Tame or release wild babies?

Question
I found a pregnant wild female mouse.  She had 6 babies that are now three and a half weeks old and eating solid food. I wanted to tame them and keep them as pets but they are afraid of me and I think they might bite me now. I did hold them a little at two and a half weeks old before they were weaned but now I think it might be too late to tame them.

Questions
1) If I let the mom go in a field, could I tame the babies and keep them as pets?
2) They have a tissue box and a paper towel tube in their cage that they hide in when I stick my hand in the cage to hold them.  If I take the tube and box out can I hold them or will that scare them to death (with nowhere to hide)?
3) Is it too late to tame them and I should just let all the babies and the mom go in a field?
4) Can the babies survive in the wild even though they were born in captivity?


Answer
Dear Tifarah,

You've passed the best time to tame the babies.  The best thing to do is release all the mice at once.  Bring them to a wooded area or field.  If you want to give them a good shot at survival, you can build a release shelter to help them survive.  Here is a blueprint for a wild mouse release shelter which you can use to acclimate a mouse to the outdoors without just dumping it.  

http://mouseranch.com/FYI/releaseShelter.html

They'll be a lot happier this way.  You, on the other hand, need a pet mouse!  Try getting a couple of pretty girl mice from a pet store or breeder.  

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha