[kusvuari]

Well, one of my cats had a very young mouse, s/he is very tiny. Im worried about her (I think he'll survive, but im not sure) his back leg is broken. Will it heal? - If not what should i do? I've got an old plastic fish tank i could use and make into a mouse house. (Though im a little worried about catching the Bubonic plague or something)

I'm really worried about this fellow. I havn't told my mum yet (I'm 15) because im worried she will make me kick him out of the house at night in the middle of winter, i've got him in a shoe box with water, food and hay (as bedding) and the box is covered in an old towel.

Right now he is breathing heavily, witch makes me worry that maybe his lung is punctured or something, but i dont have experiance with this. His breathing has slowed since i've caught him. . . Witch i think is good and maybe he is calimg down, but still worried about how hard he is breathing. I've got him in my room and cats are all locked out.

Anyway, if he survives but his leg doesn't heal, is it cruel of me to keep a wild animal locked up? should i let it go? Or should i keep him and try and tame him? Also are mice taught by there parents? I don't know if it knows how to find food or anything in the wild.

If any one has some advice, i could really use it :/

 

[canadiancritter]

Get it to a vet A.S.A.P cats have a bacteria or something in their saliva that will kill mice without vet treatment.

 

[APoetCalledAnya]

I am not trying to be rude or hurt anyone’s feelings, I am just trying to be realistic. I have had many heartaches from finding hurt animals outside. I have called the vets by myself when I was a kid and they will say there is nothing they can do. Plus, I didn’t have enough money for the bills anyways and my parents wouldn’t pay for a wild animal. As most parents will not. Also I’m in college for animal and veterinary science right now, so I know what I am talking about.


You are right about the mouse needing vet treatment though. However, you do not know how long the mouse has been like that and if it is already too late. Cats play with mice for a very long time before finishing. You have to keep in mind; this is a wild mouse, not a pet. Most vets will not even bothering looking at a wild mouse that was attacked by a cat. When she goes there they will tell her there is nothing they can do and she will spend a bunch of money for nothing if she has them do something, as the mouse is probably already passing. It is Friday and most vet places are closed on Saturdays, unless it is an emergency place. In that case, they would not see her because he/she is not a pet, and that they will be able to tell right away, just from looking at him/her. Plus, it will be very expensive.


I am sorry to say, but the mouse is probably not going to make it, even with vet help. The best thing you can do is make him/her as comfortable as possible. Put him/her in a safe place out of the reach of your cats, like you did. Leave him/her to rest and not be scared. A lot of vets will not see the mouse because as I said above, it is a wild mouse and they have things they consider more important to tend to. Also, with the mouse being so small, it would be hard for them to determine anything unless they were experienced with mice and rats. A lot of vets are not. At best, they would probably put the mouse to sleep.


You can catch things from wild mice, any wild animal really. Make sure you wash your hands good and have as little contact with the mouse as possible. It will be best for you and him/her.


If he/she survives the next day or so, his/her leg will have to be set so it can heal properly. Again, being so small a vet might not be able to do that. Also, is he/she survives and has a broken leg, it will most likely not heal correctly and putting the mouse back outside would not be such a good idea. He/she will easily be picked off as food. They will not be able to survive on their own.


Yes, all animals learn from their parents. However they are born with instincts and can do pretty well on their own, depending on their age. I do not know how small he/she is, but he/she might already be out on his/her own. In that case, he/she does know how to survive and find food. But since he/she is hurt, he/she should not be let back out.


It is very sad but try not to think about it too much. These things happen all the time in the wild. Just think of this. You saved him/her from suffering. You are helping him/her have some peace before he/she passes.

 

[VanillaRat]

The above poster gave some good advice.


I wouldn't keep the mouse if it healed at all.It is wild and while you most likely will NOT catch "the plague" (this was caused by the fleas on the rats),wild mice do carry other diseases that could make you sick or even your other pets (if you have any) sick.The Hantavirus & Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) are two that are caused by wild mice.


