Caught injured baby mouse.

Question
QUESTION: Dear Natasha,
I let that other mouse go(i never planned on keeping her) and i learned a very valuable lesson that wild adults can never be changed and with that should never be in captivity and unfortunately i learned that through a bite and the oddly aggressive female mouse,even though I've been bite before and i didn't fling her and i'm ok now...i think.

Anyway in that same trap was yet another suprize a young mouse about five weeks old at the back of that same trap. he seemed ok yesterday but now his back legs appear to be broken but it's defiantly not his back he's eating well and drinking fine and is still as jumpy as before i don't know what happened to him,i understand that with this unfortunate happening he can never go back to the wild(and i wish that on no mouse).But what do i do Natasha with this poor baby mouse,Who i believe is quite lucky to be alive?

ANSWER: Dear Jada,

Oh, dear. Do watch the bite for infection-- redness, swelling. A house mouse doesn't carry human diseases, but any bite can get infected.

The baby mouse wouldn't be able to hop if its back legs were broken. Why do you think they are?

squeaks,

Natasha

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Natasha,
He's dragging his legs, and i,m just wondering would he be able to survive it or would it be better if i just put him down which i hope not he made it over night and i could never bring my self to killing him, hes just a baby hes still got a chance but in the mean time what do i do?
_and the bite isnot infected thankfully:( i hope he can just lead a normal life._
-Jada-
:)by the way i named him Felix,which means lucky one.

ANSWER: Dear Jada,

It sounds like he is injured and in pain-- it took a day for his injuries to become swollen and cause him pain-- but he can still jump because his legs are not actually broken. Jumping must hurt a lot though. Poor little tyke.

If he jumps and jumps and jumps when he is in his cage, he definitely has to be let loose, no matter his chances outdoors-- it is better than torturing himself. Every jump hurts.

If he is quiet in his cage except when you disturb him, then you may want to keep him long enough for him to get better. But of course disturb him as little as possible, so he stops reinjuring himself.

What he needs as long as you have him, is ibuprofen! Is there any way you can get children's liquid ibuprofen? He just needs a drop every six hours;  you can put it on something delicious like a bit of a tasty cracker or piece of popcorn. Or you can mix it into a very small bit of peanut butter. The ibuprofen not only relieves the pain; it also reduces the swelling in his injury, which will cause it to heal faster. Tylenol (also liquid) would relieve pain but not reduce swelling; however if that is his only option, it is better than nothing.

The choice of whether to put him down is a tough one; but I don't think you have access to any humane way of doing it, so unless you can sneak him to the vet, that isn't an option.

His injuries will be as healed as they ever will be, in about ten days.

Now it is my turn to ask questions. What are you using for a cage? How are you hiding these mice from your parents? How old are you?

Squeaks,

Natasha

















---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Natasha,
I'm a very mature 14 year old who love's mice with a passion.
The cages i have vary from a shoe box (for the babies) to an aquarium and the large enclosure type deal i built in my entertainment center; i keep every save a secret because i,m afraid my parents will kill them and they are all in my room hidden in the places my parents will not likely look.
But what i want to know is why the sudden curiosity towards me  and my love for mice?:)
-Jada-
I'm just glad he will heal fast he's actually quite friendly and isn't really that jumpy it's just if you move something in his cage he flips out.

Answer
Dear Jada,

Well, considering you have asked me about a dozen questions I figured it was my turn ;)

I was wondering how you were in a situation to hide all of this mouse activity from your parents. And of course wondering what the mice were being housed in, considering they were being hidden. Hiding them in your entertainment center is very clever! No reason for your parents to look there.

After all, if he is happy, you may have this fellow for several years!

Squeaks n giggles,

Natasha