Orphaned WILD mouse seems tame

Question
My sister and I found a mouse laying on my carpet in my room out in the open. He looked like he was shivering. He was very lethargic and couldn't get away when we went to pick him up, with gloves of course. We put him in a box with a fluffy Santa clause hat and rags. He snuggled right in and stopped shivering. He also ate some cheerios when we put them in the box. His eyes are open and has a full body of grey hair. He made it through the night and is quick today. He ate a piece of carrot and is now sleeping in the box of bedding. I don't think he has had a bowel movement or anything yet. But he is very sleepy. I was wondering if we should release him yet?
I don't want to be cruel and keep him if he doesn't want to be kept. My mom doesn't like mice anyway. He doesn't seem to be freaking out in the box. He really likes the rags and just sleeps a lot. I just don't want to set him out in the wild if he is still too weak and not ready. I dont know how old he is either. But he eats solid food as I stated about the cherios and carrots...

Answer
Dear Ashley,

This decision should, if possible, rest with the mouse. When he feels well enough and doesn't want to be a pet, he can be let go. But as long as he stays tame and doesn't soend all of his time trying to jump out of his cage, he may still need to recover (or he wants to be a pet).

Maybe your mom can learn to like mice. Show her how cute and tame he is. Mice are a maligned species. They are incredibly clean- more so than cats. They can be extremely loving and loyal. They are very smart for their size. They are very hard-working and tenacious - when they decide to do something, they will work tirelessly do do it. So if he wants to be a pet- maybe she can be understanding.

Good luck to him!

Squeaks n giggles

Natasha