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Madagascar is known for its unique biodiversity including its endemic primates, the lemurs. This biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, forest degradation and anthropogenic disturbances. Several mouse lemurs (genus Microceapprofondir rebus) have been shown to cope with habitat disturbances and degradation, although it is not clear whether all 24 currently recognized mouse lemur species respond similarly to forest degradation. Here, we review the literature on mouse lemur use of degraded habitat and highlight the conditions under which populations may survive in degraded forest (DF). Further, we question whether mouse lemurs show variation in degraded habitat use, with respect to forest type, species conservation status and distribution range. We show that data on DF use are available for 14 species of Microcebus and data are limited to a few geographical locations. Our results confirm that most mouse lemur species are apparently able to cope with a certain level of degradation. The long-term survival in DF, however, depends mainly on food resource availability, understory structure, availability of tree holes for torpor and hibernation, and predation pressure. The relative frequency of these four factors vary among forest types suggesting that differences may exist but still require research efforts for ecological and environmental differences among regions to be fully understood. We found no variation in degraded habitat use, with respect to conservation status and distribution range. To better understand what drives mouse lemurs ability to survive in degraded habitat, further research should focus little known microendemic species, and should concentrate on estimating densities, characterizing diet and parasite load, and understanding habitat and shelter use across seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]