Found A Deer Mouse

Question
Two days ago I found a deer mouse sitting in the road looking ill and shivering.  I used my sleeve to pick it up by the tail and move it to the side onto the grass.  I came back to check on it 10 minutes later and it had fallen into a little ditch and was breathing heavily and not moving.  I tried to move it to a better spot under a tree, but saw that when it walked it would fall over.  I thought it was a baby that was orphaned, but now I'm not sure.  It has fur, big open eyes, and is about three inches long NOT including the tail.  I couldn't leave it so I took him home. I thought he would die, but he is still alive, eating my rabbit's seeds, and seems to be doing better. I used a dropper to give him some water but he only let me do that once.  I don't really want to keep him as a pet because I can tell he's unhappy, but I feel like I would be sending him to his death if I released him.  He is walking better but I have him in a very shallow box and he can't get out of it because I assume if he could he would.  Will he get strong enough for me to let him go?  Should I be worried about disease?  I have been careful but I don't know how worried I should be.  What are my options?  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Karin,

Sounds like you're his guardian angel!  It also sounds like he is definitely a full-grown adult.  You can keep him hydrated by adding small chunks of fruit to the enclosure (not too much as it can give him diarrhea) such as a small piece of apple or banana, or by soaking stale bread in water and then placing it in the box.  If there's any other way to contain it until you release it, that would be wise, as you probably don't want him lost in your house!

If he does gain enough energy for you to re-release him, I'd do so near where you found him in a covered area.  If not your options are to take him to a vet, to ask your local shelters if they know about any rodent rescues or exotic shelters, or to keep trying to nurse him back to health.  Which to do is up to you, but if he isn't happy with you, the stress impair his healing as well.  It's kind of a tough judgment call to make, but you've already helped him a lot more than if he'd stayed outside in the condition he was in.  Whatever you wind up doing, he's definitely better off because of you.

The disease associated with deer mice is hantavirus, and you can look up a map on Google to determine your local risk.  It's spread by waste, so while you couldn't get it from a mouse bite or anything, you *could* get it from breathing in dirty bedding.  Here's a website on hantavirus:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/FAQ.htm

Best of luck, and I hope he feels better!
-Tam