Predators of wood mice include foxes, snakes, weasels, hawks, owls, domestic dogs, and domestic cats. During the colder months, wood mice do not hibernate however, during severe winter seasons they can fall into a torpid state, a decrease in physiological activity. Despite its name, it prefers hedgerows to woodland. If a wood mouse is caught by its tail, it can quickly shed the end of it, which may never regrow.
While foraging, wood mice pick up and distribute visually conspicuous objects, such as leaves and twigs, which they then use as landmarks during exploration. Wood mice are mainly active during the dark, probably having evolved so to avoid predation, employing several anti-predatory strategies, though breeding females may be more active in daylight in order to collect sufficient food. In winter, they may prey on hibernating bats. Later in the season they will eat berries, fruits, fungi and roots. They may eat small invertebrates such as snails and insects, particularly in late spring and early summer when seeds are least available. If seeds are plentiful on the ground, they carry them back to their nests/burrows for storage. Wood mice are primarily seed eaters, particularly seeds of trees such as oak, beech, ash, lime, hawthorn, and sycamore. The wood mouse is also found in northwestern Africa and on many Mediterranean islands. In Europe, it ranges north to Scandinavia and east to Ukraine. It is one of the most intensively studied species in the genus. Almost entirely nocturnal and terrestrial, wood mice burrow extensively, build nests of plants and live in buildings during harsh seasons.
Wood mice inhabit forests, grasslands, and cultivated fields, tending to seek out more wooded areas in winter. "Harvest, Wood Mouse" illustration from British Mammals by A.