Deer mouse or field mouse?

[Arachnodisiac]

As some of you know, I'm writing an article on hantavirus.

A friend of mine sent me this pic of a baby mouse, but I am having trouble identifying the species. I would like to use it with my article, but I would hate to incorrectly refer to it as a deer mouse.

To me, they just all look like snake food. ;)

Any assistance greatly appreciated!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/Arachnodisiac/babymouse.jpg

[pikeslayer22]

I would say deer mouse by the ears and tail.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Here is a field mouse picture...

http://mosquitosquadnorthshore.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/fieldmouse-400x2651.jpg

LC

[Arachnodisiac]

I've looked at a billion pictures.
I am undecided.

Oh, this mouse was photographed in West Virginia, where they apparently have both species.

[KegRiver]

As some of you know, I'm writing an article on hantavirus.

A friend of mine sent me this pic of a baby mouse, but I am having trouble identifying the species. I would like to use it with my article, but I would hate to incorrectly refer to it as a deer mouse.

To me, they just all look like snake food. ;)

Any assistance greatly appreciated!




Virginia has four species of Mice and five species of Vole (field mouse).

In this case there are two good possibilitys. It could be a Deer Mouse or a White-footed Mouse. Both have white feet.

Both species can carry the Hantavirus.

It is NOT a Vole, (Field Mouse).

[Arachnodisiac]

Ok. Thanks Keg.

I sent it off for official ID too.

I'll generically caption it if I don't get a definitive answer.

[darius]

white under belly , you can see the line in the pic

deer mouse

[vcmm]

I'm going with snake food.

[pottymouth]

Deer mouse!

[gitrdun]

I'm going with snake food.

x2.

[270WIN]

White belly and long tail = deer mouse. Kill 'em all.

Brown belly and short tail = vole. Kill them too.

[Arachnodisiac]

Got it! Thanks!

[KegRiver]

white under belly , you can see the line in the pic

deer mouse


True, but also true of the White Footed Mouse and both are native to West Virginia.

However, I think you are right, because the White Footed Mouse, or Wood Mouse usually has a reddish hue to it's fur.

[762Russian]

Well, this is a young deer mouse I caught in the middle of Medicine Hat;

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e96/Thanquil/Micey.jpg

Compare away.

His eyes weren't open when I caught him, so I kept him in a tank and fed him up good. Then he fed the snake.

This is the circle, the circle of liiiiiife.

[avb3]

white under belly , you can see the line in the pic

deer mouse

Agreed, the white under belly was my first clue as to it being a deer mouse.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Does it really matter?

The virus is carried in the saliva, urine and dropping of infected animals.

You going to look at a pile of mouse poop and say....
Hmmmm I wonder if anyone can tell me what species of mouse pooped here?

Of course not you'll (I hope) err on the side of safety and treat all mouse-like poop as though you knew it came from an infected animal.

Aside from that... if the OP's file photo happens to be the wrong species of mouse... nobody with a lick of sense will really care as long as the information she provides is technically correct.

Folks aren't out there thinking...
I better take a better look at that mouse just in case....
They're thinking ....
Freekin mice... I better be careful cleaning that up... with my luck the freaking thing not only nibbled my Issue No 1 of Outdoor Life and my lucky (prom night) condom but the bugger probably had Hanta to!
I need to go to the hardware store and get some traps...till then...I wonder how many pellets are kicking around for the kids pellet gun...cause somebody with a twitchy nose needs to be dead right now and I don't have enough duct tape to build a flame thrower or the guts to try explaining THAT and a mouse in the house to the missus

:)

[BeeGuy]

Virginia?

That there is a country mouse.

[KegRiver]

Folks aren't out there thinking...
I better take a better look at that mouse just in case....
They're thinking ....
Freekin mice... I better be careful cleaning that up... with my luck the freaking thing not only nibbled my Issue No 1 of Outdoor Life and my lucky (prom night) condom but the bugger probably had Hanta to!
I need to go to the hardware store and get some traps...till then...I wonder how many pellets are kicking around for the kids pellet gun...cause somebody with a twitchy nose needs to be dead right now and I don't have enough duct tape to build a flame thrower or the guts to try explaining THAT and a mouse in the house to the missus

:)


That's probably true, moreover, from what I have read, even a rodent specialist would have a hard time telling which of the two species it might be.

In other words, call it a Deer Mouse,
A - it probably is,
B - no one will know the difference,
C - the majority won't care what species it is.

[gunmum]

http://kaputproducts.com/Rodent_Identification.php#Photo

Does this help? :thinking-006:
Looks like your mouse has a stripe from what I can see...??

http://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/mammals/deer_mouse.htm

I agree with pesky672, although I actually did try to ID the type of mouse we had last year based on the poop it left behind (as I read that it was deer mice that most often carried the virus). Looking forward to your article to see if this is correct.
AND it was a big waste of my time cause the poop looked like deer mouse, but when I caught them, they looked more like house mice. BUT I really didn't care, cause they were finally dead and I still had a big mess to clean up. EW.

[CanuckShooter]

Wouldn't a deer mouse have symmetric antlers?? Just asking.

[762Russian]

Wouldn't a deer mouse have symmetric antlers?? Just asking.

