Can Mice Climb?

Mouse Climbing Brick Wall

Can Mice Climb?

Have you ever wondered how mice can possibly be getting into your home, up on your countertops, or into your shelves?It’s kind of remarkable, actually. Mice seem to be able to get anywhere, no matter how high up the location.

Even worse, have you ever wondered about the possibility of a mouse climbing up into bed with you while you sleep? Ew.

Let’s take a look at the incredible climbing ability of mice, and exactly how they are able to get up sheer surfaces with ease.

About Mouse Claws

Mouse Claw Anatomy

If we want to understand their climbing abilities, the first thing we need to do is take a look at the anatomy of mouse claws.

As you can see in the illustration to the right, mice have sharp claws at the ends of their dexterous phalanges (“fingers”). With 5 claws on each foot, and 4 of these feet, they are able to grip into tiny imperfections in a surface to allow them to climb vertical surfaces.

But just how good are they at climbing?

Mouse Climbing Ability

Mice can essentially climb anything that is not a sheer surface, such as glass or smooth metal.

Here is a video of a mouse climbing (with ease!) along a brick wall.

This video shows how quickly this mouse can get up a tree, even when the bark is relatively smooth.

Materials Mice Can Climb (Partial List)

Here is an incomplete list of materials that mice can climb up.

• Most Wood Surfaces
• Cardboard
• Drywall
• Some Aluminum Siding
• Brick
• PVC Pipes
• Concrete
• Stucco
• Carpet (Such as on stair risers)
• Drainpipes & Downspouts
• Sheet Rock