do you have any fun pets?

Do you want a pet mouse or a pet hamster? They may look similar but mice are very different in terms of their habits and lifestyle. So let's learn more fun facts about the body structure of mice.

After you have uncovered the answer to do mice have bones, be sure to read our related fact files that will help you answer do fish hibernate and mice bite.

Do mice have bones?

There’s a myth that mice do not have bones. This is because they easily fit into small and tight spaces. This makes people wonder if mice have bones or not. Let’s break this myth related to this pest.

Mice do have bones. The skeletons of mice are very flexible which allows them to pass through small entry points like cracks without any difficulty. However, how many bones do mice have?

Both mice and rats are rodents that belong to the vertebrae family, so these pests have bones and cartilages like humans. So, now you might be wondering how if we both have bones, why do only mice have the ability to go through tiny and narrow holes?

The reason is that their skeleton is extremely flexible and ours is rigid.

Every organism on this planet has some advantages and some disadvantages. Mice have flexible skeletons to fit into small areas measuring just mere inches, while humans have a rigid skeleton that helps us to stand straight and protect our organs.

As mammals, the skeletons of mice are also very similar to other mammals. They like others, have all the necessary kinds of bones and cartilages, including the skull, the backbone, bones of the legs, etc.

How many bones do mice have?

So now you know that mice have bones, let’s discover how many mice bones there are. Just like other mammals, mice also have various types of bones which help them in protecting their sensitive and delicate body organs.

A mouse has a strong skeleton consisting of more than 200 bones. They have 13 thoracic vertebrae, seven cervical vertebrae, four to six lumbar vertebrae, and a number of caudal vertebrae. A mouse skeleton has 13 pairs of ribs and a great number of bone structures which include the skull, the phalanges, the scapula, etc.

Like most rodents, mice have an elongated skull which protects their most important organ, the brain. The mouse skull also protects other sensitive organs like the eyes. The vertebral column of mice consists of 24-26 vertebrae which protect the spinal cord and prevents any injury to the nervous system.

Like any other rodent or any other animal, the ribs of a mouse protect its heart and lungs. Mice have 13 pairs of ribs present in their bodies which are made of flexible bones which allow them to fit into smaller areas.

The pelvis protects the pelvic organs and provides mechanical support to the animal.

The limb bones provide the mice with movements, along with their muscles. The hind legs of the mice are longer than their front legs which provides them with a great structure to move around efficiently and search for food.

How do mice fit through small spaces?

One of the greatest and most amazing abilities of mice is that these pests can squeeze their bodies to adjust into extremely small entry points very easily. Their skeleton is made in such a way that allows them to get into tiny gaps.

These rodents have a very strong and flexible skeleton that can squeeze and help them to change their shape according to the space they need to get into.

This flexibility comes from the connections between the small vertebrae of this animal. The spine and ribs of the mice are extremely flexible because of the tiny little spaces between them. This helps them to pass through tiny spaces without breaking their bones.

The biggest bone and the biggest obstacle for a mouse when trying to get into a tight space is its skull. If the mice can get their head into a space, their whole body may enter through it.

Mice sometimes may look bigger than they actually are. This is because of their fur.

The fur of mice makes them look bigger than their real size but if you see a mouse without its fur, it's actually quite small and not as big as it seems. Their small size and flexible bones are a great combination that allows them to get into small spaces.

Mice are rodents with the ability to squeeze and flatten their body to some extent so that they can get into narrow holes within your home or other buildings.

They are burrowing animals and are designed to fit into tight and tiny gaps and cracks. They decide to enter into a space with the help of their whiskers and other sense organs.

First, they determine the size of their bodies according to the hole and then decide whether to enter or not. This is why it is very difficult to catch a mouse in your home because it can enter somewhere where you can not even see clearly.

Do mice have bones in their tails?

Tails of rodents are often considered to have no bones at all. They are believed to be made of cartilages and not bones but tails can contain bones, and that’s why they appear in the skeleton of any animal with a tail.

The tails of mice contain around 20 bones. These tiny bones provide strength to the tails of mice and also provide flexibility to move in a free manner. These bones are very small but strong.

People believe that mice and other rodents do not feel anything in their tails but this is not true. Being caught by the tail makes a mouse anxious. Catching a mouse by its tail does not hurt them much, but it makes the animal feel that it has been caught by a predator.

Did you know that there are many myths regarding mice? We are going to bust the 11 most common of them:

It is believed that wild mice and rats do not carry diseases that are as harmful as they were in the middle ages but it’s not true. They still do carry diseases.

It is believed that if you want to keep mice away, you could get a cat but actually, not all cats hunt mice, especially when they are fed well.

It is believed that only non-hygienic places have mice but mice are also found in properly sanitized areas.

It is believed that mice are nocturnal and only come out of their holes during the night. In reality, the internal clock of mice is not affected by the day or night. They come out when they need food or water.

It is believed that if you see mice during the day in your home, it means you have an infestation. However, it is not a sign of infestation. The signs of infestation include droppings, burrowing, chewing your furniture, etc.

It is believed that cheese is a mouse’s favorite food, however, cheese is used as bait because it is readily available and mice are attracted to it.

People also believe that rats can be as big as cats but no, they can never be bigger than a fully grown cat.

It is believed that mice and rats are very aggressive and can hurt you by biting. Instead, they only actually bite when being threatened, otherwise, they are very sweet creatures.

It is also believed that mice have a long lifespan, but actually, they live only six months to a year.

The biggest threat to humans from mice and rats is believed to be the chewing of the furniture and other things but the real threat is the spread of diseases they carry with them.

The biggest myth has been already busted; that mice do not have bones. However, as we have learned, yes, mice do have bones!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do mice have bones then why not take a look at do mice eat roaches, or do mice eat grass?