Mice do heal with broken limbs.I know this because when me and my sisters were kids,we had pet mice and in a couple of cases,the mice broke their legs and our parents at the time wouldn't dream of taking a mouse to the vet! The mice healed pretty well on their own.However the mouse you have IS not a pet and so alot of vets won't treat it.And like mentioned,you have to find a vet that actually specializes in mice and rats.

 

[Amaranth]

You should see about getting it to a wildlife rehabilitation center. I don't have any personal experience with them, but from what I've heard they can help the animal recover and then release it back into the wild. If they will take mice, it would be a good option for him.

 

[APoetCalledAnya]

The sad thing is, no one really cares about wild mice. Even though they took an oath, just like doctors, to help and first do no harm. They barely care about squirrels. If the animal is small, is not pregnant, or not exotic/endangered, places do not seem to care.


If I had a vet practice, I would care. A life is a life. Doesn’t matter what kind of animal it is or if the person can not pay.

 

[rodentopia]

is it like small and pink or does it have fur?

if it's small and pink it more than likely wont survive, but if it does, it may or MAY NOT grow to get used to you. stressing the may not as it's the most likely.
if it's got fur it's a little more likely to survive, but as anya said, noone knows how much of a beating the cats gave it. so i wouldn't get hopes up.

 

[kusvuari]

Thank you for all of your help everyone, I’m sad to say that he didn’t make it to the morning. I really thought he was going to make it though, it was dragging its back leg around between the food the water and the hay. I’ve buried the shoe box in the garden so nothing eats him and gets sick.

I would have taking it to the vet, but it was about midnight and no vets near me are open. . . That I’m aware of, despite the fact that as people have said, they probably wouldn’t treat her, and it would be hard to find out what’s wrong. I always though cat saliva was only deadly for birds.

I would say the mouse was held for half an hour at most, because I had the cat with me not to long before I saw them. I think the most damage was done when I was forcing the cat to drop the mouse, I’ve washed my hands and I never touched the mouse with my hands and I’ve thrown out the shirt in the laundry where the most was dropped.

He or she is pretty small, no where near as big as the large mice I see running around the yard sometimes.

As for the rehabilitation centre, I’m not sure if there are any near me (I live in the middle of no where, Australia) I’m glad there limbs can heal though.

Rodentopia, it’s small, but it has fur. I didn’t think it would grow attached to me, I caught a wild bird a few years back (It couldn’t fly any more) it hated me, the only time I could get near was when I was giving it apple or changing its water/seed. I eventually handed him over to a bird shelter about three hours away.

Thanks for all of your help everyone, I wish he or she had of survived, but it didn’t. Thanks again everyone. This experience has certainly tempted me to buy some mice next time in im town though, obviously will keep them away from the cats who are usually outside unless its food time.

 

[APoetCalledAnya]

You did everything you could.


Mice are nice, but having had both, I would say rats are a little nicer. Be sure that you read up on whatever pet you want to get. Make sure you know how to take care of them and what they will need.

 

[VanillaRat]

Awwww...I am sorry,but it is not suprising.
Maybe you could get some mice now,but I agree with Anya - rats are much better pets! I like mice,but rats are more affectionate and interactive! Much more fun!

 

[Amaranth]

I've gotta be the one to disagree =P Mice are nice, and rats are nice, and I have both. But if I could only keep one or the other, I'd have mice. (Shown by the fact that I have 25 mice and only 2 rats XD; ) If you liked your little rescue mice, I'd definitely recommend getting some domestic mice of your own. A trio of females is my favorite grouping. (Actually, my favorite mice have been my females that came pregnant from the pet store, but that wasn't really intentional, and most people aren't able to keep that many mice =P)

True, mice aren't as interactive as rats, but you can keep more of them (and in a much smaller space), they come in more exotic colors, and if you have to leave town for a couple days and leave them, they won't mind the lack of attention as much.

 

[ShinyZubat]

Aww, poor baby mouse...I love cats, but sometimes....
I had a similar experience when I was younger. My cat brought home a lizard! but I caught him in time, before any damage could be done.

I ended up keeping that lizard for a while after that. Named him/her Sam since it's unisex and I had no idea how to tell if it was a boy or a girl. XD