Please Do Not be tempted to keep Wild Deer Mice as Pets - 728 cases As of January 2017, 728 cases of hantavirus disease have been reported since surveillance in the United States began in 1993. These are all laboratory-confirmed cases and include hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and non-pulmonary hantavirus infection. Though human infection is rare, I highly recommend not keeping them.
The one deer mouse I've seen here in Virginia was for sale at a Petco or PetsMart mixed in with their domestic pet mice. This was about a dozen years ago.
That deer mouse was incredibly cute, but I'll stick to my hamster, who I got from the SPCA. How far did you have to go to release the mouse so it wouldn't come back? A few years ago, I caught a shrew in my basement apartment living room. At first, I let it go in a brushy area nearby, but it came back. I'm pretty sure it was the same one; it had the same black teeth. I took it to a wooded area a couple of miles away, and didn't see it again. When we catch and release small animals, are we we endangering them? They may end up in some other animal's territory, which could lead to fights, they don't know where the food is, and it might take some time to dig a burrow for safety, which could expose them to predators. What should we do in winter, when there's a lot of snow on the ground? I caught a jumping mouse with my live trap, and let it go near a hotel/restaurant dumpster. I hope it did all right. It was the cutest mouse I'd ever seen, with a tail that went on forever. How do you disinfect your aquarium after the mouse goes to its new home?
I just found one rummaging threw the garbage at my summer cabin. I'd prefer not to use a snap trap but I just read an article about deer mice traveling pretty substantial distances to get back to their home nest. Would you suggest live trapping and releasing far away or using a snap trap?
I've caught 2 deer mice in my home and they both live very privileged lives in my care, however I do respect that they are wild caught animals and I do not handle them. I've had them about a year and they seem pretty happy
I just raised up my own baby deer mouse. My cat tore up the nest and he was the sole survivor(just a few days old). I couldn’t just let him and his siblings die out in the cold rainy yard :( Yes I know I took the risk of getting hantavirus but for me it was worth it. Cute little guy is so friendly and loves cuddles in my hand.
I have 3 house mice all rescues. One I raised from a baby, his eyes were open when I saved him though. One is old and got trapped in a ramen noodle bag after eating all the ramen inside, and one is one that kinda tamed itself. It would sit on my bar, I would feed it peanut butter at night to make it shut up cause its the loudest mouse I've ever met. It is also really young but its definitely old enough to be weaned. only kept the older one instead of releasing because I was afraid my family was going to kill it and she got too used to humans while I took care of her.
I caught deer mice in my house. The previous owner had put holes everywhere. It was the middle of winter or Id have put them outside. I still have them. They got a great clean set up, plenty of beddings and hidding spots as well as enrichments (just like regular mice, they play). I now need to make plans to release them safely in their natural habitat.
I found one shivering in the rain. It kept stumbling when it walked, so I picked it up with a towel and got a box with a hand warmer wrapped in a sock, put some toilet paper in there, and let it spend the night in our yard in a bush that I let our neighbor's dog pee in so that no predators came to eat it. the mouse was gone in the morning with no signs of the box being ripped and no tufts of fur. I hope that little guy is living a longer life now.
We rescued one of these little fellas (I should say ladies) when it crawled out from under the stove furless and starving. From what I understand the dang thing didn't have a chance (We heard it's distress cries for at least two days) I don't know how she did it, but with one of my model paint brushes and some kitten milk replacer, my girl saved the little thing. We clean the cage twice a week and always wash after handling her. I guess if she is carrying something deadly we are doomed. Two months now since her rescue, and she popcorns and pounces every time we play and visit with her. She's a deadly little part of our family now. (Sigh) So much personality in that tiney little body.
ive captured Deer mice all the time. my cat brings me live young ones, this has been going on for yrs and ive kept them as pets, they become just like a hamster, even go on the hamster wheel and have lived longer than 4 yrs in most cases in the hamster cage... i have never caught a disease because of them lol
Hi Gigi, I'm so glad that you've not had any disease exposure. You must live in a State where that's a legal practice, here in our State, the fines are stiff if caught keeping wild mice. Glad your experience has been a good one.
Gigi Dominique a lot of these mice take to captivity quickly. I have one I’ve caught during a downpour and he lives with two female fancy friends in a 40 gal BR tank. Not once has he tried to escape. He likes the food and wheels too much XD
I have one and his wild i tamed him, the problem is if you don't get him or her from a nest inside your home AFTER blocking the entrance they use to get out, this way you can be sure they aren't carrying any infections. But of course all droppings and urine are highly problematic. Generally mines was a little older to tame, if i didn't see any good signs after 2 days i would release. But you want their eyes still closed that way you are the first thing theyl see easier to tame. I should add, He allowed me after a week and a half to handle him. For the first weel i didn't let him leave the cage. He has to get uses to my hands being close first. Anyway, had him from a youngster, (eyes still open) but quite hairless. Now hes a big boy who likes being picked up. No bites have occurred and i doubt they will now. Although mice can be moody. Majority off things can be domesticated with patience.
Idk about deer mice but house mice are capable of self domestication and if a person breeds them, after so many generations they are classified as fancy mice.
@@DavidGetling thats why I was interested in rescuing a couple wild mice. Since mine are so tame im letting my male mate with the females so I will have even tamer mice.
+Mark Greer You'll want to get that mouse out of your house...and just avoid direct contact... I'm not an expert.. there is an ongoing study at Cornell... they are using this video as part of the presentation... there are a LOT of mouse kissers out there who would say it's all "bunk"... the science community disagrees.. and apparently the "potential" for infection isn't worth the risk...
