What do you feed a field mouse?

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HnkyDnkyZZFarm

HnkyDnkyZZFarm

Chirping
Jan 2, 2016
145
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Northern California
I don't want to keep him as a pet, just long enough for my daughter to observe him (her? Haven't looked that close yet) for a couple days. I'd like mouse to be comfortable in the mean time. It was fleeing a rained out field and may have been played with by a cat, and was crossing the road. It looks a bit spiky in the fur and has a crooked tail, but no visible injuries, so I'm not going to handle it more than I have to. We have a temporary rat cage, the plastic type that we usually use for stick bugs and potato bugs and things of the sort, a chicken towel in the bottom, water, and now..

Food?
 
Honestly, I don't recommend keeping it for any length of time. Wild mice can carry things like Leptospirosis and Hantavirus as well as a multitude of other diseases which can cause serious illness and/or death. Likelihood of contracting something is probably slim, but it wouldn't be a risk I would want to take with my child. If you insist on hanging onto it for a few days, they are omnivores, so they will eat just about anything you will.
 
Oh...and mice are prolific chewers, so if the cage is plastic, it's extremely likely he will chew his way out of it given a few hours.
 
On the plus side, field mice don't stink like house mice and white mice do. Plus they are prettier. You can feed him things like bread and oatmeal. Any grains you may have for livestock will do. I would go to the pet store and buy some feed made for pet mice so you can be sure of giving him a balanced diet.I don't know if hamster food is suitable or not. Just read the labels. If he has fleas or other external parasites make sure you treat him for them. I think it is the fleas and ticks deer mice may carry is what causes health problems in humans.
 
Oh, to be safe, wash your hands after handling him. Do so before touching your mouth, eyes, or face.
 
cassie said:
Oh, to be safe, wash your hands after handling him. Do so before touching your mouth, eyes, or face.
Click to expand...

Not touching him, lol. He's bouncy. Not even reaching into the cage. Watching his little hands, how he eats etc. What exactly a mouse is and does, and then he goes bye bye and the cage gets the treatment. He's not in anything we use for the other animals, buns, chickens etc. Just the towel and the chicken bowl and those can be scrubbed and sanitized and if he destroys the towel, it wont be a crisis to toss it.

I will definitely be super careful of scrubbing hands and anything he's touched.

Ty to all :)
 
Last edited:
Just a comment. I know it is not recommended, and I am not suggesting anyone do so, but I have had field mice as pets. Also pack rats. Had a lot of fun with them.
 
Just a comment. I know it is not recommended, and I am not suggesting anyone do so, but I have had field mice as pets. Also pack rats. Had a lot of fun with them.
 

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