When it comes to survival, if you want to go the distance you had a better plan on greatly expanding your menu for what you typically enjoy day today within the safe confines of everyday life.

There will be all sorts of items and animals that you would never normally consider as food suddenly become food, and it is better if you familiarize yourself with them and preferably try them ahead of time so you don’t suffer unnecessarily.

One of the most common animals found anywhere in the world is the humble mouse.

Normally mice are the ones eating our food, crops and stored goods alike, but today we are turning the tables and eating them. Can you eat mice in a survival situation?

Yes, you can safely eat mice to survive when prepared properly. Mice are extremely plentiful, easy to catch, and have a good amount of protein, some fat, and vitamins.

It is no exaggeration to say that mice are one of the most chronically underutilized animals in the survival pantry.

Everyone wants to plan on bagging big game for the dinner table out in the woods somewhere, but almost no one talks about tracking down and trapping mice for the same purpose. We will tell you everything you need to know in this article.

Are Mice Safe to Eat?

Yes, mice are safe to eat so long as they are prepared properly.

Long associated with filth, disease and pestilence, mice themselves are actually extremely clean and fastidious animals, and they bathe and groom themselves more than cats.

However, there is no getting around the fact that mice frequently run through their own droppings and urine, and commonly infest other food sources to say nothing of the parasites and germs that they frequently carry.

Nonetheless, there is nothing inherently dangerous or harmful about mouse meat.

Where are Mice Found?

Mice are found quite literally all over the entire world. Considering their sheer population numbers, mice are among the most successful creatures on Earth.

In the middle of the city or out in remote and pristine woodlands or even tundra, you will find mice aplenty if you know where to look.

It is this immense and ubiquitous range along with their population density that can make them an ace up your sleeve if you are in a long-term survival situation. Where other animals are driven out or killed off, mice will likely remain.

Nutritional Facts about Mice

Compared to beef or chicken, mouse meat measures up quite favorably with a 100 g serving being composed of nearly 20% protein, 6.5% fat and 2% carbohydrates, with a good smattering of vitamins and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin E being present in significant quantities.

Your average mouse is quite lean unless it has been kept in captivity or has stumbled upon an undisturbed and unsecured supply of human food to gorge itself on.

Although the carcass yield of an average mouse is, as you might imagine, quite small it does not take much work to catch many of them in areas where they are present, and considering that they are easy and quick to prepare and cook making a substantial meal out of mouse meat is possible

What Do Mice Taste Like?

One of the major hang-ups many people have when it comes to eating rodents, mice included, is the taste or rather the fear of the taste. Mouse meat is often said to taste gamey, slightly greasy and somewhat pungent.

It has been compared to raccoon and possum, though it is not nearly as greasy as either of those two.

However, mice are a staple food or street snack sold in many Asian and African countries, and there are many preparations and seasoning blends that are highly suitable for doctoring the taste of mouse into something quite delicious.

Generally, the taste of mouse meat is hardly offensive, at least to an acclimated palate, but it might take some getting used to if you have never had it before.

Can You Eat Mice Raw?

No. You should not eat mouse raw unless you’re in a situation of uttermost desperation.

As mentioned above, mice are regular carriers of all sorts of germs and diseases, bacterial, viral and parasitic. It is easy to contract all kinds when eating raw mouse meat.

Hantavirus and trichomoniasis are two very nasty diseases that you might contract from eating raw mouse meat, and either one can be fatal. Aside from that very genuine hazard, the taste will be abominable when raw!

Can You Eat Mice Cooked?

Yes, and you should. Thorough, well-done cooking of mouse is the best way to prepare for eating, both by improving the taste and texture and also by ensuring that all harmful pathogens are killed off prior to consumption.

Can You Eat Mouse Skin?

Yes, if it is cooked, though the presence of their fur might make this an unpleasant proposition.

You can’t simply roast a mouse whole once the carcass has been cleaned and let the fur burn away, but this will taint the flavor of the resulting meal substantially.

Mice are so small and delicate that plucking or otherwise removing the fur is generally a non-starter.

Your best bet, for efficiency and for your sanity, is simply to skin the mouse prior to cooking.

Can You Eat Mice Bones?

Yes, though you should try to avoid it. Mouse bones are so tiny that they can be eaten, though as with all cooked bones they pose a risk of splintering and perforation if consumed.

A small bone or digit here and there is probably not much to worry about, but you should avoid eating the larger bones, ribs and skull.

Mouse bones, like all mammal bones, contain highly nutritious bone marrow but in amounts so tiny that extracting them any other way aside from eating them whole will border on the impossible.

Can You Eat Mice Organs?

Yes, some of them. The heart and liver can make for good eating when properly prepared.

The kidneys, stomach and intestines should be avoided since they are unpalatable and contain waste products.

The most obvious challenge concerning eating mice organs is that they are tiny, difficult to handle and harder to identify without expert knowledge and preferably magnification.

If in doubt, just remove and discard all organs when cleaning the carcass prior to cooking.

The post So, Can You Eat Mice for Survival? appeared first on Survival Sullivan.

By: Tom Marlowe
Title: So, Can You Eat Mice for Survival?
Sourced From: www.survivalsullivan.com/can-you-eat-mice/
Published Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000

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