+Frederick Dunn I love nature and animals and appreciate that humans evolved from rat-like animals. Its a great shame that the world is full of deadly viruses. I found that on my 40 year old house, there are holes around all the boiler heat pipes in the basement and have sealed those up. I bought one catch and release trap "tin cat" and it is useless. There needs to be better products out there for this.
+Mark Greer THE BEST mouse trap I have ever owned (and I've owned almost all of them) is the Havahart Model # 1020 Live Animal Cage Trap... get it and your problems will be solved in very short order... www.havahart.com
+Mark Greer That's great Mark... let me know how it works out for you. Nothing steps on that trigger plate without closing the trap... as I said, best I own.
If I want to keep a wild deer mouse as a pet. Should I wash them with some soap first? Because I got one had some smell since it was caught in a live trap for three days so it lived with its own droppings and urine for some time.
I can't give you advice on that, but most would include a dust bath for them over actual washing. It may not be legal to keep one as a pet, though there are many TH-camrs who do.
We use the JT Eaton Repeater live catch trap and release our captives far out along a creek. Still can't figure out how they get in, but they're awfully cute, and LOVE peanut butter. 🙂
I have pet mice and they are the sweetest things! I don't think I could ever kill one even if it was for my own health! I feel so motherly towards all mice, so it would be like killing a baby in my mind :( I am glad I live in an apartment and an area with no wild mice! Once I saw a mouse running out of a bakery in Melbourne Australia and me and my mother caught it, and the worker let us take it to a safe area. It seemed like a baby mouse :) if you were wondering, it was otherwise a very clean bakery, you could see the kitchen. But there will always be a mouse or roach in all kitchens every now and then.
They do have such a friendly and cute appearance that I can easily understand why people would want to keep and protect them. It's how laboratory mice end up as pets also. The entire reason we have pet gerbils as pets is that early lab workers became so entertained by them and connected to them that they quickly entered the pet category. Thanks for watching and taking time to share your thoughts!
@@9alore They have inherent survival instincts and they are highly territorial so it would need to find a niche to live in that isn't defended by another deer mouse tribe.
@@FrederickDunn How many deer mice are there in a tribe? When you release a single mouse by itself does it find their old tribe, join a new one, start their own, or just die cuz it's alone?
POV: I'm an exterminator for 17 years sitting in the shed drinking a Modelo on a break from cutting the grass and literally looking at this mouse trying to communicate to it through real deer mouse noises. Hahahaha
It's weird seeing how cute these guys actually are. After I found out about Hantavirus a few years back I pretty much became afraid of mice and saw them as little monsters lol
But if I give her food she will get to used to getting it and will be expecting it and I can't let her go.I want to keep her but my parents won't let me. :(
thank you for this beautiful video. I tried to save one of them but I couldn't, kitty thought it was a toy. this really helped to identify God's creature
Did you trap it and bred them in captivity? Or did you buy them? I`m thinking about trapping some in the house... How do you go about testing them for HPS, lyme disease etc... (not all mice are infected) but its good to be on the safe side. Thanks in advance.
HI Brenda! This is a wild caught Deer Mouse. I always return them to the wild, hopefully far enough away that they don't come back. They have a very high cuteness factor which is why I think a lot of people end up keeping them as pets. There are many State labs that can do testing and it is regulated State by State. Permits may be required to keep wild captured mammals. I always wear a respirator and surgical gloves when cleaning out cages/tanks that had had wild caught mice in them. I trapped one female and she actually had six babies right in the live catch trap. I wish you well, I personally don't like to keep wild caught mice, but I completely understand the desire to do so.
so we had some mice come I. our house and we put out a humane trap. the bottle one and we caught one about 3:30am we left it in the bottle all night until I could release it somewhere else around 12pm I didn't realize that the mouse had mad a little hole that I accidentally touched and was a little wet from it's urine. I got home a washed my hands. but should I be worried about getting a disease.?
Washing your hands and disposing of the bottle is good. It's the dry feces that are inhaled which is the biggest potential problem. If you didn't rub your eyes, nose or touch your mouth with contaminated hands, you're just fine. Always limit unprotected physical contact with any wild mouse species.
We're trying to raise 2 orphans. How old do they have to be until they can be released? And can they be released and survive after being raised by humans?
Mice are very clever. If you release them somewhere safe like tall grass or a wooded area they should do fine. Try to put them far away from humans though or they will end up in someone's home.
The oldest mouse ever recorded lived up to 7 years, which is like 190-210 years old for humans, since mouse diets are very healthy consisting of vegetables and fruits, he lived for a really long time.
Honestly raising wild mice would be much better and a lot less heartache because they live so much longer than your typical domesticated "fancy" mouse.
It's true, that a wild specimen of Deer mouse may average under two years, while the same specimen kept under lab or pet conditions can go for 8 years. I leave everyone to their own decisions on that one ==
And that's often the problem. Even though the risk is low, people should avoid treating them as pets. Hantavirus infection from deer mice is relatively uncommon. The deer mouse is the primary host of the Sin Nombre virus (SNV), which causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a severe respiratory illness. However, only a small percentage of deer mice are infected with SNV, and the risk of transmission to humans is low. Here are some statistics on the prevalence of hantavirus infection in deer mice: In the United States, the average infection rate of SNV in deer mice is estimated to be 1-5%. In some areas of the southwestern United States, the infection rate can be as high as 10-20%. However, in other areas, such as the northeastern United States, the infection rate is very low or nonexistent. The risk of hantavirus infection from deer mice is also influenced by environmental factors, such as the density of deer mice populations and the presence of rodent urine, droppings, and nesting materials. People who live in or visit rural areas with high deer mouse populations are at increased risk of exposure to hantavirus. Here are some tips to reduce your risk of hantavirus infection from deer mice: Avoid contact with rodent urine, droppings, and nesting materials. Wear gloves and a mask when cleaning up rodent infestations. Ventilate enclosed spaces where rodents may be present. Store food in rodent-proof containers. Keep your home clean and free of clutter.
