Posted by ginnie guevara on July 10, 2005

Q: Hi,

The other day I found a mouse in my garage. It is very small and seemed disoriented. It had no fear and just looked at me when i came up to it. We put it in a box and my grandchildren asked if they could keep it. I purchased a cage, food and bedding for the mouse. He seems quite content. My question is should I continue to keep the mouse or should I release it. Will it surviuve if I release it. I am also concerned about disease. Thanks, Ginnie Guevara, Salt Lake City, Ut.

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Utah

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: This is the $64,000 question - should I keep it? Since you found the mouse in your garage, and you've purchased a variety of products to care for it, I'd be inclined to keep you mouse. If your mouse is a House Mouse, you'll keep it from being a nuisance to you at your house and have the enjoyment of watching it grow and develop. If you can get a field guide to mammals you may find it interesting to look up exactly what kind of mouse you have - there are many kinds. Your grandchildren can help you with this too and they should enjoy the challenge of finding out exactly what kind of mouse they have.

I'd say there is a good chance your mouse will survive. It sounds as though it is old enough to be weaned and should be able to live on a variety of foods available from a pet store. By finding out exactly what kind of mouse species you have, you'll also have a better idea what foods are best for it. If it is a House Mouse, then you'll find that it can eat a wide range of different foods. If you do decide to release your mouse, it will probably survive just fine however.

As to disease, you don't need to worry. It's extremely unlikely that any of you would contract any diseases from the mouse. Always a good idea to wash hands after handling the mouse or its cage materials but that's more for cleanliness, not disease prevention.

Good luck to you and I hope you and your grandchildren are able to enjoy your new "boarder". Having a pet like this will be a great learning experience for you and the kids. Thanks for your question.

John Wiessinger ( July 11, 2005)