Question
My daughter went camping last weekend and some people found a little family of deer mice and the people were throwing theses poor little friends into the lake. My daughter was a able to save one and brought it home. We have been feeding it kitten formula with a 1cc syringe and it is now drinking from her hand. Today the little mouse opened it's eyes and seems to be getting stronger and we have it in a container with a heating blanket to keep it warm. So far so good. I am just not sure what will be coming next. Do we need to take it to a wildlife clinic so they can help it, or what? I have been reading about the diseases that they can carry like Hantavirus which look pretty frightening. Any ideas?
Thanks!!
Renae
AnswerDear Renae,
What terrible people! May they be eaten by bears.
Although hantavirus is very scary-- although very rare, and existing mainly only in a few regions, it is fatal 1/3 of the time-- luckily, mother mice do not pass it to their babies (phew!). So hand raising a mouse pup isn't a danger. If anyone's in danger, it's the nasty people who destroyed the nest, because hantavirus is transmitted through dried urine and feces, so contact with a nest can do it, although usually only if the nest is very old, such as in a farmhouse or basement.
I don't recommend bringing it to a wildlife clinic. Laws vary from state to state but I doubt many places would be kind to the critter. I know it's illegal to harbor squirrels here in NYC. Though mice are probably an exception.
The way I see it is you've just acquired yourselves a very sweet, trusting, long-living mouse for a pet. Wild mice live longer (in captivity) than bred mice do; and any mouse hand fed is going to be a love. If a person catches a wild mouse and intends to let it go, the rule is as little touch as possible. But baby mice need love too. You can't really not touch a 2 week old baby, which is what you have. And you will be in love very soon.
You should try to figure out if it is a girl or a boy. A male won't be showing his testes yet but a female will have nipples if you can see under her fur while it is still thin. The other way to tell is from the distance between the anus and genitals, as in the following link:
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/sexing.cfm
If you have a girl, I recommend finding the tiniest tame girl mouse for her as possible to have as a friend. Call your local pet stores to find out if they have recent litters. Wait another three weeks until your mouse is 5 weeks old, then give her a similarly-aged friend. Male pet mice fight, though, so they have to live alone; while I've heard wild mice are better, I wouldn't try a mix.
I hope I have helped. If you need more help, let me know.
Thank you so much for saving the little feller's life. A pox on those beastly people!
squeaks n giggles,
Natasha
<:3 )--~
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