There are more than likely far more than one. They can get in through anything the size of a pencil width and can contort to make themselves fit through anything that you would think would be impossible.
Cool video with some facts when I was expecting way more information about what to do with a lone orphaned or injured deer mouse. I’m sure it happens all the time and people are discouraged by lack of info about it and give up. I’ve had a mouse I helped in rain storm for two days And im set on finding the best solutions for its chance at survival
I sure do agree with you! They are also amazingly capable and alert... big eyes are always appealing to would-be pet owners... I think they enjoy being wild though....
It is not the mouse's fault that it has become the vector of some nasty virus. It is just bad luck. Do not mistake a carrier of a disease for something that intentionally wants to spread it. When we get sick with the Flu we generally do not want to spread it or have malicious intent but we do spread it easily.
Kill them if you need to, but please don't use the poisons as most are not immediate and the mice end up being eaten by some predator up the food chain. Better to just kill them clean and quick.
All my deer mice are born in captivity and they love it. my very first baby mouse raised was taken outside 500 feet form my house and released... Se was back in my room the next day, there is no getting rid of her.
I plan to catch the ones that are in my room in a boarding house cause they don't belong in a house if they stayed in the wild I'd be quite happy I didn't mean no offense but I will release them in the wild after I've caught them
let's put things in perspective, deaths from Hanta in the US average a bit over 25 a year. Deaths from lightning strikes - 50 a year. I'll think I'll hold onto my wild pet mouse, rescued in very extraordinary circumstances, since I have twice the chance of being struck by lightning. Actually, since I live east of the Mississippi, I have no chance of contracting Hanta. I as well recommend never keeping a wild animal as a pet - save for extraordinary circumstances. Use common sense as to what they are, and use common sense to avoid other problems such as flea born illnesses.
If I told people it's ok to keep deer mice as pets, then the one of nine cases in my State "could" come back to bite me. I know it's a long shot that anyone may get sick, but I have to responsibly simply share that there is a risk. I think Shawn Woods has a bunch of them as pets. The stats are easy to look up and what you say is very true. It just can't come from me :)
@@FrederickDunn Ah bon vous trouvez que vous l'avez bien traité ?Et en plus vous vous posez la question de savoir pourquoi vous devriez avoir honte? Je ne sais plus quoi dire face à des gens comme vous,je me sens démunie et je suis écoeurée. Je vais cependant me donner la peine de vous répondre. Vous avez déjà enquiquiné cette pauvre bête en la mettant dans un récipient. Vous auriez dû la relâcher tout de suite ou ne pas la prendre déjà. Ensuite si vous ne pouviez pas la relâcher, vous auriez dû lui mettre 1 cabane(une simple boite à oeufs ) pour qu'elle puisse se cacher. Un animal n'est pas 1 poupée qu'on veut filmer ou jouer avec.On voit au début de la vidéo combien elle a peur.Moi j'aimerais vous voir embarquer par des inconnus et enfermer dans une cave avec tout le respect pour votre petite personne et sans vous faire de mal pour observer votre comportement. On verrait si vous seriez heureux de cette situation. Apprenez à vous mettre à la place des victimes monsieur.
@@marine6840 Elle n'a pas du tout peur et revient sans cesse au même piège après chaque sortie. Elle a parcouru de longues distances pour revenir, chercher de la nourriture et être libérée. Alors, je ne suis pas du tout d'accord avec toi.
If it is a deer mouse you will want to be pretty careful as wherever there is one mouse there are usually others and these little guys can carry hantavirus which can be deadly. Refer to the Centers for Disease Control for info as to how to clean up after these guys and prevent them from coming back: www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/pdf/hps_brochure.pdf Here is an article that tells you which filter masks to wear to avoid inhalation of the virus (the last big section contains the info): www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
I have only seen deer mice in construction sites, and I worry for the construction workers as well myself living in their dust. Hantavirus is no joke. You should not be feeling sorry for this animal. Who is more important to you: a mouse, or your grandparent with pulmonary edema who already depends on an oxygen tube? These mice are not like house mice. These mice can kill.
+Kaiser Frost You are so right Kaiser.. and the interesting thing about this species in my area is, I more frequently trap this species IN the house and "house mice" are more frequently found in the chicken coops and out buildings.. backwards. I have, as you can see by the comments, a big problem convincing people to avoid them. Thanks for your comment!
Frederick Dunn That is exactly why the moment I see a mouse dropping, I am setting traps for identification. Live traps work better than glue traps and snap traps. Poison is useless as the mice eat it and crawl away to hide and die and you never see them. I also don't like poison because it can affect non-target animals. According to some, glue-traps seem to catch everything but mice, which seem to be to smart for them. I've tried them and they didn't catch anything but dust. My garage mice just flipped them over, bait ignored. Snap traps work but baited live traps work best. Mice haven't figured those out yet. Since most people let the mice go, there is no biological imperative for the mice to fear live traps yet. That is my hypothesis. Once you determine what kind of mice you have you can decide if it's a regular mouse problem, or whether you need to go scorched earth and get guys with hazmat suits to clean your garage and attic because of hantavirus.
Glad someone on here is sane I'm in a boarding house and wonder how the hell they came here as your right I've only heard of them being in abandoned houses and construction sites but so far I've trapped four of them and would welcome tips on how to protect myself from there dust and droppings I have COPD
I'm in Canada I found a deer mouse that's dying cuz there's something right below his or hers butt hole and I don know what it is maybe it's giving birth and the baby died or its insides are coming idk I don't think it will live any longer
we have one of them live traps to its called the cat he brought me a one last week alive mind you shes still with me right now do you know if yours is a he or a she
hermionejane2004 You would have to check into local regulations first... that includes moles, voles and meadow mice, some parts of the U.S. restrict owning wild animals as pets.
