Threats: Habitat loss, predation from cats and foxes
Will they visit?: Ash-grey Mice may visit home gardens located near local reserves, parks, or bushland
Natural Distribution: Widespread and uncommon throughout the South West and Perth region.
Ash-grey Mouse – (C) Babs & Bert Wells/Parks and Wildlife Service
Habitat at a Glance
See Habitat Guide for more detail
Shelter: Burrows, hollow logs, or constructed small mammal nest boxes
Diet: Seeds, vegetation, and invertebrates
Water: Shallow water dish
ReWild Benefit: Moving seeds around the landscape
Habitat Guide - Shelter
Natural Shelter
Hollow logs and dense shrubs around your wildlife garden could provide a this little mouse much needed shelter. Ash-grey Mice like to hide in hollows, burrows, and thick leaf-litter on the ground.
Novel Shelter
A small mammal nest box low to the ground can provide small mammals with shelter and protection from predators. Hide the box well with dense shrubbery, leaflitter, and rockeries. This will hide the box from resident dogs and cats. Before you build:
Nest-boxes are a long-term commitment and need maintenance and repair over time.
Chipboard is okay, but degrade after a year of use. Untreated hardier woods (i.e. Jarrah) are less prone to attack by fungi, bacteria, and microorganisms.
Keep away from treated timber as this can emit fumes toxic to wildlife and their young.
Avoid using metal wire inside a box. A wooden ladder on the inside of the nest-box is much more suitable or grooved timber will work well.
Maintenance is key to keeping wildlife safe. Last thing you want is a side panel falling off with an animal or its young still living inside.
Habitat Guide - Food and Water
Providing natural sources of food
They do not readily exploit rubbish or man-made environments like introduced mice – so you are unlikely to see one in your rubbish bin! Ash-grey Mice love to eat seeds, fruits, flowers and foliage. Plant a variety of native grasses next to tall shrubs and trees for a great wildlife garden to provide food, shelter and protection, nesting material and nest sites.
Providing sources of water
A shallow water dish will provide ample drinking water. Put rocks and large sticks in and around the water dish to enable the mice to escape if they fall in.
ReWild Benefits
Our native rodents have been the hardest hit group by feral cats and foxes, with many species having gone extinct. The Ash-grey mouse is unique to the South-West of Western Australia and found nowhere else. If you think you have seen one, you can record your sighting on Atlas of Living Australia.
