Can Mice Survive Winter in a House?

Orkin confirms that whether in the wild or inside a house, mice do not hibernate during cold seasons — they spend winter actively foraging and, indoors, nesting. Physiologically they can't slow down: mice have a fast metabolism and feed in roughly 200 tiny meals per night, so they need continuous food and warmth rather than a dormant period. A heated home supplies exactly that.

An indoor mouse not only survives winter comfortably but keeps breeding — females can produce litters at roughly three-week intervals under favorable conditions — so a small fall intrusion can become a mid-winter infestation entirely behind the walls. The contrast with outdoor mice is stark: exposed to NH cold and predators, wild mice suffer high mortality and most don't reach 12–18 months.