Yep... they are super cute... I think that's how they get away with everything! It's also why, I think many of them end up as pets. Something the health department would like people to avoid doing, as well as the wildlife services.
Honestly, you sound as if you just have a 'hate on' for deer mice. Seriously, every positive comment someone makes is closely followed by a rather dire 'warning' from you. Not all of them have it (and, certainly not even as many as you're making out do either), and, most people aren't going to keep them as pets. And, what makes you sound even more foolish, is your continued use of the phrase 'that's how they get away with it'. What the hell are you talking about? Think they have wee make up tables that they're using for the 'cuteness factor'? Ridiculous. Yes the virus exists. I've been a Paramedic for 11 years and have yet to come across ONE patient suffering from it.
I think people don't realize that humans are the #1 carriers of deadly disease and most are not as clean as this mouse. We don't lock ourselves indoors now and never touch other humans, do we? And in Ohio, we had 0 occurrences of hantavirus you are probably more likely to die from a car crash that catch it. Yet people still freak out when they see mice...
It's not at all about hate, but the need to keep them out of our structures and from doing physical damage as well as spreading potential disease and pathogens wherever they walk. A walking mouse is a pooping mouse...
I got really fed up a few weeks back from the constant annoying asf chewing noises and occasional mousey darting across the floor and bought 2 Catchmaster multicatch. 2 weeks back I caught 3. I plan on catching more as unfortunately there is more and I have a mini heart attack when I see it (and anything else dart across my basement floor) but I have the 3 I caught in a cage specifically for mice. They are so fun to watch and so cute! ☺️ They get along so well I believe I have one male and 2 females. They are an amazingly clean animal but I wash my hands whenever I deal with feeding them or even touch their cage in general. I want to make it clear *I DO NOT pick them up whatsoever* unless transferring them to another cage and if I do I wear GLOVES!
Please Do Not be tempted to keep Wild Deer Mice as Pets - 728 cases
As of January 2017, 728 cases of hantavirus disease have been reported since surveillance in the United States began in 1993. These are all laboratory-confirmed cases and include hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and non-pulmonary hantavirus infection. Though human infection is rare, I highly recommend not keeping them.
The one deer mouse I've seen here in Virginia was for sale at a Petco or PetsMart mixed in with their domestic pet mice. This was about a dozen years ago.
very interesssting..... that store would not pass inspection ==
That deer mouse was incredibly cute, but I'll stick to my hamster, who I got from the SPCA. How far did you have to go to release the mouse so it wouldn't come back? A few years ago, I caught a shrew in my basement apartment living room. At first, I let it go in a brushy area nearby, but it came back. I'm pretty sure it was the same one; it had the same black teeth. I took it to a wooded area a couple of miles away, and didn't see it again.
When we catch and release small animals, are we we endangering them? They may end up in some other animal's territory, which could lead to fights, they don't know where the food is, and it might take some time to dig a burrow for safety, which could expose them to predators. What should we do in winter, when there's a lot of snow on the ground? I caught a jumping mouse with my live trap, and let it go near a hotel/restaurant dumpster. I hope it did all right. It was the cutest mouse I'd ever seen, with a tail that went on forever.
How do you disinfect your aquarium after the mouse goes to its new home?
I just found one rummaging threw the garbage at my summer cabin. I'd prefer not to use a snap trap but I just read an article about deer mice traveling pretty substantial distances to get back to their home nest. Would you suggest live trapping and releasing far away or using a snap trap?
Less than 1000 cases in over 20 years wow how dangerous
I've caught 2 deer mice in my home and they both live very privileged lives in my care, however I do respect that they are wild caught animals and I do not handle them. I've had them about a year and they seem pretty happy
I just raised up my own baby deer mouse. My cat tore up the nest and he was the sole survivor(just a few days old). I couldn’t just let him and his siblings die out in the cold rainy yard :( Yes I know I took the risk of getting hantavirus but for me it was worth it. Cute little guy is so friendly and loves cuddles in my hand.
I have 3 house mice all rescues. One I raised from a baby, his eyes were open when I saved him though. One is old and got trapped in a ramen noodle bag after eating all the ramen inside, and one is one that kinda tamed itself. It would sit on my bar, I would feed it peanut butter at night to make it shut up cause its the loudest mouse I've ever met. It is also really young but its definitely old enough to be weaned. only kept the older one instead of releasing because I was afraid my family was going to kill it and she got too used to humans while I took care of her.
I prefer mine dead!!!!
I caught deer mice in my house. The previous owner had put holes everywhere. It was the middle of winter or Id have put them outside. I still have them. They got a great clean set up, plenty of beddings and hidding spots as well as enrichments (just like regular mice, they play). I now need to make plans to release them safely in their natural habitat.
I found one shivering in the rain. It kept stumbling when it walked, so I picked it up with a towel and got a box with a hand warmer wrapped in a sock, put some toilet paper in there, and let it spend the night in our yard in a bush that I let our neighbor's dog pee in so that no predators came to eat it. the mouse was gone in the morning with no signs of the box being ripped and no tufts of fur. I hope that little guy is living a longer life now.
probably not. that was pointless to try and save one of a bajillion mice lol what an idiot
@@penguiin12 shut up its an animal and it was hurt. I might as well make it better if I have nothing else to do
i love deer mice. they are so cute
easy to understand
They can carry dangerous diseases and can be very destructive….
Very cute little wild mice.
