Re: Help and questions about wild mouse please!

by River Sun 03 Dec 2017, 10:00 pm

I think he has a good chance of survival. You did a good thing, and I genuinely do believe he will be fine. Don't worry too much about it. The little guy has survival instincts and enough shelter to get him by. He's more skilled than you'd think.

by Blessed Sun 03 Dec 2017, 11:28 pm

What River said x2.
@Lil_Foster, it's OK. Foster should be fine. I honestly think you did the best thing for him, setting him free away from the kitties and giving him back his freedom. He probably would've been miserable if you'd kept him, as it actually isn't nice to keep a wild mouse like that if they're in good shape/health, when they belong in the outdoors with no bars. Smile

Love,
Blessed
Hearts

by Lil_Foster Mon 04 Dec 2017, 6:40 am

Hey guys. Ty sm for the comforting thoughts. Today I'm slightly better but still so hurt over this. I found one of his sunflower seeds on the table and burst into tears. This lil guy really stole my heart fast. My fiance is effected by this too. He told me I can get a pet mouse when we get back to the states if I want. But I'm not upset about letting him go. I'm just worried for the poor baby Sad

im sure he has food. I left him with a big bag of sunflower seeds. But the cold worries me. I want to go back and check on him. Is this a bad idea?

Also the sun is out today yay. Makes me feel slightly happier and mkre hopeful. Next days will be a bit warmer too.

by Rodents rock! Mon 04 Dec 2017, 7:46 pm

Lil_Foster wrote:Hey guys. Ty sm for the comforting thoughts. Today I'm slightly better but still so hurt over this. I found one of his sunflower seeds on the table and burst into tears. This lil guy really stole my heart fast. My fiance is effected by this too. He told me I can get a pet mouse when we get back to the states if I want. But I'm not upset about letting him go. I'm just worried for the poor baby im sure he has food. I left him with a big bag of sunflower seeds. But the cold worries me. I want to go back and check on him. Is this a bad idea?

Also the sun is out today yay. Makes me feel slightly happier and mkre hopeful. Next days will be a bit warmer too.

My only thought on if you should go back to check on him or not, you may just go back to leave some nesting material for him to possibly find. Like some torn up paper towels or toilet paper (unscented) and some dried leaves. That is the only reason I might go back. Couldn't hurt. But don't be upset if you don't see him anywhere as he may have already moved on to another location.

by Blessed Tue 05 Dec 2017, 10:26 am

Lil_Foster wrote:Hey guys. Ty sm for the comforting thoughts. Today I'm slightly better but still so hurt over this. I found one of his sunflower seeds on the table and burst into tears. This lil guy really stole my heart fast. My fiance is effected by this too. He told me I can get a pet mouse when we get back to the states if I want. But I'm not upset about letting him go. I'm just worried for the poor baby im sure he has food. I left him with a big bag of sunflower seeds. But the cold worries me. I want to go back and check on him. Is this a bad idea?

Also the sun is out today yay. Makes me feel slightly happier and more hopeful. Next days will be a bit warmer too.

That's good you're feeling a bit more positive. Good vibes

I can relate to that feeling you mentioned. . =(

And maybe you should do that. I think you'd enjoy having a pet mouse. If you get a male, since everyone on here doesn't recommend two males living together, then I'll just say you should get him a female African Soft-Furred Rat (ASFR) for a friend. I'm thinking they're actually mice, but different species, so they can't breed (but I do believe ASFRs get noticeably bigger than normal domestic mice).

Checking on your little Foster is a nice idea, but as Rodents rock! said, you might not be able to find him.

Love,
Blessed

by Lil_Foster Wed 06 Dec 2017, 4:17 pm

Thank you everyone for your words and thoughts. It's always so good to read what you all have to say and your suggestions are so helpful.

I went to check on Foster today and he wasn't there. I did not get sad about it as it seems he had a good place with a lot of hiding spots and dried leaves and fallen woods.

