Why do mice squeak?

People always hear squeaks from mice and rats. Whether they are unwanted pests or household pets, mice produce squeaking sounds for a variety of reasons.  Most people believe the squeaking is due to some kind of panic or pain.  This is because these people  may have experienced hearing them squeak when they were caught in mouse traps, for example.  As with many other animals, mice will squeak when they are struggling or in pain.  It is like they are screaming for their lives when being caught or being hurt by others.

Squeaking in mice could also be a means of communication between themselves.  Experts have found out that mice produce various types of sounds at different communication and emotional levels.  Some of these squeaks or sounds are also not audible to human ears. This means that these rodents actually produce some kind of sound which only their kind can hear. The squeaks are said to be lower in pitch and much quieter when mice are communicating normally with the others.  This happens when they are not under attack or not experiencing any wild emotions.

Experts have also found that mice squeak in a different way when they experience different emotions.  Squeaking can be heard in male mice, for example, when they are engaged in sex.  The females in the species, meanwhile, also have their own kind of squeaking sound when communicating with other females of their colony.  As with other young animals, young mice also squeak when their mothers leave them temporarily or permanently.  In this particular example, the young mice resemble young babies that cry when their mothers are away from them.

With all the examples indicated above, experts have found it clear that the squeaking in mice is like their special way of communication and displaying emotions. Whether the mice are doing their ordinary activities or engaged in an emotion-filled incident, they will emit different sounds or squeaks.