Can I Touch Baby Mouse? Handling Of Baby Mice

Keeping mice at home as pets is common for pet lovers. But sometimes pet lovers end up discovering small babies around their new mommy mouse. Now, handling a baby mouse is harder and requires more delicate care.

People with new baby mice often face questions such as how to feed them? Can I touch  baby mouse? etc.

You can touch a baby mouse. But there are a lot of things to consider before touching a baby mouse. Just, you have to make sure that the mom is okay with them touching the baby.

The baby needs to be handled very gently. Otherwise, its bones may get popped. 

Let’s learn about some crucial points in touching and handling a baby mouse.

Can I Touch Baby Mouse?

Yes, you can touch a baby mouse. But a lot of things need to be considered. If they are touched or handled without care, you may end up physically hurting them. Sometimes touching the baby mice without properly reading the situation may cause the mother to abandon the litter. 

People often ask, can I touch wild baby mice? Well, the handling of domesticated mice and wild mice is different. One can never incite acceptance out of a wild mouse. 

But if it is a wild baby mouse that was abandoned by its mother or had little handling by its mother, then it can be turned into an amazing pet. 

But there’s also the fear of contracting serious diseases from them. So one needs to clean their hands properly after handling them. 

Wild baby mice, if taken care of properly, can grow up into being very loving pets who recognize the owner well and are also smarted than domesticated mice.

Now, what are the things that happen after you touch a baby mouse? The results can go in many directions. Let’s find out.

The following video shows how to take care of baby mice. 

What Happens If You Touch Baby Mice?

The Mother May Get Stressed

The mom is usually already stressed with litter. It’s better to not hover around the cage to watch them or touch the litter. Because this may stress out the mom even more and she might end up abandoning all her kids. 

So if it isn’t absolutely important, you shouldn’t touch the mother or the baby for at least 10 to 14 days, especially if the mother isn’t familiar with the owner that well. 

Babies May Get Mangled 

Newborn mice babies are obviously very weak. As a result, they have to be handled with delicacy. Or you may unintentionally end up killing one of the mice.

As the babies are very delicate, they need to be touched very gently. Otherwise, their body will pop everywhere. 

One Will Leave Scent

Anyone who is new to handling mouse pets should know a few important things about them. And the fact that one leaves their scent upon touching the mice should be specially highlighted. 

So the mother reacts to the scent. If the mom is well accustomed to the owner, then it shouldn’t create an issue. But if the mother is still not that familiar with the owner’s scent, she may get stressed out. And stress is a big no for mouse moms. 

Like the mouse, the hamster is another lovely rodent. The same question here, can you touch a hamster? Let’s know what happens if you touch your hamster’s babies? 

How To Touch And Handle Baby Mice?

Try Not To Touch

Well, let the mom take care of the litter. Do not hover over the cage to watch them, and do not touch them for no reason. 

But keep a watch on them to see if the mom properly fed all the mice. And in very rare cases, the mom cannibalizes some babies if they are not healthy. So one needs to be careful of it.

Feed With Extra Care

Baby mice that are fed properly will have a visible white mark on their stomach. So you should check if they’re unfed. Then he or she has to feed it with a tube. 

Sometimes the milk may get into the lungs. If that happens, a bubble may come out of the baby’s mouth. Unfortunately, baby mice almost never survive if this happens. So, to avoid this, feed them while keeping them upright and not on their back. 

And if it already happens, hold the mouse upside down (tail on the upper side, and mouth facing the ground) so that the same thing doesn’t keep happening. 

Additional read: Are hamsters related to mouse and rats? 

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon can I touch the baby mouse?

You can touch the baby mouse after 2 to 3 weeks. But if the mother knows you and is fine with it, you can touch within 2 to 3 days.

Can I keep a wild mouse as a pet?

You can. But it may never get accustomed to you or be loyal. 

Conclusion

Mice are cute creatures, and great as pets. But they definitely need to be handled with care. Questions such as how to feed them, when to separate male and female? Can I touch a baby mouse? Should be asked by the pet owners. 

With gentle and proper care, you can have healthy mice pets. Their cuteness will eventually erase the mommy of toils of handling them.