In other news......... TONIGHT I HEARD ANOTHER MOUSE IN THE HOUSE...... what are the chances he came back? Or is it another mouse?

by Lil_Foster Wed 06 Dec 2017, 4:30 pm

I will die of happiness if my Foster is back Ear wiggle

by chiroptera Wed 06 Dec 2017, 5:11 pm

Lil_Foster wrote:Hey guys. Ty sm for the comforting thoughts. Today I'm slightly better but still so hurt over this. I found one of his sunflower seeds on the table and burst into tears. This lil guy really stole my heart fast. My fiance is effected by this too. He told me I can get a pet mouse when we get back to the states if I want. But I'm not upset about letting him go. I'm just worried for the poor baby im sure he has food. I left him with a big bag of sunflower seeds. But the cold worries me. I want to go back and check on him. Is this a bad idea?

Also the sun is out today yay. Makes me feel slightly happier and mkre hopeful. Next days will be a bit warmer too.

I would definitely suggest getting a pet mouse once you're back home if you enjoyed taking care of little Foster so much! c:

And like everyone has said, wild mice have good survival instincts, and he wouldn't have been happy caged for the rest of his life when he was used to being free-roam.

Try to remember that you did everything you could for him, and that you gave him a much better chance at survival than he'd have had if one of the other household members had set a mouse trap or poison down, for sure.

edit: if you're curious, my best guess is that Foster was a Ural field mouse (pygmy field mouse): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural_field_mouse, or a European wood mouse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_mouse

by Blessed Wed 06 Dec 2017, 6:27 pm

Lil_Foster, I'm glad to hear you're in better spirits. Heart

(Just acknowledging you mentioned you heard another mouse in the house)...Lol. But there's a chance it could be him again, but it's probably--I'm assuming, anyways--a different mouse?
But yeah, like chiroptera suggested, I agree: You should get a domesticated mouse. Tender

by Lil_Foster Thu 07 Dec 2017, 5:29 pm

So I caught the new mouse!!! I'm trying to figure out if it's Foster or not! I have my theory but what do you guys think by just looking at him? https://2img.net/h/oi65.tinypic.com/zu3zwp.jpg

by CallaLily Thu 07 Dec 2017, 8:19 pm

Is he missing part of his tail?

by Lil_Foster Thu 07 Dec 2017, 10:23 pm

Unfortunately yea. Sad

I don't know if that's a new mouse with a new injury (perhaps was in a neighbours home and just barely escaped a mouse trap?) OR if that is Foster. Foster had a tail injury as you see on the first pic I posted. I don't have a photo but before I released him, the tip of the tail, starting where the injury can be seen, thinned out and got darker. I'm not sure what this means as I've never had a pet mouse. But I tried to read online and read something about tail shedding? So Im thinking this may actually be him?

by CallaLily Thu 07 Dec 2017, 10:35 pm

I'm wondering too because I noticed how dark the end of his tail looked in those first pics. Totally could have been injured in a way that the end of his tail died and then fell off (or was chewed off). If you released him close to your home it's possible he made his way back. It's also possible it's just another mouse with a tail injury. Confused

Does the end look clean? Any signs of infection?

by Lil_Foster Thu 07 Dec 2017, 11:24 pm

Yes it looks clean. Also I released him about a 10-15 min walk away. Do you think it's far enough? Here are some pics I took a couple days ago when i went to check up on him of where I released him.
https://2img.net/h/oi68.tinypic.com/2m5h6j5.jpg
https://2img.net/h/oi65.tinypic.com/30tjq0g.jpg
https://2img.net/h/oi66.tinypic.com/2z557oi.jpg
I put him inside where the sunflower seeds are and left the door open just 1 inch. Also there's thousands of dried leaves on the back. It's a big forest with lots of trees and shrubs. Does it look he can survive winter here? If this is a new mouse, is it a good place to release him here too?

by CallaLily Fri 08 Dec 2017, 6:18 am

I think our wild mouse care sheet says to release at least a mile away, but I've read others that say at least 2-3 miles away to try to prevent them from returning.

A heavily wooded park sounds great to me. I'm sure he would do well there, if he stayed, and an ok spot if you don't mind the chance of return.

Edit to add: Here's a link to instructions for a release shelter to help them get started, if you're interested. http://mouseranch.com/FYI/releaseShelter.shtml

by Sponsored content