Contrary to what many people might believe, the cute and cuddly-looking otters are actually carnivores. This means that they mainly eat meat and derive nutrition from animal sources. So, this begs the question, if the opportunity arises, do otters eat mice?
A quick note about otters being carnivores. Otters are actually a part of the Carnivora order which means that they are carnivores. Carnivores can fall into several different buckets, one of which is facultative carnivores. Facultative carnivores are essentially omnivores, and no clear distinction is made between them. Otters belong to this classification.
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Do Otters Eat Mice?
Do otters eat mice? Yes. Otters, when given the opportunity, will eat mice.
An otter’s diet is mainly formed from aquatic creatures like crabs, fish, and snails, but they will gladly devour any small land animals present themselves. Squirrels, birds, rabbits, and even dogs are not exempt from this list of animals otters will go after.
Essentially, whatever is most accessible at the time, is what otters go for. Par for the course for predator species.
During the winter, otters are more likely to scavenge for food where they can find it, as food is typically more sparse during this period of time. However, they always prefer a good clam or fish meal over any rodent.
And, of course, to clarify, river otters will be the ones going after rabbits, mice, and rats. Sea otters don’t usually have access to such prey.
Are Otters Dangerous?
Otters can be potentially dangerous to either you or other small animals you might be caring for.
Most people don’t realize how strong an otter’s bite is or even how dangerous otters can be.
A 2011 study found 39 reports that North American river otters have attacked people. Most of these otter attacks were otters attacking someone’s pet and then attacking the person when they tried to help their pet. So even animals the size of dogs are fair game to otters.
To wrap it up, yes, otters will eat mice and are frequently seen devouring a mouse or two. Realistically, the availability of prey is what matters most to otters.