Orphaned baby mice! help!!

[cassie]

I think that is just as illegal in MANY places! I know we are just talking about mice, but I would not be very happy having someone dump mice near me. I have enough trouble with them having a rabbitry even with two active hunter cats. Sorry, but I like mice to be far away from the homestead, not part of it.

Oh for Pete's sake!! The OP would not be adding to the mouse problem. She would just be releasing native mice back where they came from. It is not as if she is breeding hordes of them and turning them loose. What is it you suggest she do with them? Drown them? Others said she can't keep them or rehome them. As for being illegal to turn them loose, how could it possibly be illegal to release wild animals back in the area where they came from? It is not as if she is releasing domestic pets into the wild which probably is illegal. So in other words, she can't keep them, rehome them or release them, and after raising them flushing them down the toilet or feeding them to the cat is unthinkable. Just what is it you think she should do?

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

@cassie Actually, the OP did not mention release, you did.

As to what should be done with this mischief of mice, my question would be: If these same wild mice were grown-up mice when found, what treatment would they be given?

What animal isn't cute when it is a baby? I get it. But, even cute little baby mice taken from the wild can be carriers of diseases. I prefer to eliminate health risks than invite them into my home.

 

[cassie]

@cassie Actually, the OP did not mention release, you did.

As to what should be done with this mischief of mice, my question would be: If these same wild mice were grown-up mice when found, what treatment would they be given?

What animal isn't cute when it is a baby? I get it. But, even cute little baby mice taken from the wild can be carriers of diseases. I prefer to eliminate health risks than invite them into my home.

First of all, an adult mouse or any other adult wild animal would not need any assistance. When I come across adult mice (unless they are house mice in my house) or any other wild animals I leave them alone. They don't stick around long enough for me to interact them even if I wanted to anyway. Secondly, what to do with any orphan is a personal decision. As for me, I have fostered everything from orphaned baby skunks to opossums to wood rats to squirrels, to foxes, to a baby jack rabbit, to deer mice, to fawns and more baby birds than I can count. I have also raised orphaned kittens and puppies. That is what I do.

The OP was asking for advice on how to care for the mice. Not whether she should. I answered to the best of my ability.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

Secondly, what to do with any orphan is a personal decision. As for me, I have fostered everything from orphaned baby skunks to opossums to wood rats to squirrels, to foxes, to a baby jack rabbit, to deer mice, to fawns and more baby birds than I can count.

I doubt there would be a big problem with anyone pursuing the legalities with mice, but what you are talking about...yes, it is a personal decision to foster a wild animal, but it is also a decision that could be a matter of law.

 

[ChickenCrazyAnnie]

Ok so after our collapsed shed had finally been moved today as we were moving stuff out my mother discovered 3 baby mice covered in meat ants when she moved something, the parents abandoned them and they were left there all alone, obviously I couldn't leave them there not only because of the ants but cement would be layed on their nest in just a few days. these mice are very young their eyes are still closed and they definitely are not able to eat solids. they are okay aside from some bloody cuts from the ants I've put them in a small rodent cage with some wood shavings and they are burrowing in that. what should I do to help these babies? and should on the off chance I decide to keep and raise them am I able to do that with wild mice?

Hi Maddison, sorry to sound heartless, but I think you should euthanise the mice. If it wasn't for the neighbourhood cats, my own included, we would be over run with mice and they can be a menace. Just my opinion, from experience of them destroying my property.

 

[Bunnylady]

I only weighed in when the OP started talking about rehoming. I fully understand the urge to help a helpless baby animal, and I figure that is up to the individual. But if they, say, put an ad on Craigslist or a bulletin board trying to find a home for the "extra" mouse (assuming all survive), they might find themselves in trouble; I figured that knowing where they stand now might influence future courses of action.

 

[lazy gardener]

Mice are huge vectors of disease. They are also extremely destructive to homes, spreading filth, and at times causing fires b/c of their chewing on electrical wires. I can smell the stench of a mouse nest from 10' away. When I was young, I would have also been one to save all the little critters. Add some life experience, seeing the kind of damage many of these little and not so little critters can do, and I strongly urge OP to euthanize them, or give them to someone who will. My SIL has had her entire life disrupted by the ravages of lyme disease. This is ONLY ONE of the many diseases that can be carried by rodents, and the external parasites that plague them. Please, do not touch them.

 

[Birdinhand]

I think the decision to bring home wild animals is a personal choice and on the scale that it happens is just not worth getting all legal about it. unless you are a trained rehabilitator you are not bringing the creature home to "rescue" or rehab it and release it later. the implications of domesticating a wild animal are definitely something to consider, it's usually a one way kind of thing as they do not learn the survival skills to survive on their own in the wild and become too comfortable around humans, so they get eaten or otherwise die when released. if I were to take in some abandoned mice, I would do it for the experience of nurturing something that small and cute and or to allow my children to learn nurturing and empathy, I would either commit to having it as a pet for the duration of it's life or find a neighborhood kid who wants to take it on as a pet. I think it's best to be realistic that when you are taking in something like a baby mouse, you are doing it for you as much as to save the life of the mouse and I hold no judgement about people who choose to do that. if you were going to try and do that on a large scale, then you would really want to make sure you are not causing more issues than solving but a once in a while kind of thing is no biggie, IMHO. have fun and wash your hands after handling anything that can be a vector for disease, particularly chickens!

 

[Conman]

Lol
that is hillarious. Still I dont know what to say im glad you got those i love ducklings.

 

[PolarBerry]

Can you find a local rehabber to take them in?

I worked in a research facility and we had actual "domesticated" deer mice that were handled daily and those suckers were WILD! They'd always try to escape and some were very strong biters once puberty sunk in. Wild deer mice could have diseases transmitted from their parents, so just because they are babies doesn't mean they can't carry something.

I'd be most concerned about Hantavirus in deer mice. The domestic ones we had were bred specifically free of hantavirus but I know of 2 people who contracted hanta from wild mice in their attics/barns and definitely NOT a fun experience. Even though they were domesticated and raised in a sterile environment for about 20 years they still got lice and mites popping up naturally.

We also had to have a tetanus vaccination just to work with them because of bites.

I have a lot of rodent experience, and they are tricky to properly bottle feed.

Good luck to you!