We rescued one of these little fellas (I should say ladies) when it crawled out from under the stove furless and starving. From what I understand the dang thing didn't have a chance (We heard it's distress cries for at least two days) I don't know how she did it, but with one of my model paint brushes and some kitten milk replacer, my girl saved the little thing. We clean the cage twice a week and always wash after handling her. I guess if she is carrying something deadly we are doomed. Two months now since her rescue, and she popcorns and pounces every time we play and visit with her. She's a deadly little part of our family now. (Sigh) So much personality in that tiney little body.
I'd go by the Centers for Disease Control protocol for safety's sake: www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/hps/index.html
These little things are just so adorable I swear. And the personalities they have are quite remarkable! How’s she doing?
Assuming dead by now lol. How many years did it live?
@@robloyst4514 they can live about 8 years or so as a pet.
ive captured Deer mice all the time. my cat brings me live young ones, this has been going on for yrs and ive kept them as pets, they become just like a hamster, even go on the hamster wheel and have lived longer than 4 yrs in most cases in the hamster cage... i have never caught a disease because of them lol
Hi Gigi, I'm so glad that you've not had any disease exposure. You must live in a State where that's a legal practice, here in our State, the fines are stiff if caught keeping wild mice. Glad your experience has been a good one.
Gigi Dominique a lot of these mice take to captivity quickly. I have one I’ve caught during a downpour and he lives with two female fancy friends in a 40 gal BR tank. Not once has he tried to escape. He likes the food and wheels too much XD
@@FrederickDunn Are their droppings not dangerous?
@@TheTCOLL They absolutely can be! Respiratory protection is always required.
@@FrederickDunn Just not in all the cases? I may have them in my drop ceiling and they have droppings up there.
Wish someone would domesticate them for pets...
They are much better looking than fancy mice.
I have one and his wild i tamed him, the problem is if you don't get him or her from a nest inside your home AFTER blocking the entrance they use to get out, this way you can be sure they aren't carrying any infections. But of course all droppings and urine are highly problematic. Generally mines was a little older to tame, if i didn't see any good signs after 2 days i would release. But you want their eyes still closed that way you are the first thing theyl see easier to tame.
I should add, He allowed me after a week and a half to handle him. For the first weel i didn't let him leave the cage. He has to get uses to my hands being close first. Anyway, had him from a youngster, (eyes still open) but quite hairless. Now hes a big boy who likes being picked up. No bites have occurred and i doubt they will now. Although mice can be moody.
Majority off things can be domesticated with patience.
Gematria Insider* brilliant. I too domesticated mine. We kept the children just struggling to bond with them. Released the paren back into the wild
As they live a lot longer domesticating them seems a good idea for their owners, but I guess the pet shops would have as much turn around.😊
Idk about deer mice but house mice are capable of self domestication and if a person breeds them, after so many generations they are classified as fancy mice.
@@DavidGetling thats why I was interested in rescuing a couple wild mice. Since mine are so tame im letting my male mate with the females so I will have even tamer mice.
There is a deer mouse in my house that is leaving a trail of poop. How worried should I be of contracting hantavirus and dying?
+Mark Greer You'll want to get that mouse out of your house...and just avoid direct contact... I'm not an expert.. there is an ongoing study at Cornell... they are using this video as part of the presentation... there are a LOT of mouse kissers out there who would say it's all "bunk"... the science community disagrees.. and apparently the "potential" for infection isn't worth the risk...
+Frederick Dunn I love nature and animals and appreciate that humans evolved from rat-like animals. Its a great shame that the world is full of deadly viruses. I found that on my 40 year old house, there are holes around all the boiler heat pipes in the basement and have sealed those up. I bought one catch and release trap "tin cat" and it is useless. There needs to be better products out there for this.
+Mark Greer THE BEST mouse trap I have ever owned (and I've owned almost all of them) is the Havahart Model # 1020 Live Animal Cage Trap... get it and your problems will be solved in very short order... www.havahart.com
Frederick Dunn
Thanks, just ordered one off Amazon.
+Mark Greer That's great Mark... let me know how it works out for you. Nothing steps on that trigger plate without closing the trap... as I said, best I own.
If I want to keep a wild deer mouse as a pet. Should I wash them with some soap first? Because I got one had some smell since it was caught in a live trap for three days so it lived with its own droppings and urine for some time.
I can't give you advice on that, but most would include a dust bath for them over actual washing. It may not be legal to keep one as a pet, though there are many TH-camrs who do.
We use the JT Eaton Repeater live catch trap and release our captives far out along a creek. Still can't figure out how they get in, but they're awfully cute, and LOVE peanut butter. 🙂
OMG its so adorable!!!
Disposition: Smug.
I love your sense of humor here! Why not have fun in your experiences with these little guys?
I have pet mice and they are the sweetest things! I don't think I could ever kill one even if it was for my own health! I feel so motherly towards all mice, so it would be like killing a baby in my mind :(
I am glad I live in an apartment and an area with no wild mice! Once I saw a mouse running out of a bakery in Melbourne Australia and me and my mother caught it, and the worker let us take it to a safe area. It seemed like a baby mouse :) if you were wondering, it was otherwise a very clean bakery, you could see the kitchen. But there will always be a mouse or roach in all kitchens every now and then.
They do have such a friendly and cute appearance that I can easily understand why people would want to keep and protect them. It's how laboratory mice end up as pets also. The entire reason we have pet gerbils as pets is that early lab workers became so entertained by them and connected to them that they quickly entered the pet category. Thanks for watching and taking time to share your thoughts!
Frederick Dunn thanks! I appreciate mice for their contribution to medicine :)
+Frederick Dunn
Yes! I was hand feeding a rescued baby, and I was really surprised at how attached I got.
do the whole village ! burn the whole thing down. kill every single one as they try to flee
@@ktiffy9213 Mice bond with their humans as well
His one cute little guy... What did you do with him?
When the snow thaws next week, he will be released near a creek in the woods... that's the best I can do...
