Is it true that rodents enjoy cheese, or is this a myth?
From “Tom and Jerry” to “The Farmer in the Dell,” pop culture is filled of mice that adore cheese. In reality, Chuck E. Cheese, the rodent mascot, has the name of the restaurant in his moniker.
But do actual rodents really yearn for a pungent, buttery Gruyere? Not quite.
First off, not all rodents are created equal. Apodemus, the field mouse, and Mus, the standard mouse, are two examples of the many distinct genera that make up the diverse collection of mice. Like the desert pygmy mouse (Mus indutus) of southern Africa or the steppe mouse (Mus spicilegus) of Eastern Europe, each species of mouse is acclimated to its own environment. But the house mouse is the type of rodent that most people are acquainted with. (Mus musculus). Rodents are not all made alike, to start. Apodemus, the field mouse, and Mus, the standard mouse, are two instances of the many different genera that make up the diverse group of mice. Each species of mouse is adapted to its particular habitat, like the arid pygmy mouse (Mus indutus) of southern Africa or the steppe mouse (Mus spicilegus) of Eastern Europe. However, most people are familiar with the variety of rodent known as the domestic mouse. (Mus musculus).
According to Megan Phifer-Rixey(opens in new tab), an evolutionary biologist at Drexel University in Philadelphia who studies the species, the domestic mouse most likely developed in Central and Southern Asia. However, thanks to people, these rodents have become widespread, and they don’t have specific food preferences. The tame mouse most likely originated in Central and Southern Asia, according to Megan Phifer-Rixey(opens in new tab), an evolutionary scientist at Drexel University in Philadelphia who studies the species. These rodents don’t have any particular food inclinations, but they have expanded widely because of humans.
According to Phifer-Rixey, a domestic mouse will consume just about anything that is close. Grain, insects, garbage, and yes, cheese, if it’s accessible, could all fall under this category. But she added that cheddar is not a mouse’s preferred diet. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I’ve been meaning to for a while. If it’s available, cheese, grain, insects, trash, and even garbage cans all fit into this group. She did, however, clarify that mice do not prefer to eat cheese. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I’ve been meaning to for a while. If it’s available, cheese, grain, insects, trash, and even garbage cans all fit into this group. She did, however, clarify that mice do not prefer to eat cheese. Although I haven’t done this in a while, I’ve been intending to. If it’s accessible, this category includes cheese, grain, insects, debris, and even waste cans. She did, however, make it clear that rodents do not favor cheese.
Instead, peanut butter seems to be the true passion of domestic mice. It smells fairly strongly, and they have excellent senses of smell, according to Phifer-Rixey. Additionally, she continued, rodents enjoy the protein and lipids that peanut butter contains. Instead, peanut butter appears to be household mice’s real love. They have superb perceptions of scent, according to Phifer-Rixey, and it smells pretty strongly. Rodents also like the protein and fats that peanut butter includes, she added.
Where did this cheesy story originate?
So where did the notion of cheese-loving rodents originate from if mice are only ambivalent about cheese? Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a clear solution to that query.
One unproven idea making the rounds on the internet is that cheese was once kept on exposed shelves as opposed to other foods, which were kept in jars or hung from the roof. According to the legend, because mice had easy access to cheese, humans may have observed mice consuming it, giving rise to the contemporary stereotype. Online rumor has it that cheese was once stored on open shelves as opposed to other foods, which were kept in jars or suspended from the ceiling. This theory is unverified. The tale claims that since mice had convenient access to cheese, people may have seen mice eating it, leading to the development of the modern stereotype.
The idea’s beginnings could be hundreds or thousands of years ago. The Roman scholar Lucius Annaeus Seneca, who lived in the first century A.D., appeared to take for granted that rodents adore cheese, according to some online sleuths. The origins of the concept may date back hundreds or thousands of years. According to some internet sleuths, the first-century AD Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca seemed to take the fact that rodents love cheese for granted.
According to a translation of the philosopher’s writings by Richard Mott Gummere, a former Latin lecturer at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, “‘Mouse’ is a syllable,” the philosopher wrote in a message to his friend Lucilius(opens in new tab). “Now that a mouse is eating its cheese, a syllable is eating cheese.” “‘Mouse’ is a syllable,” the philosopher wrote in a letter to his buddy Lucilius, according to a translation of the philosopher’s works by Richard Mott Gummere, a former Latin professor at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.(opens in new tab). “A syllable is eating cheese now that a mouse is eating its cheese.”
Therefore, it’s conceivable that this tale of mice and cheese has been around for as long as mice and people have lived together, from the hallways of ancient Rome to the arcades for kids that are modeled after rodents in contemporary suburban America. Therefore, it is possible that this story of mice and cheese has existed for as long as mice and humans have coexisted, from the corridors of ancient Rome to the kid-friendly arcades in modern suburbia America that are based on rodents.
