RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Wed Feb 04, 2004 1:31 am

I didn't know which forum to post this in, so if it's in the wrong place, please feel free to move it. Upon realizing that we have mice (lots of 'em) in our basement, I set up Haveahart(sp?) traps. Upon realizing that these are deermice I decided to come ask for advice. First, is it likely that these mice will pass sickness on to my rats? And second, I didn't think that deermice came indoors either, is that true? If so, what is causing them to come in to MY house? We don't store food in the basement... They're very cute though, I almost asked my mum if we could keep them

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Emily, Pyro (the rat who thinks he's a dog), and Liberty (the dog who thinks he'd like to eat the rat)

Thu Feb 05, 2004 2:17 pm

Jess, deermice are a vector for hantavirus. Hantavirus is most common in the midwest (Colorado/Four Corners area) but it has happened in other places. You can google cdc deermice for some good information; the CDC has lots of good info here.

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Victor, Bandit, and Sparrow's Sweeties: Neiko & Roo. Sparrow's Boys: Oliver, Arthur, and Rabskuttle. The fRAT Boys: Jim, Jack, and George.
Good night, Witter, Kono, Rat, Olie, Metro, Calle, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, Misto, and Kanga.

Thu Feb 05, 2004 7:39 pm

I just realized my previous post is pretty crummy. I don't want to start a panic or anything; I apologize if you're evacuating your house right now.

First of all, are you *sure* they're deermice? The first link I gave you has a picture of a deermouse next to a domestic mouse; the major difference to me is deermice have huge eyes when compared to domestic mice.

Not all deer mice carry hantavirus! I can't emphasize that enough. Still, I, personally, would have second thoughts about keeping wild deermice as pets. I think your best plan of action would be to:

1. Trap as many of them as you can, and release them far away.
2. Inspect your basement for cracks or holes in the wall where they may be coming in, and seal those cracks.

A (shudder) exterminator can be of great use in step two. An experienced exterminator should be able to see mouse ports of entry better than a less-experienced person, as well as subtle signs of where they've been and where they've been nesting. A home-inspector may be able to do the same thing, but it's my gut feeling they wouldn't be as effective as an exterminator.

If you're concerned about breathing in any particulates while cleaning up your basement, an N-95 particulate mask, which you should be able to find at a hardware store, will help keep any exposure to a minimum. You can also find cleaning tips at the CDC website right here (basically, gloves and bleach are good, anything that stirs the air like brooms and vacuums are bad).

Again, I'm sorry if I caused a panic--but if I were to find deermice in my home, I'd do what I could to get them out.

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Victor, Bandit, and Sparrow's Sweeties: Neiko & Roo. Sparrow's Boys: Oliver, Arthur, and Rabskuttle. The fRAT Boys: Jim, Jack, and George.
Good night, Witter, Kono, Rat, Olie, Metro, Calle, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, Misto, and Kanga.

Thu Feb 05, 2004 7:47 pm

One more link--Abita sent this much more detailed discussion of Recommendations for Risk Reduction.

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Victor, Bandit, and Sparrow's Sweeties: Neiko & Roo. Sparrow's Boys: Oliver, Arthur, and Rabskuttle. The fRAT Boys: Jim, Jack, and George.
Good night, Witter, Kono, Rat, Olie, Metro, Calle, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, Misto, and Kanga.

Thu Feb 05, 2004 9:36 pm

I'm very relieved we don't have that here. I keep hearing about hantavirus but I hadn't realised it was such a problem.

So, just out of curiousity, and after reading that article, housemice and rats don't get or carry hanta, is that right? Not even after coming into contact with deermice? Or is it just that aren't considered a "vector" for the disease.

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Linda and the RMDs

Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever, for what we have tamed.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Sat Feb 07, 2004 1:21 am

Linda, I'm not sure. Why is it some ticks carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and other's don't?

I suspect other mice/rodents would be infected as a human would. I'll try to find out for sure, though.

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Victor, Bandit, and Sparrow's Sweeties: Neiko & Roo. Sparrow's Boys: Oliver, Arthur, and Rabskuttle. The fRAT Boys: Jim, Jack, and George.
Good night, Witter, Kono, Rat, Olie, Metro, Calle, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, Misto, and Kanga.

Sat Feb 14, 2004 3:47 am

Sorry I took so long to answer, been really busy lately.

They are definitely deermice, but we seem to have the population under control. Thanks for all the advice (and the great links).

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Emily, Pyro (the rat who thinks he's a dog), and Liberty (the dog who thinks he'd like to eat the rat)