@@FrederickDunn sorry for being late but do they need survival skills for that?
@@9alore They have inherent survival instincts and they are highly territorial so it would need to find a niche to live in that isn't defended by another deer mouse tribe.
@@FrederickDunn How many deer mice are there in a tribe? When you release a single mouse by itself does it find their old tribe, join a new one, start their own, or just die cuz it's alone?
I have three born in captivity.emma, tiny and tabatha.my baby girls.wonderous pets.full of love.
Man, what are those eyes for?
Well, seeing, OBVIOUSLY. But their so relatively large compared to other mice.
POV:
I'm an exterminator for 17 years sitting in the shed drinking a Modelo on a break from cutting the grass and literally looking at this mouse trying to communicate to it through real deer mouse noises. Hahahaha
I just love these little guys they are sooo stinking adorable ♥️♥️♥️♥️🥰🥰🥰🥰
It's weird seeing how cute these guys actually are. After I found out about Hantavirus a few years back I pretty much became afraid of mice and saw them as little monsters lol
Do you live in Arizona or one of the Hot Spot Hanta virus States?
Nothing to fear, just be very careful around their droppings and dust/debris.
@@FrederickDunn I have one caught here in a mouse trap 🤦🏽♂️ just read about this virus and now I’m scared to go throw it out lmao
@@chrisalva915 they are disgusting horrible disease ridden pests.
Eh, id be more worried about shrew bites. Those bitches pack venom!
A one way ticket to swollen hand city!
It's both creepy and cute at the same time.
I found a mouse with a broken leg I am taking care of her should I release her when she is healed
+Arianna Tarallo Yes....
But if I give her food she will get to used to getting it and will be expecting it and I can't let her go.I want to keep her but my parents won't let me. :(
The mouse will not lose it's natural instincts no matter what you feed it... when the leg functions, turn it lose asap...
+Freds Fine Product Reviews I forgot to mention she is very young and just started eating regular food.
set her free asap... :)
thank you for this beautiful video.
I tried to save one of them but I couldn't, kitty thought it was a toy. this really helped to identify God's creature
Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! We have lots of them around here :)
This isnt any "gods" creature 🤦♀️
Did you trap it and bred them in captivity? Or did you buy them? I`m thinking about trapping some in the house... How do you go about testing them for HPS, lyme disease etc... (not all mice are infected) but its good to be on the safe side. Thanks in advance.
HI Brenda! This is a wild caught Deer Mouse. I always return them to the wild, hopefully far enough away that they don't come back. They have a very high cuteness factor which is why I think a lot of people end up keeping them as pets. There are many State labs that can do testing and it is regulated State by State. Permits may be required to keep wild captured mammals. I always wear a respirator and surgical gloves when cleaning out cages/tanks that had had wild caught mice in them. I trapped one female and she actually had six babies right in the live catch trap. I wish you well, I personally don't like to keep wild caught mice, but I completely understand the desire to do so.
@@FrederickDunn I must be odd as I feel that they are ugly
Uiiiii!!!! 😍 ❤️❤️❤️❤️How adorable, sweet, cute she is!!!!! Smack smack!!! 💋💋💋
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking time to comment!
so we had some mice come I. our house and we put out a humane trap. the bottle one and we caught one about 3:30am we left it in the bottle all night until I could release it somewhere else around 12pm I didn't realize that the mouse had mad a little hole that I accidentally touched and was a little wet from it's urine. I got home a washed my hands. but should I be worried about getting a disease.?
Washing your hands and disposing of the bottle is good. It's the dry feces that are inhaled which is the biggest potential problem. If you didn't rub your eyes, nose or touch your mouth with contaminated hands, you're just fine. Always limit unprotected physical contact with any wild mouse species.
We're trying to raise 2 orphans. How old do they have to be until they can be released? And can they be released and survive after being raised by humans?
Kayla Komas If they are drinking and eating solid food (insects and so on) they are ready to go anytime....
Mice are very clever. If you release them somewhere safe like tall grass or a wooded area they should do fine. Try to put them far away from humans though or they will end up in someone's home.
1:13 You say they can live 8 years yet the oldest mouse ever recorded was 4 when they died.
House mouse, different species.
In captivity, deer mice can live as long as eight years. However, in the wild, life expectancy is much shorter, usually less than a year.
The oldest mouse ever recorded lived up to 7 years, which is like 190-210 years old for humans, since mouse diets are very healthy consisting of vegetables and fruits, he lived for a really long time.
Just caught one in a live trap. Will release her later in a forest many miles from my home.
sooooo cute
HES SO CUTE!!!
That's exactly why they get away with everything they do....
Honestly raising wild mice would be much better and a lot less heartache because they live so much longer than your typical domesticated "fancy" mouse.
It's true, that a wild specimen of Deer mouse may average under two years, while the same specimen kept under lab or pet conditions can go for 8 years. I leave everyone to their own decisions on that one ==
I want to pet it, it's just too cute! ;-;
And that's often the problem. Even though the risk is low, people should avoid treating them as pets. Hantavirus infection from deer mice is relatively uncommon. The deer mouse is the primary host of the Sin Nombre virus (SNV), which causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a severe respiratory illness. However, only a small percentage of deer mice are infected with SNV, and the risk of transmission to humans is low.
Here are some statistics on the prevalence of hantavirus infection in deer mice:
In the United States, the average infection rate of SNV in deer mice is estimated to be 1-5%.
In some areas of the southwestern United States, the infection rate can be as high as 10-20%.
However, in other areas, such as the northeastern United States, the infection rate is very low or nonexistent.
The risk of hantavirus infection from deer mice is also influenced by environmental factors, such as the density of deer mice populations and the presence of rodent urine, droppings, and nesting materials. People who live in or visit rural areas with high deer mouse populations are at increased risk of exposure to hantavirus.
