A distinctive behavior of white-footed mice is drumming with their front paws. This produces a buzzing. White-footed mice have keen eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell.
I believe it is a form of communication. We have them at our house right now (sorry guys, but you're moving out! I have no-kill traps, so there!) and they seem to drum back and forth.
I am raising some baby white-footed mice and they're almost ready for release now. They've been doing this drumming more often as they get older. When I played your video near their enclosure, they drummed immediately, as if in response. Very cool. Thanks for posting the video.
How about that? I was watching one of my white-footed mice and heard that sound. I tried to figure out how she was making it. I kept watching the tail, but it wasn't the culprit. House mice rattle their tails when they feel threatened and I think white-footed mice do too, but this time she must have been drumming! :D
"A distinctive behavior of white-footed mice is drumming on a hollow reed or a dry leaf with their front paws. This produces a long musical buzzing. It is unclear why white-footed mice do this."
This is great! I always heard that noise when the cuties scurry about at night, now I know what it is! Thy drum! For a while I fantacized it was how the squeezed themselves through small cracks, sort of wriggling, but they're really tap-dancing...
I believe it is a form of communication. We have them at our house right now (sorry guys, but you're moving out! I have no-kill traps, so there!) and they seem to drum back and forth.
LycaWatyre 1 year ago
Yeah why do they do this?
dllahr 2 years ago
I am raising some baby white-footed mice and they're almost ready for release now. They've been doing this drumming more often as they get older. When I played your video near their enclosure, they drummed immediately, as if in response. Very cool. Thanks for posting the video.
crmather1 2 years ago
How about that? I was watching one of my white-footed mice and heard that sound. I tried to figure out how she was making it. I kept watching the tail, but it wasn't the culprit. House mice rattle their tails when they feel threatened and I think white-footed mice do too, but this time she must have been drumming! :D
wakkanne 4 years ago
"A distinctive behavior of white-footed mice is drumming on a hollow reed or a dry leaf with their front paws. This produces a long musical buzzing. It is unclear why white-footed mice do this."
~Animal Diversity Web~
Shmecklecka 4 years ago
This is great! I always heard that noise when the cuties scurry about at night, now I know what it is! Thy drum! For a while I fantacized it was how the squeezed themselves through small cracks, sort of wriggling, but they're really tap-dancing...
Shmecklecka 4 years ago