Wood mice are among Britain's most abundant small mammals and occupy a central position in farmland food webs, with their welfare affecting predators from owls to weasels to kestrels.
Wood mouse welfare exists at both individual and ecosystem levels. Individual mice face predation, weather exposure, and periodic food scarcity that are part of the natural ecology of the species. From a welfare perspective, the primary human-caused threats are rodenticide poisoning (which causes internal hemorrhage and prolonged death) and habitat loss that reduces food resource diversity and increases population stress during scarce periods. Reducing rodenticide use in agricultural settings has direct individual welfare benefits and secondary benefits for predators that scavenge poisoned mice. Maintaining diverse habitat including hedgerows, woodland edges, and rough grassland supports stable wood mouse populations that underpin predator welfare across the food web.