Mouse Tail: Interesting Facts We Bet You Didn't Know

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Dec 22, 2022 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Dec 01, 2021
Edited by Sarah Nyamekye
Fact-checked by Pratiti Nath
common house mouse isolated on white background
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 4.7 Min

Did you know that mouse tail is very likely to fall off if you pull it?

Well, mice are very likely to lose their tail if you pull it too hard! They feel extreme pain at such an incident and the extremely negative effect is that their tail tissue will never grow back to normal.

Mice have been serving as subjects for conducting experiments on, for a very long time. Mice tails have a large role to play as the tail bone leads to the cardinal vein of the animal.

Apart from this, it also regulates body temperature and helps in keeping body balance. Scientific resources support the fact that mice feel extreme pain when their tail comes off by accident.

Even while performing blood sampling and data collection, it is essential that these animals are treated with utmost care to minimize pain. Blood sampling in these animals is necessary as they provide important information about thermal physiology in humans.

Keep reading to discover more facts about the mouse tail! If you like this article, don't forget to check out bear fishing and goat hair to discover and learn some amazing lesser-known facts and much more.

Can a mouse tail fall off?

The skin of a mouse's tail is extremely delicate and can easily come off or fall when pulled with little pressure. The tail can fall off either when you grab and pull it towards you or when you grab the mouse's tail and the mouse pulls away in the other direction.

Mice indeed go through extreme pain and suffering after the loss of their tail.

There are two methods to deal with such an accident. The mouse can be taken to a qualified vet for treatment, who will then surgically amputate the injured area, or, it can be left by itself whereby the injured site will dry up and fall off after a few weeks.

At the beginning of the injury, the injured tissue stays moist and eventually dries and sloughs off.

Either way, the tail skin will never grow back. Following the loss of its tail, the mouse must be kept under acute surveillance; it can be kept inside a cage to stop it from engaging in its habits of climbing or dragging its tail.

Do mice feel pain in their tails?

Mice, black or pigmented in particular, have been used abundantly to perform various tests and for the collection of relevant data. They are especially used to test thermoregulation (body temperature).

Significant information has been obtained by studying the experimental data that models human disease. However, the veins found on a mouse tail bone are primarily used for administering IV. During such procedures as well as when their tail falls off, these animals will suffer great pain.

The mouse tail anatomy is extremely intricate as it is the source of establishing an internal link within the animal. The tail vein is the largest among the others which are connected to the cardinal veins.

The tail vein or blood sampling is done via this vein. Before taking the sample, the animal must be warmed to dilate the blood vessels.

This can cause stress and dehydration alongside increasing the metabolic rate in these animals. These issues have an effect on the search results and data collection report.

Taking more than two samples in a day bruises or damages the tail. Fewer attempts of the incision must be made while taking a blood sample and the tail must be given sufficient time to heal prior to the next blood sampling.

As it can be difficult to observe the insides, illuminating devices can be used to make the insides visible and improve images of the vein taken while sampling. To stop extreme pain, local anesthetic cream must be used at all times.

Three Mice on wooden stick

Mouse Tail Vs Rat Tail

Like most rodents, mice and rats possess tails that perform important tasks for them. Their appearance is generally not identical and is found in different types and textures in these rodents. In general, they help in body balance and climbing walls and trees. Let us learn about the difference between a mouse and a rat tail.

The tail of a mouse is very thin and long. Hair or fur covers the entire tail length compared to a rat's which is bare-skinned.

The mouse tail color exhibits the same color that is found on the rest of its body. The rat's tail, on the other hand, is comparatively thicker and longer. Hair is absent from a rat's tail.

Why do mice have tails?

Primarily, there are three tasks that the tail of a rodent performs. These roles are extremely important for these animals to survive in the wild as well as for the ones that live indoors. Let us go through the roles performed by the tail of a mouse.

The tail is generally measured to be longer than the entire body length of the animal. Scientists, through sample data collections, have identified that the tails have a correlation with the physiology of the mice and keep their body balance and pressure in place.

This results in improved agility and speed while climbing. They also protect themselves from predation with the help of their tail.

Tails are known to dissipate body heat and results in regulating body temperature in this animal, an effect that is widely studied.

The tail bone is also connected to the cardinal vein, and thus, it establishes an internal connection with the insides of the animal's body. IV and other medical solutions are administered through this vein.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for mouse tail then why not take a look athyena tail,or deer mouse facts.

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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Fact-checked by Pratiti Nath

Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology, Masters of Science specializing in Biotechnology

Pratiti Nath picture

Pratiti NathBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology, Masters of Science specializing in Biotechnology

A Master's in Biotechnology from Presidency University and a Bachelor's in Microbiology from Calcutta University. Pratiti holds expertise in writing science and healthcare articles, and their inputs and feedback help writers create insightful content. They have interests in heritage, history, and climate change issues and have written articles for various websites across multiple subjects. Their experience also includes working with eco-friendly startups and climate-related NGOs.

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