A Wild Deer Mouse

Question
QUESTION: I recently found a wild deer mouse(I call him 'Tumbles') outside my home and I'm a little lost as to what I should do with him.
I can't bring myself to let him go, not only because it's getting colder outside(I'm in Minnesota), but also because he's incapable of walking a straight line- The little guy is blind in his left eye.

I wouldn't mind keeping him, but my dad wont allow it. He threw a tantrum when I asked to keep Tumbles through winter. :(
I'm also just a little worried about this Hantavirus. I just discovered it today and I know that it is very unusual to actually get, but it's worrisome nonetheless. Especially since I've been cleaning Tumbles' tank every day for about a week and I haven't gone about it in the correct way. I do use a glove at least, but like I said, it's still worrisome, so I was wondering if there's any way you know of to test Tumbles for the virus.
I'm also not sure if there's anything else wrong with him. I don't really know much about mice, but he doesn't seem to act normal. He tips over when he sits up/runs and he walks in circles, which I thought was just because of his eye, but he also lets me hold him upright while he eats or cleans. Do you think he has brain damage or a disease, himself?

Here are two links to pictures of Tumbles:

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq159/Nocturn/Stuffs/GEDC0415.jpg
-This one of him eating. He IS a deer mouse, right?

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq159/Nocturn/Stuffs/GEDC0413.jpg
-And this one a close-up of his blind eye. It looks strange to me...




So, just to be clear about my questions:

-I need general advice about what to do with Tumbles since I CANNOT keep him(unless I do so in secret, which I'd rather not). Is there anywhere he could go that would take proper care of him...?

-Is there a way, that you know of, to test if Tumbles does indeed carry the Hantavirus? I'd feel much more comfortable knowing. :I

-Do you think anything else could be wrong with Tumbles besides his missing eye, or is he just that dependent on his sight?

-He IS a deer mouse, isn't he? x_x




I hope I'm not too confusing and that I've given enough information! If there's anything else you need to know, just tell me. :)

Thanks, hopefully you can help me!

ANSWER: Dear Brittany,

Awwwww poor cute little Tumbles! What a treasure! Yes he looks like a deer mouse to me too. I wish I were near you and could take him!

First, you are right that Hantavirus is incredibly rare. Minnesota has had only two cases since 1993. I have been trying to find out if anyone has ever contracted it from caring for a single mouse. I don't think anyone has, but I'm still researching. Some scientists hypothesize that you might be able to get it from a bite, but again I can't find any research saying that that has ever actually happened. People get hantavirus from cleaning out old barns or living in areas filled with uncleaned rodent urine and feces. The first two cases were people living in a filthy trailer infested with mice. So if I had a wild mouse I would not worry at all. But there is no particular reason not to wear gloves if you have ones that you can work in. You can also get him tested for hantavirus by a vet.

You are right, he won't survive two days in the wild. Call your vet to find out where you  might call. There may be rescues for small animals such as rats, who might be willing to take him. I have a hard time thinking anyone will give him the time to hold him up to feed him though. I've put a shout-out to my rodent-loving friends on Facebook to see if anyone in the area knows anyone who would be willing to take him in. I wish Facebook would let me search by state instead of city. I found one rat lover in Minneapolis and I posted the photo on his wall. Let your dad know people are really trying, hoping he will let you have enough time to find a home.

He probably had an accident or a stroke; a brain tumor is a possibility, but usually the eye would be protruding in that case. Mice who gradually go blind adjust very well; but it is possible that if this was very sudden, he is having trouble because of that.

I have already fallen for the little guy. I hope you find someone; I hope I find someone. Please keep me very much up to date. He may have a very short life, depending on what happened to him. Maybe that fact will make your dad a little softer. The chance of him actually living through a winter even in your care are slim. Maybe your dad would understand making the last few weeks of his life pleasant. Let me know what happens, even if he dies.

squeaks,

Natasha
<:3  )--~



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

QUESTION: Thank you very much! :)

I'll see if my vet knows anyplace willing to take Tumbles, but in my past experiences with the local vets they've not been very helpful with anything unrelated to cats or dogs... :(
Wow, that's very nice of you to help me search for a home! I really appreciate it!
Sorry I wasn't clear about the feeding part- You don't actually NEED to hold him up when he eats, it's just that he lets you. Which I thought was strange for a wild mouse. Otherwise he eats and drinks fine on his own, it just takes him a while. :)

Ah, a stroke would make sense. I just couldn't think of anything that would make him lose the fur around his eye... I haven't seen him scratch at it or anything...
Is it possible that he could still adjust to his lost eye? I thought that he might, which is the initial reason for me keeping him, but he's made no improvement whatsoever.

