Let Wild Mouse Go in the Snow?

Question
Hello Natasha,
  I have a mouse right now that I am debating on letting into the wild or not. He/she was a mouse that I found at work one day as a baby. A co-worker discovered him in the sink when she turned the faucet on. I brought him home to let him go, but my sister accidentally let him loose in the house. We hadn't seen him for about 5 months and then all of a sudden he decided to run down my hallway (which I have no idea how he survived with 4 cats in the house...). Anyways, long story short, one of my cats got him before he discovered the "no kill" mouse traps I set. I am an animal lover and could not kill it. I have him in a cage right now with food (oats- he seemed to love to nibble the ones we left in the snack drawer lol. I also mixed that in with some food I have for my pet mice (African Spinys)) and some water of course. He has a wheel and a hut with some fluff to burrow in. However, there is a lot of snow on the ground outside and I do not know if he was originally a mouse from the wild or a feeder mouse that got loose from the pet store next to where I work (seen as how we have NEVER seen another mouse in that store). I just don't want him to freeze if I let him go now number one, but I also don't want him to not survive in the wild after being in a house that had food handed to him for so long. Do I wait and let him go in the spring? Will he not follow his instincts after being caged and/or in a house for so long? I just feel really bad for the poor little guy.. If you can give me some advice that would be awesome.
   Amanda

Answer
Dear Amanda,

There are several factors to consider, and you may get different answers from different mouse people.  In my opinion however, it is cruel to let any mouse go in such a cold climate, let alone one which was hand-raised and has never been outside.  Because you have cats, and he apparently doesn't like being in captivity, I recommend keeping him as a pet until it's about 50 out at night, then letting him go in the nicest place possible-- in the woods or a field, with a supply of food and some bedding material-- but well over a mile from your house or he will come back. This will give him the best chance of survival.  If, however, he seems pretty happy in the cage, feel free to keep him as a pet.

I wish the little guy the best of luck!

squeaks,

Natasha