Accidentally pulled fur from tail - will it be ok?

Question
I know nothing about mice. Today my cat Billy brought home a mouse. It was small about 2 inches from nose to hind and brown. I think it's a field mouse. Anyway it got cornered behind a piece of very heavy furniture. I got my cat away and also shooed out my other cat Benny even though Benny just has no interest in mice at all and preferred to just roll on his side and go back to sleep. :/ Anyway with the coast clear I tried to get the mouse out from behind the furniture. It's tail was poking out and the furniture was too heavy for me to move and it couldn't go forward. I was in a rush and didn't have time to wait for it to come out on its own. I gently grabbed the tip of the tail and began to pull very softly. I wasn't trying to drag it out just coerce it into leaving. I barely even felt the tail between my fingertips and didn't feel any 'tug' at all but it came off!

Well, it didn't - it was just the fur like a 'sleeve' and could see it still had its tail, just now the tip was furless - no blood or anything. It didn't seem to be hurt by this at all. I found something to stick behind the furniture and 'push' it out and then scooped it up in a container, took it away, and let it free. As I walked away and it realised it was free it seemed to run and jump (not kidding, it did jump o.O) away into a bush.

I don't think I hurt it and it makes no difference now its gone, but curious about the tail fur. Why would it come off so easily - Billy hadn't injured it at all beyond chase it a bit? Did I really rip the fur from the tail, is it a defensive thing, will the mouse be ok?

Sorry for rambling. Late night, not well, and I'm just a rambler anyways.

Answer
Dear John,

Poor little mouse! But it's lucky to have gotten away with just a tail injury. My guess is that there is risk of infection; but other than that, it's not a real big deal. We try very hard to avoid this, but sometimes mice are just as strong as a person is, and so an attempt to pick it up by its tail can go terribly awry. It loses the fur so that it doesn't lose the tail. That's why a mouse must always be picked up by the very base of its tail.

I hope the little critter is ok!

squeaks,

Natasha
<:3  )--~