# Help with wild Baby mouse



## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

So went out and saw one of the cats stalking something by the food bowl... We knew we had mice, fiancee saw a larger one and thought it was one of the baby rats at first. But this one is tiny and is upstairs while the other was down stairs. We can't see anything nearby that looks like her family is up close. And she doesn't look injured. (We inspected her and washed up very well after.) We're pretty sure its a girl, full fur and eyes open. But tiny as anything. Kinda at a loss. Her family is most likely in the walls of our house and she is so small I worry about letting her go outside. And i'd rather not release her inside... Six cats are a bit of a danger. So...advice? Included pic to maybe get an age. The food is maybe 3/4th of an inch to an inch, it is walmart rat and mouse food. The cats are very amped up so they might be close, gonna try and trap more if possible...


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I think she's normal sized for a young mouse but I have no experience with mice so I could be wrong. I'd suggest keeping her in a room isolated from the cats and see if you can find the rest of her family. If you find a nest of them I suggest putting her near it and keeping the cats away until you're sure the parents come back for the babies. If they don't then try raising the babies?


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## MinorRobot (Aug 13, 2014)

If you can't reunite her with her family, there might be a wildlife refuge in your area that can rerelease her in a safe area. It's always best for them to stay with the family in the area they are familiar with- but if you run out of options it might be a good alternative. 

In the meantime, make sure she is hydrated. A little container of water or soak some of the food in water till it's nice and soggy.
I'm not very familiar with baby mice- she looks old enough to maintain her own body temp (if she's eating solid food then she should be fine), but if she feels cold put heating pad on low under half the container she is in, or put a sock full of rice heated in the microwave in there with her. 
You mentioned having baby rats so you probably are familiar with all this stuff already, but I thought I'd share just in case!


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

She is half the size of the smallest mouse I've ever seen, but being wild and never having mice I don't know if her size is normal for a just left the nest aged mouse or if she still tehnically needs mama. I don't really want to keep her, or her family, mice don't interest me as much as rats do and I'm sure a wild mouse wont make for an easy pet. But I'm keepin an eye out tonight for any more. Or signs where their home is. She is in the critter keeper with a blanket and some food atm. Will try and give her water in a little bit. I feel funny wanting to protect what is technically an invasive pest, but so far they havn't touched our food so I can't be to mad at them for living in the house.


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

She does seem to be old enough to move about on her own, she looks similar to when our rats were 3 weeks ish, so starting to be super indepedent but still feeding from mom. There is a park nearby I'd release her and any others in. Lots of natural space so she'd have a chance like anything else.


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## MinorRobot (Aug 13, 2014)

If it were me, based on how small she is I'd try and contact a rescue (but I can be overly soft-hearted when it comes to these things).
Depending on the species and the rescue they might not do much, but they may be able to help. They would know if she still needs mom and have the resources to continue to raise her until she's fully grown. And, I know at the place I volunteer, we have special animal sanctuaries where we do "soft releases". It's usually on someone's property who has set it up to be really accommodating (lots of nest boxes, water sources, etc) and they might try and keep predators away and even throw out some food for the releases. Relocations can be really tough on the animal, soft releases gives them a better chance at survival.
Every state has different regulations and each rescue operates differently, but if you're really concerned it might be worth checking out. But if not I'm sure the park will be just fine!


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

Well she is bouncing around her container. Been trying to compare her size with growth charts online but they are all pet mice. I'm thinking she might be ok to release once it's daytime though. Has been nibbling the food we gave her, and she is very active. No others have popped up yet, been looking all night and checking any unusual sounds from the cats. She still seems so small but might just be me. EDIT: added photo, she made a little pocket she goes to but otherwise she's been climbing about.


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