# Could this mouse have been rabid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891 "2013-06-13T12:07:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/1 "2013-06-13T12:07:02Z")
I caught a mouse in my apartment the other day, and what was odd was how easy it was to catch him. Normally they’re very skittish creatures, but this little guy walked right up to me and stood up on my foot. He stayed in one place while I got a box, I put a cookie in it, then walked him to a park. He didn’t want to get out of the box, so I dumped him out with his cookie and said goodbye. Was this a tame mouse who recognized me? My building is being renovated and the workers have left holes in the walls that are letting creatures in. I’ve seen some (or maybe it’s the same mouse) mice out of the corner of my eye, and mice that seem to be looking at me, but they run as soon as I acknowledge them. My mom told me the mouse could have been sick though, possibly with rabies, which seems more likely. I don’t know about rabies specifically, but something was definitely off about his behavior. I didn’t touch him at all and he didn’t try to bite or act aggressive. The mouse holes are being plugged up by the contractor ASAP, because I don’t want to be potentially exposed to rabid mice. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/2 "2013-06-13T12:47:43Z")
Definitely _ **not** _ normal behavior, for a mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/3 "2013-06-13T12:51:36Z")
From the CDC: [http://www.cdc.gov/rabiesandkids/animals.html](http://www.cdc.gov/rabiesandkids/animals.html) > [@](#): > > It would be really unusual for rats, mice, squirrels, or groundhogs to get rabies, but it does happen. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/4 "2013-06-13T13:54:28Z")
Here’s a picture of him in his box: [http://www.flickr.com/photos/97454946@N06/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/97454946@N06/) He looks a little bald on his back, but I don’t know if that’s normal or not. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/5 "2013-06-13T14:02:49Z")
If he was sick with rabies he would not be able to swallow food. Very few rodents get rabies for some reason. Behavior is not all that unusual I had a little mouse on my last job that used to join me for lunch at my desk each day. Maybe one of the other tenants had been feeding him. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/6 "2013-06-13T14:19:07Z")
Hmm, not being able to swallow food didn’t occur to me. I didn’t see him eat the cookie. But he was definitely interested in it. Maybe he didn’t eat it because he was scared and a rabid animal may not have been interested in it. I looked at the CDC link and feel a little better, although there are feral cats in my neighborhood which maybe could spread rabies. I’ve never seen a cat acting rabid however. Perhaps he was a tame mouse. Now I feel a bit sad about abandoning him in a park. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/7 "2013-06-13T14:31:52Z")
It was probably infected with Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis infection has been shown to change behavior of mice and rats. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/8 "2013-06-13T14:35:17Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > Now I feel a bit sad about abandoning him in a park. Hmmm. [This sounds so familiar…](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/images/issue/420/stuart-little_420.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/9 "2013-06-13T15:15:41Z")
Mr. Jingles? StG ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/10 "2013-06-13T15:28:41Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Hmmm. [This sounds so familiar…](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/images/issue/420/stuart-little_420.jpg) Unfortunately I was not able to equip him with a little outfit or a suitcase. I hope I didn’t send a naked Stuart Little to his death. But I suppose if he had some sort of illness or parasite he would have died anyway. And with any luck he’ll learn how to survive in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/11 "2013-06-13T15:31:52Z")
According to our discussion with Animal Control after an incident with a squirrel, not only is it extremely rare for rodents to acquire rabies, it is almost impossible that an animal as small as a mouse would survive the initial attack. So, extremely unlikely that your mouse was rabid. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/12 "2013-06-13T15:46:48Z")
If you suspect he had toxoplasmosis and you’re pregnant you might want to call your doc. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/13 "2013-06-13T15:59:51Z")
mice can vary in how they behave. i’ve watched wild mice feed on food residue inches away from me. they may have no fear because humans are not frequent and known not to be fast enough to dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/14 "2013-06-13T16:24:45Z")
Could have been Stuart Little’s crackhead cousin. ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/15 "2013-06-13T16:25:36Z")
looking at the way his back legs are positioned out to the sides(not underneath him), I vote for sick/injured. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/16 "2013-06-13T17:44:59Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > Here’s a picture of him in his box: [http://www.flickr.com/photos/97454946@N06/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/97454946@N06/) > > He looks a little bald on his back, but I don’t know if that’s normal or not. That is not a regular house mouse that is normally found in human dwellings, for one thing the tail is much too long. It is some sort of wild mouse that belongs outside. You may have been the only human it has encountered so it was not afraid of you. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/17 "2013-06-13T18:11:30Z")
I know nothing about mice, but I do know the times we have rescued abandoned young squirrels (just slightly too young to be on their own) they have come right up to us and looked at us like “help me I can’t find my mommy”. They seem to reach a point where natural fear of humans is overridden by the fear of being alone, or of dying of starvation. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/18 "2013-06-13T19:27:34Z")
> [@Sam\_I\_Am](#): > > I know nothing about mice, but I do know the times we have rescued abandoned young squirrels (just slightly too young to be on their own) they have come right up to us and looked at us like “help me I can’t find my mommy”. They seem to reach a point where natural fear of humans is overridden by the fear of being alone, or of dying of starvation. Awww, those poor squirrels. I’m glad you were able to rescue them. I’m not pregnant, so I’m not concerned about toxoplasmosis. I was wondering about the long tail. I found this: [Picture of Different Types of Rodents](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmnwildanimalmanagement.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F10%2F11%2Fremove-mice-from-your-home-mn%2F&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=R4a5Fx64JgLHKM&tbnh=292&tbnw=172&zoom=1&docid=_Oysx2uTU99pZM&ei=ohy6UcMF1bTgA8DygYgM&ved=0CAIQsCU) and he appears to be a woodland jumping mouse. That could explain the splayed out feet if he wasn’t sick or injured. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/19 "2013-06-13T19:30:01Z")
Awww, those poor squirrels. I’m glad you were able to rescue them. I’m not pregnant, so I’m not concerned about toxoplasmosis. I was wondering about the long tail. I found this: [Picture of Different Types of Rodents](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmnwildanimalmanagement.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F10%2F11%2Fremove-mice-from-your-home-mn%2F&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=R4a5Fx64JgLHKM&tbnh=292&tbnw=172&zoom=1&docid=_Oysx2uTU99pZM&ei=ohy6UcMF1bTgA8DygYgM&ved=0CAIQsCU) and he appears to be a woodland jumping mouse. That could explain the splayed out feet if he wasn’t sick or injured. ETA: Maybe not, he does have big feet that would naturally be out to the sides, but not the way he’s holding them. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891/20 "2013-06-13T19:31:53Z")
Sorry for the double post. Was trying to edit and double posted instead. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-mouse-have-been-rabid/660891.md?page=2)