I caught two mice that have been running around the basement I'm living in. I've decided to cage them and take care of them, as Winter is here, and putting them outdoors would mean they would either die in the cold or invade another home.

I'm not 100% sure about doing this, but not sure what else I can do. I had 3 generations of rats (all the same bloodline) before, but I really don't have any interest in mice. Then tend to smell worse and are not as good of a companion as a rat.

Any suggestions of what else I could do with these two?

Pic:
http://www.howdymedia.com/nycfad/meese.jpg

Here is one waving at everyone:
http://www.howdymedia.com/nycfad/himouse.jpg

omg they are so cute.

But i have no advice. :(

They'll die of cold?? I had the same problem but PETA's board admin told me that these animals easily handle winter (and I told them I live in Canada) and not to worry about letting them outside. Was he/she wrong? I need to know this because winter's coming fast and I have a mouse problem and I've been trapping and releasing them.

They should be fine in the cold but they probably will just move back into your basement.
Be careful keeping them together unless you want to be overrun with mices.....

edited because i forgot to say :They're adorable!!!

Why don't you just take care of them for the winter and then release them when the weather gets warm again?

It would be best for them if you take them quite a distance from your home and let them go. Do you have any parks or anything near you? I have lived in the Buffalo NY area all my life and can assure you these guys do fine in the winter. They are designed to do so. It really is best for wild critters to be left in the wild.

It would be best for them if you take them quite a distance from your home and let them go. Do you have any parks or anything near you? I have lived in the Buffalo NY area all my life and can assure you these guys do fine in the winter. They are designed to do so. It really is best for wild critters to be left in the wild.

:up::up: The mice defenitely can take the cold. We release them out in the woods and I still see them occassionally in the winter.

Yeah, unless they are hurt and need some sort of medical treatment, the best thing you can do is find a good spot for them to be released. Wild animals just don't adjust well to captivity.

Knowing what I know about rats and mice stress is a huge problem with them. Honestly even if you keep them in ideal conditions I would be amazed if they last the winter in captivity. They'll almost certainly develop upper respiratory problems from stress, plus god knows what else. I really believe (as someone who has cared for, loved and spent thousands of dollars on rats and mice as pets) that it is in their best interest to go outside. They're designed to survive the winter outside, they're not designed to live in captivity.

Plus it looks like you've got them in an aquarium, which is a horrible place to keep any small mammal. They keep all the ammonia vapors from urine in and are almost a guarantee for respiratory problems that can and will kill the mice (or rats for that matter). You've also got them on wood shavings, which again will destroy their lungs and will eventually kill them, or any other small mammals you may have, such as rats.

I'd let them go. They'll be OK, or they'll be food for another animal. They're out of your house, living in your house is not the way for a mouse to live it's life.:love:

I agree, let them go outside.

Mice can survive subzero temps. I've seen them running and playing on top of the ice and snow.

Wild mice and rats can also harbor hantavirus which is deadly to humans - they don't even have to bite you to trnsmit this - it's airborne...

Sorry, they're cute and all, but this is one time I actually agree with PETA.

Another vote for letting them go. A couple years back we caught some mice at work and tried to keep them as an office pet. He didn't last long. :( I feel bad about it now. Yes, wild animals should be returned to the wild.

Plus it looks like you've got them in an aquarium, which is a horrible place to keep any small mammal. They keep all the ammonia vapors from urine in and are almost a guarantee for respiratory problems that can and will kill the mice (or rats for that matter). You've also got them on wood shavings, which again will destroy their lungs and will eventually kill them, or any other small mammals you may have, such as rats.

I've also spent tons on my brood when I had rats for years. I realize the problem with wood shavings and only used them as I had some left over from a long time ago and didn't have any other bedding available once I caught them.

Frankly, I'm not interested in keeping them as pets, I travel, and pets then need to be cared for when gone. I was concerned about the cold, as it gets to be around -20 F during the winters here. I've found animals in the woods that froze to death before, but perhaps they were just the unlucky ones.

I agree, let them go outside.

Mice can survive subzero temps. I've seen them running and playing on top of the ice and snow.

Wild mice and rats can also harbor hantavirus which is deadly to humans - they don't even have to bite you to trnsmit this - it's airborne...


I was wondering about this too, if there are health risks with wild mice. I've been washing my hands after having anything to do with them, but didn't suspect something airborne. I read that it can come from mouse droppings, and that about 5% of the wild mice population are infected by the Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus.

Well, with that in mind, I guess I'll be bringing them to the woods soon.

Thanks for your comments!

i really don't know what to do but they are ADORABLE

Do you have a nature center near by or someplace that resembles woods? drive there and release them.

It's all woods around here...

I agree with letting them go. I don't like animals in captivity, especially wild ones.

Agreed. Let 'em go.

Their cuteness is almost painful!

Set Them Free! :d

I saved a baby mouse from my cat a few years back and I decided to keep it because I thought if I let it go, my cat (I had six cats at the time) would just catch it again. I set up a home for it in an large aquarium with a water bottle and everything and it lived for two and half years! It was soooo cute. I like to think it wouldn't have lived that long if I had set it free, but I don't know the lifespan of mice. Anyway, that was before my vegetarian/vegan days. I don't think I would keep it if I found one now. But you should do what feels right to you.

Yeah, letting them go is the best idea. I've saved a ton of wild mice from work and I usually end up letting them all go in my backyard. I usually find a few mice and lizards in the house. It doesn't really bother me, lol. I think we have a family of mice living in a closet right now. My husband isn't crazy about them but he'll get over it. They were probably living in the house before we were.