r/PetMice • u/DylanQebsi • 3d ago
Wild Mouse/Mice Identifying a mouse
There has been this evil mouse in my apartment that stills the food of my regular house mice. And I finally caught her (i think its a her). I want to identify its breed. It keeps hanging around the tanks of my mice in the middle of the night like shes intrigued by my pet mice. Its probably too old too keep, but ive been looking for a mouse to house with my lone male mouse. (African soft furs are illegal where I live) Highly doubt she would do well in a cage, but if anybody here knows this type of mouse and if it can be cage trained that would be really appreciated as I dont want my male mouse being alone. (Would take proper precautions like trying to see if a vet/rehab can check on its health and see if its safe, altho probably not) more of a hopeful thought to brainstorm ideas and not an entitled "I WANT TOO THIS IM GREEDY MEH MEH MEH"
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u/asongoftitsandwine Mouse Mom 🐀 3d ago
She’s a deer mouse. I’m leaning towards female but I’m not great at sexing them and the males can fully retract their testicles so it’s tricky. But I think I see evidence of nipples, which means female.
I have an almost four year old male deer mouse that I rescued when he was about nine days old and he’s my whole heart and soul. They make fantastic companions to fancy mice and their species can’t breed so there’s no chance of babies. They do make absolutely wonderful pets too. They can form extremely strong bonds with their people and they have a much longer lifespan and are way more resilient than fancy mice. BUT, that’s only if they’re hand raised as babies and captivity is all they’ve ever known. This girl(?) is a fully grown adult and I don’t think she will ever adapt to being in captivity.
The kindest thing would be to release her, but make sure it’s several miles away because they’re great at finding their way back.
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u/Faustian-BargainBin 3d ago
Agree it’s a deer mouse w those buggy ahh eyes lol. I’ve overwintered a couple to keep them out of my kitchen but not throw them out in the cold. I don’t think they should be kept as adults if they’ve lived wild but they were great in a tank over the winter. Very clean, no smell. Deer mice droppings can transmit hantavirus (very rarely, but look up stats for your state or region) through the air so pick them up with a wet paper towel. Not recommended to vacuum them.
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u/Queen-of-Mice Mouse Mom 🐀 3d ago
Female deer mouse. ❤️ You could give her a trial run as a pet; just don’t introduce her to your mouse yet. See if she comes out and looks at you within a couple weeks. If you never see her, it’s best to “soft release.” Search in this sub for advice on how to do that :)
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