Here are some tips to reduce your risk of hantavirus infection from deer mice:
Avoid contact with rodent urine, droppings, and nesting materials.
Wear gloves and a mask when cleaning up rodent infestations.
Ventilate enclosed spaces where rodents may be present.
Store food in rodent-proof containers.
Keep your home clean and free of clutter.
Deer mice are soo fricken cute
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
I'm 😭 😭😭
Ikr they are so cute I killed one today
@@capseamonkey6609 F
One of these decided to stow away in my car. I have no idea how he got inside.
There are more than likely far more than one. They can get in through anything the size of a pencil width and can contort to make themselves fit through anything that you would think would be impossible.
It so cute
Cool video with some facts when I was expecting way more information about what to do with a lone orphaned or injured deer mouse.
I’m sure it happens all the time and people are discouraged by lack of info about it and give up.
I’ve had a mouse I helped in rain storm for two days
And im set on finding the best solutions for its chance at survival
You can always contact wildlife rescue for information, but prepared for them to invite you to bring the mice as food for a rehabilitating raptor.
I caught one tonight in the store at work. I've had them as short-term pets as a child as well. Never had any problems. Never kept long-term.
Crazy Google says that 12% of them carry it. So I've been playing Russian roulette all my life and never realized it I guess. Sounds like everything
I always go with better safe than sorry. :) Some people do successfully keep them as pets.
deer mice are so much cuter then pet fancy mice. to bad they cant never be domesticated to be pets. I just love the eyes.
I sure do agree with you! They are also amazingly capable and alert... big eyes are always appealing to would-be pet owners... I think they enjoy being wild though....
+Frederick Dunn I hate deer mice, they are ugly. and evil. I like house mice much much better, they're cuter and dont carry that nasty hantavirus.
It is not the mouse's fault that it has become the vector of some nasty virus. It is just bad luck. Do not mistake a carrier of a disease for something that intentionally wants to spread it. When we get sick with the Flu we generally do not want to spread it or have malicious intent but we do spread it easily.
My cat loved the video. 🙂
I'm so glad!
I will have to show it to my cat.
Not sure if they are creepy or cute or both
Es un hermoso roedor.
Sí, estoy de acuerdo contigo y así es como conquistan a la gente.
in Iowa...we call them field mice
There are also meadow mice, and meadow voles, they are a different species. But I'm sure there are local names for many animals.
I think it was kind of cute.
They have a high "cuteness" factor, that's why many people make the mistake of keeping them as pets in spite of the health risks.
This deer mouse looks more like a wood mouse. Why is this one more orange then super dark brown? Also this mouse doesn’t have a dark tail.
It's a deer mouse for sure... thanks for taking the time to share your observations :)
I’ve caught couple deer mice. They tend to have very dark tops, white bellies and dark brown tails.
The juveniles are the cutest animals imo. They look different with smaller eyes and ears.
and they are gray. ==
🎶...Ben, the two of us...🎵 WTH. I say: DCON and peanut butter. Nothing cute about em.
Kill them if you need to, but please don't use the poisons as most are not immediate and the mice end up being eaten by some predator up the food chain. Better to just kill them clean and quick.
I’ve got a baby deer mouse that my dad found in his lawn mower
In the grass catcher? What did you end up doing with it?
cool
+Living With The Guzman's Thanks... glad you think so!
Keep them in the wild. How would you like to live free then stuck in a cage all your life. You would go crazy I bet.
All my deer mice are born in captivity and they love it. my very first baby mouse raised was taken outside 500 feet form my house and released... Se was back in my room the next day, there is no getting rid of her.
I plan to catch the ones that are in my room in a boarding house cause they don't belong in a house if they stayed in the wild I'd be quite happy I didn't mean no offense but I will release them in the wild after I've caught them
Cute mouse.
true
let's put things in perspective, deaths from Hanta in the US average a bit over 25 a year. Deaths from lightning strikes - 50 a year. I'll think I'll hold onto my wild pet mouse, rescued in very extraordinary circumstances, since I have twice the chance of being struck by lightning. Actually, since I live east of the Mississippi, I have no chance of contracting Hanta. I as well recommend never keeping a wild animal as a pet - save for extraordinary circumstances. Use common sense as to what they are, and use common sense to avoid other problems such as flea born illnesses.
If I told people it's ok to keep deer mice as pets, then the one of nine cases in my State "could" come back to bite me. I know it's a long shot that anyone may get sick, but I have to responsibly simply share that there is a risk. I think Shawn Woods has a bunch of them as pets. The stats are easy to look up and what you say is very true. It just can't come from me :)
Pauvre bête,elle a très peur et n'a rien pour se cacher. Honte à vous
Cette souris a été traitée avec respect et appréciation. Alors pourquoi est-ce que j'ai honte ?
@@FrederickDunn
Ah bon vous trouvez que vous l'avez bien traité ?Et en plus vous vous posez la question de savoir pourquoi vous devriez avoir honte?
Je ne sais plus quoi dire face à des gens comme vous,je me sens démunie et je suis écoeurée.
Je vais cependant me donner la peine de vous répondre. Vous avez déjà enquiquiné cette pauvre bête en la mettant dans un récipient. Vous auriez dû la relâcher tout de suite ou ne pas la prendre déjà. Ensuite si vous ne pouviez pas la relâcher, vous auriez dû lui mettre 1 cabane(une simple boite à oeufs ) pour qu'elle puisse se cacher.
Un animal n'est pas 1 poupée qu'on veut filmer ou jouer avec.On voit au début de la vidéo combien elle a peur.Moi j'aimerais vous voir embarquer par des inconnus et enfermer dans une cave avec tout le respect pour votre petite personne et sans vous faire de mal pour observer votre comportement. On verrait si vous seriez heureux de cette situation. Apprenez à vous mettre à la place des victimes monsieur.
