Would you let your 12 y.o. daughter keep a baby mouse?

[Anonymous]

We found a mouse in the basement last night. It was tiny and not moving much, maybe really hungry or dehydrated.
My DD loves all kinds of animals and she thought it was the cutest thing.
She begged me to keep it, so I let her. We went to petco and got a small cage.

Would you let your child keep a mouse?
And if not - why?

TIA

[Anonymous]

A wild mouse? No. They can carry lots of diseases. Just google it.
It sounds like it will probably die soon anyway, but honestly I would try to convince her to let it go outside.
If she really wants a pet get one from a pet store that has been bred in captivity.

[Anonymous]

PP here again. Actually, I would make her let it go. Not "try to convince her". Diseases.

[Anonymous]

I would not because I hate mice. I might let her pick something else (from a pet store) like a hamster or something. Agree with PP as well that it might carry diseases or something.

[Anonymous]

No way. OP, mice carry some serious diseases humans can get -- look up "hantavirus" for one. Be the bad guy here and be tough for your family's health's sake. This is not some mouse raised to be a perfect. You
You might get tears and anger from here but you must be the boss on this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way. OP, mice carry some serious diseases humans can get -- look up "hantavirus" for one. Be the bad guy here and be tough for your family's health's sake. This is not some mouse raised to be a perfect. You
You might get tears and anger from here but you must be the boss on this one.

.

Tears from her, not "here" -- sorry

[Anonymous]

I remember taking baby mice I'd found in the field behind my house to show my 4th grade class. (Sister Emmaline was not happy.) They were dead by the end of the day. The problem will probably solve itself before your DD comes home from school.

[Anonymous]

No way. that is so disgusting.

[Anonymous]

No. I know rats are super smart and clean themselves but:

A. A mouse is not a rat
B. All rodents disgust me

I'd say "Sorry, but no. If you still want one after you're an adult with a job and your own home that allows pets, then you can do it. Until then, no."

[Anonymous]

That's very sweet of her but no. I caught a tiny baby mouse was and he was so cute I was also tempted to keep him but PP is right. they carry diseases. If she wants a mouse the pet store sells them. Or, get a gerbil or hamster which are cuter.

[Anonymous]

My sister and I found a whole family of baby mice when we were volunteering at a food bank as kids. Our mom let us keep them all and raise them. We gave them formula, cleaned their cage, etc. Most of them died but we eventually set the survivors free in the wild, probably to be eaten immediately by hawks.

This is not to recommend such a course of action. Just to say you aren't totally crazy for considering it. PPs are right, though--mousie will probably die.

[Anonymous]

Since you already bought the cage, maybe give the mouse a few days of food and water to see if its health improves, but explain to her that a wild mouse isn't meant to be a pet. Release it (or bury it if it dies) and let her get a pet store mouse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember taking baby mice I'd found in the field behind my house to show my 4th grade class. (Sister Emmaline was not happy.) They were dead by the end of the day. The problem will probably solve itself before your DD comes home from school.

Yep, this. A baby mouse isn't going to last long so not much to worry about, OP.

[Anonymous]

I watched one of those medical mystery shows. A teenager got extremely sick, wound up in the hospital and came close to dying. Whatever he had caught came from the dust off a mouse that had been in his car without him knowing it.

[Anonymous]

I have a phobia of mice and rats. So, definitely no. I would, however, call exterminator right away, baby mouse means mice are around. There might be a mommy mouse and siblings mice around your house. If you are lucky, it got lost and is the only one.