What Is a Group of Mice Called? Not Always a Colony

Yep, it’s true: A group of mice is called a mischief.

It’s one of those delightfully odd collective nouns in English, like a murder of crows or a parliament of owls. The term fits, considering how mice seem to pop up unexpectedly and cause a bit of chaos, especially indoors.

You might also hear the terms "nest" or "colony" in scientific or pest control contexts, depending on whether the mice live in the wild or in your walls.

Mice are social animals. In the wild, mice live in colonies composed of one dominant male and several females, with each female raising her litter in a separate nest chamber.

One nest might hold five to 12 babies, or pups, which are born hairless and blind. Mothers raise their young in dark, hidden places like woodpiles or burrows.

In domestic settings, like pet cages, groups of mice can also include unrelated individuals. In both cases, mice communicate through ultrasonic squeaks and scent trails.

A mischief usually includes a dominant male, several females, and their offspring. The dominant male marks territory and aggressively wards off rivals.

Food availability and shelter determine group size, and when resources are scarce, fights can break out. Despite their size, mice are surprisingly territorial.

If you see more than one mouse inside, odds are there’s a whole mischief living nearby. They move quietly, often hugging walls or following scent routes, which makes them hard to spot.

When mischiefs take up residence indoors, they often chew wires, leave droppings, and multiply quickly. House mice reach sexual maturity at around five to seven weeks of age, and a female can produce a new litter approximately every 3 weeks under ideal conditions.

That means one pregnant female can lead to dozens of mice in a matter of weeks.

In these cases, pest control experts often use terms like "infestation" or "colony" rather than mischief. But the core idea is the same: a lot of mice, working together, usually without your permission.

The term "mischief" pops up in trivia games, fun facts books, and some animal behavior texts. It's less common in scientific literature, where "colony" or "population" are preferred.

But "mischief" has become a favorite in popular culture, especially among animal lovers and curious minds. Just like we call a group of kittens a "kindle," this quirky term adds personality to a group of rodents.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.