@@marine6840 Elle n'a pas du tout peur et revient sans cesse au même piège après chaque sortie. Elle a parcouru de longues distances pour revenir, chercher de la nourriture et être libérée. Alors, je ne suis pas du tout d'accord avec toi.
There's one in are basement that's dead right now
==
If it is a deer mouse you will want to be pretty careful as wherever there is one mouse there are usually others and these little guys can carry hantavirus which can be deadly. Refer to the Centers for Disease Control for info as to how to clean up after these guys and prevent them from coming back: www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/pdf/hps_brochure.pdf
Here is an article that tells you which filter masks to wear to avoid inhalation of the virus (the last big section contains the info): www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome
Thanks for sharing Nathan Cook!
RIP
I have only seen deer mice in construction sites, and I worry for the construction workers as well myself living in their dust. Hantavirus is no joke. You should not be feeling sorry for this animal. Who is more important to you: a mouse, or your grandparent with pulmonary edema who already depends on an oxygen tube? These mice are not like house mice. These mice can kill.
+Kaiser Frost You are so right Kaiser.. and the interesting thing about this species in my area is, I more frequently trap this species IN the house and "house mice" are more frequently found in the chicken coops and out buildings.. backwards. I have, as you can see by the comments, a big problem convincing people to avoid them. Thanks for your comment!
Frederick Dunn That is exactly why the moment I see a mouse dropping, I am setting traps for identification. Live traps work better than glue traps and snap traps. Poison is useless as the mice eat it and crawl away to hide and die and you never see them. I also don't like poison because it can affect non-target animals. According to some, glue-traps seem to catch everything but mice, which seem to be to smart for them. I've tried them and they didn't catch anything but dust. My garage mice just flipped them over, bait ignored. Snap traps work but baited live traps work best. Mice haven't figured those out yet. Since most people let the mice go, there is no biological imperative for the mice to fear live traps yet. That is my hypothesis.
Once you determine what kind of mice you have you can decide if it's a regular mouse problem, or whether you need to go scorched earth and get guys with hazmat suits to clean your garage and attic because of hantavirus.
Glad someone on here is sane I'm in a boarding house and wonder how the hell they came here as your right I've only heard of them being in abandoned houses and construction sites but so far I've trapped four of them and would welcome tips on how to protect myself from there dust and droppings I have COPD
@@KFrost-fx7dt I wish my landlord would get an exterminator in here but she won't and we deal with bats and bedbugs as well
@@ruthgosselin8788 ew! Those are very serious and you have a legal case if the landlord won't respond in a reasonable manner.
I'm in Canada I found a deer mouse that's dying cuz there's something right below his or hers butt hole and I don know what it is maybe it's giving birth and the baby died or its insides are coming idk I don't think it will live any longer
Put it out of its misery next time
I hope you figured that out.
we have one of them live traps to its called the cat he brought me a one last week alive mind you shes still with me right now do you know if yours is a he or a she
this one is a female...
Cool can they be tamed
hermionejane2004 You would have to check into local regulations first... that includes moles, voles and meadow mice, some parts of the U.S. restrict owning wild animals as pets.
I realeesed her
So, you all trap and release? I feel like a murderer. I use snap traps, have 2 cats and still they keep coming. A 110 year old house in the city
I am not against snapping them and composting the remains. Home and family first.... ==
Just caught one of these in a trap a couple days ago, thing was so cute I hated to see it die =(
Yep... they are super cute... I think that's how they get away with everything! It's also why, I think many of them end up as pets. Something the health department would like people to avoid doing, as well as the wildlife services.
Honestly, you sound as if you just have a 'hate on' for deer mice. Seriously, every positive comment someone makes is closely followed by a rather dire 'warning' from you. Not all of them have it (and, certainly not even as many as you're making out do either), and, most people aren't going to keep them as pets. And, what makes you sound even more foolish, is your continued use of the phrase 'that's how they get away with it'. What the hell are you talking about? Think they have wee make up tables that they're using for the 'cuteness factor'? Ridiculous.
Yes the virus exists. I've been a Paramedic for 11 years and have yet to come across ONE patient suffering from it.
I think people don't realize that humans are the #1 carriers of deadly disease and most are not as clean as this mouse. We don't lock ourselves indoors now and never touch other humans, do we? And in Ohio, we had 0 occurrences of hantavirus you are probably more likely to die from a car crash that catch it. Yet people still freak out when they see mice...
I do not know why We hate mice ALOT same for roaches.They don’t physically hurt you unless you agitate mice
They can physically hurt you because the carry disease. Both are filthy in that sense.
Rachelynn 307 Imknow But they don’t like mean to spread it.
@@baseafterbase1048 I know, they don't. They can hang out outside of my house all they want😍
Rachelynn 307 Good to know
It's not at all about hate, but the need to keep them out of our structures and from doing physical damage as well as spreading potential disease and pathogens wherever they walk. A walking mouse is a pooping mouse...
I got really fed up a few weeks back from the constant annoying asf chewing noises and occasional mousey darting across the floor and bought 2 Catchmaster multicatch.
2 weeks back I caught 3. I plan on catching more as unfortunately there is more and I have a mini heart attack when I see it (and anything else dart across my basement floor) but I have the 3 I caught in a cage specifically for mice.
They are so fun to watch and so cute! ☺️ They get along so well I believe I have one male and 2 females. They are an amazingly clean animal but I wash my hands whenever I deal with feeding them or even touch their cage in general. I want to make it clear *I DO NOT pick them up whatsoever* unless transferring them to another cage and if I do I wear GLOVES!