Thank you, again! I'll see if I can convince my dad, a short lifespan will be a plus in his eyes. And I will most certainly let you know what happens, good or bad.

Oh, another thing! Deer mice don't hibernate, do they? I remember reading something about them going into a sleepy state, which seems to be what Tumbles has been doing since yesterday, but I wasn't sure if that was normal.
We're keeping him in our garage at the moment and it's considerably warmer than outside, but it's still pretty chilly. Is it okay that my mom has insulation in the tank? He seems to appreciate it and he uses it often, but I wasn't sure if it was good for him.

ANSWER: Dear Brittany,

Where in Minnesota are you? I might have someone near St Paul who might be able to take him. Are you on Facebook?  Friend me so it is easier to communicate: I'm the only Natasha Millikan. The person who has shown interest was also a mouse client of mine, and she rescued a tiny baby mouse. So she would be awesome if it is possible. If you friend me you will see the posts, so you can be a part of any conversation that goes on.

Deer mice do not hibernate. They may become sluggish when it becomes colder; this is called torpor. He also may not be feeling very well.

What kind of insulation? Most insulation is made from tiny shards of glass, called fiberglass. That would be very, very dangerous. Ask your mom what it is made out of. Can you give him an old piece of a sweater, sweatshirt, or blanket? Plain yarn is great, especially if you can get wool yarn at a craft shop. You can also make him a little home out of styrofoam like what comes in packaging. Watch to see he doesn't eat the styrofoam, though. While it isn't poisonous, it won't digest inside and so could case blockage. But Tumbles probably isn't an avid chewer at this point. You can put a hot water bottle under or next to part of the cage. Another trick is to use a light bulb for heat. You don't want to make the whole cage hot, and you don't want to make it always bright, but you may be able to rig something up where you have a lightbulb shining on black cloth on the side of the cage.

Will he improve? Possibly. If it was a stroke, people do recover partially or completely from strokes. If it was sudden blindness, he will get more used to it. But it's more likely he won't.

I wish him the best. Let me know where you are so I can see if I can possibly hook you up with Sarah.

squeaks,

Natasha

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

QUESTION: I'm in Alexandria.
I am on Facebook, but... I don't even know enough about it to be able to have a conversation on there. I'll see if I can get my little sister to help me out.

Tumbles is still not active, even though my dad allowed me to bring him inside where it's warm. He's just been sitting in a corner of the tank and he hasn't eaten anything, that I can tell, for the few days he's been like this. He also seems to be breathing pretty slow... I've put him in a bit of sunlight to see if it helps, so far nothing's happened. :(
It has to be something I did to make him change so suddenly, doesn't it?
I can't think of anything I'd have done differently... Maybe switched up the foods I was giving him? My mom said she looked up what foods would be safe to give him, but they could be wrong, for all I know. We've fed him apples, peas, cat food, wild bird seed, and macaroni noodles.

My mom wasn't sure if the insulation had fiberglass or not, so we took it out. She thought it would be okay for him since any mice in the walls are around it all the time. We put some cloth in there for now, but he hasn't used it.

So, it took me a while to respond since I spent pretty much all of yesterday convincing my dad to let me keep Tumbles. He said I can keep him until spring. I thought since Tumbles would probably die before winter was even really here it would save some trouble for you and your friends. :)

Oh, I just checked on Tumbles and he's making a bit of noise and breathing a little faster... and he just wiggled! I hope he finds the energy to go eat something.

Answer
Dear Brittany,

I am so relieved that you can keep him. I felt terrible for him. It's funny. Wild mice get slaughtered every day by animals and people. We know there is nothing we can do about it. But each mouse is a wonderful little entity all to itself and deserves the best life possible. I was so worried about Tumbles. I'm so glad.

As for his health... well we don't know why he is handicapped. So we don't know if it is something that will kill him. All you can do is make him as happy as possible and hope he survives to be a wonderful pet. Healthy field mice live a long time. I'm sure your dad couldn't make you give him up after you have him so long. And anyway you will have a long time to try to find him a home.

Can you get him a mouse and rat mix at a pet store? It's not all that expensive, and one little guy won't eat much.

Try coming to my page here:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=564919802

and it gives you the opportunity to send me a message. Then when I write back.. well, your sister will show you.

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha
<:3  )--~