# Semen contamination of computer mice.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 24, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055 "2012-12-24T21:24:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/1 "2012-12-24T21:24:59Z")
Been a long while since I’ve posted anything here. I’ll need to look around and see if anything still looks familiar.
Meanwhile, I’m looking for inexpensive computer peripherals in my area. What are the odds that a computer mouse procured at an urban Goodwill is contaminated with trace amounts of human semen? Wondering because I’m a xenospermatophobe and I’ve seen Avenue Q. 😉
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/2 "2012-12-24T21:41:33Z")
Since I doubt there are any peer-reviewed studies on this, let’s move it over to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/3 "2012-12-24T21:51:22Z")
is it an optical mouse or is it a mouse with balls?
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### Author:  [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/4 "2012-12-24T21:59:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Since I doubt there are any peer-reviewed studies on this, let’s move it over to IMHO.
>
> Colibri
> General Questions Moderator
Hoping to get some facts, though. Maybe some CSI folks lurking???
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/5 "2012-12-24T22:29:24Z")
I know a guy who wrote his thesis on this. He graduated _magna cum laude_.
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### Author:  [@Faruiza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faruiza)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/6 "2012-12-24T22:40:14Z")
Post/username combo hilarity!
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### Author:  [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/7 "2012-12-24T22:42:44Z")
Don’t Forget to swab it for vaginal fluids too.
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### Author:  [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/8 "2012-12-24T22:46:49Z")
Hard to say. The odds are probably very, very long.
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/9 "2012-12-24T23:06:07Z")
You can get a brand new optical mouse for under 10 bucks at Walmart. Semen costs extra.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/10 "2012-12-24T23:39:06Z")
> [@choosybeggar](#):
>
> Hoping to get some facts, though. Maybe some CSI folks lurking???
How often do you think that CSI investigators test computer mice for semen? And in any case one presumes that computer mice found at crime scenes are a non-random sample of all computer mice.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/11 "2012-12-24T23:39:27Z")
If said mouse is fertile, I really wonder what the offspring will look like.
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### Author:  [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/12 "2012-12-25T00:10:41Z")
got my mouse 2nd hand 😉 at Goodwill, as well
…and…it…beats me
j/k
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### Author:  [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/13 "2012-12-25T00:36:34Z")
Just lick it clean after you buy it and it’ll be fine
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### Author:  [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/14 "2012-12-25T00:48:50Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> How often do you think that CSI investigators test computer mice for semen? And in any case one presumes that computer mice found at crime scenes are a non-random sample of all computer mice.
You assume those folks are all business Perhaps they leverage the availability of testing to address the fundamental questions plaguing humanity. That’s what I’d do.
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/15 "2012-12-25T01:55:59Z")
second hand joy sticks are a risk.
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### Author:  [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/16 "2012-12-25T05:06:30Z")
did they include second hand duct tape & empty roll of toilet paper?
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/17 "2012-12-25T05:09:56Z")
I truly think this is the strangest question I’ve seen on this board that wasn’t obviously posted by a drunk lunatic.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/18 "2012-12-25T05:18:28Z")
Goodwill Spunking?
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### Author:  [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/19 "2012-12-25T05:28:38Z")
Depends, was it an African swallow?
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### Author:  [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)
#### Post date: [December 25, 2012, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-contamination-of-computer-mice/645055/20 "2012-12-25T06:42:38Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> I truly think this is the strangest question I’ve seen on this board that wasn’t obviously posted by a drunk lunatic.
Hey thanks. I think it’s been 4 years since my last post. I was saving up.
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