Only in season. :D

[Arachnodisiac]

Does it really matter?
Aside from that... if the OP's file photo happens to be the wrong species of mouse... nobody with a lick of sense will really care as long as the information she provides is technically correct.
:)

Yes. And although I know you are right, it would really bug me if I got it wrong. I'm a bit of a taxonomy nut.
For instance, every article I write includes the scientific name of the species to which I refer. I just finished a three-part series on ground squirrels (probably the most in-depth media coverage of gophers, ever) and I begging them to leave the latin names in. We'll see if they did or not.

I think I would honestly prefer liberal use of scientific species names than a raise. (But I am not telling them that yet.)

Anyway, so, I have to get it right and if I can't get it right, I have to be honest in the caption, otherwise I will feel (for real) guilty about it.





AND it was a big waste of my time cause the poop looked like deer mouse, but when I caught them, they looked more like house mice. BUT I really didn't care, cause they were finally dead and I still had a big mess to clean up. EW.


Lmao Gunmum - I bet.
And even though deer mice are the ones that seem to be vectors for hantavirus, other rodents have been shown to be reservoirs, so it's better just to treat all rodents waste, carcasses and nests as though you could possibly be exposed.
Carcasses and waste should be double-bagged or burned. Gloves, googles and a NIOSH 100-series mask or a N95 mask should be worn...



Virginia?

That there is a country mouse.

And likely unemployed, if you've seen West Virginia's economic standings lately. ;)



That's probably true, moreover, from what I have read, even a rodent specialist would have a hard time telling which of the two species it might be.

In other words, call it a Deer Mouse,
A - it probably is,
B - no one will know the difference,
C - the majority won't care what species it is.

I have in fact decided to write a truthful caption. Something like:

"This infant mouse may look cute, and when they are young it is difficult to tell what species it may be. It is best to err on the side of caution and treat all rodents as though they are hantavirus carriers."

*****
And, I found two deer mice in my tack barn the other day and took photos.
Plus, I woke my nine-year-old early this morning. It went like this:

Me: Wake up, and brush your teeth. Then put on this mask.

Him: Wha?

Me: And these goggles and gloves. Hurry, the bus will be here soon.

Him: Zombies?

Me: Not yet.

Him: Ok. (gets out of bed, brushes teeth, stumbles out of bathroom with mask on, but totally naked.)

Me: You need to put clothes on. I'm taking your picture.

Him: For the paper? Do I have to?

Me: Yes. Would you like a cookie for breakfast?

Him: Fine. I'll do it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/Arachnodisiac/Mask1.jpg

[Lefty-Canuck]

LOL....he looks really impressed....you can tell he just woke up :)

.....my 9 year old has the same shirt :)

LC

[Arachnodisiac]

LOL....he looks really impressed....you can tell he just woke up :)

.....my 9 year old has the same shirt :)

LC

I always tell them: "Just think of the stories you'll have for your therapist one day!"

The shirt... his father bought it for him. Probably from Walmart.
(I have an anti-Walmart policy and haven't shopped there for years, but that's a whole other thread.)

[thumper]

" nobody with a lick of sense will really care as long as the information she provides is technically correct. "

Sign me up as one of those 'nobodys'!

It drives me crazy when I see animals misidentified in articles, and I immediately assume that if the author is that sloppy with a photo caption - they are just as inaccurate and sloppy with their text.

[Arachnodisiac]

" nobody with a lick of sense will really care as long as the information she provides is technically correct. "

Sign me up as one of those 'nobodys'!

It drives me crazy when I see animals misidentified in articles, and I immediately assume that if the author is that sloppy with a photo caption - they are just as inaccurate and sloppy with their text.


See? See?!?
I KNEW I wasn't being OCD or over-anal!

[crawfy]

IMO it is no deer mouse, it is to dark, most deer mice are light brown with white under bellies. I catch lots of them around the house here and in the grain bins.

[mudbug]

It's Mickey, I was wondering where he wandered off too :thinking-006:
Now that he has been identified you have to let him go home ;)

[KegRiver]

Anyway, so, I have to get it right and if I can't get it right, I have to be honest in the caption, otherwise I will feel (for real) guilty about it.



I have in fact decided to write a truthful caption. Something like:

"This infant mouse may look cute, and when they are young it is difficult to tell what species it may be. It is best to err on the side of caution and treat all rodents as though they are hantavirus carriers."



I like it! As much as I don't trust journalist's, I'm starting to think you might be okay. ;)

[Arachnodisiac]

I like it! As much as I don't trust journalist's, I'm starting to think you might be okay. ;)

High praise indeed! :)

[Arachnodisiac]

Government of Alberta says deer mouse.

But, in reviewing the email I sent them, I failed to mention the rodent was photographed in West Virginia.

Regardless, we've already gone to press anyway, and it was left unidentified in the caption to ensure accuracy, but I felt compelled to provide an update. :)

[darius]

Government of Alberta says deer mouse.

But, in reviewing the email I sent them, I failed to mention the rodent was photographed in West Virginia.

Regardless, we've already gone to press anyway, and it was left unidentified in the caption to ensure accuracy, but I felt compelled to provide an update. :)

classic !

:lol:

what did you assk us for then ? as most said, 100% deer mouse .

glad you kept it accurate !

[Desert_Faux]

Well, this is a young deer mouse I caught in the middle of Medicine Hat;

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e96/Thanquil/Micey.jpg

Compare away.

His eyes weren't open when I caught him, so I kept him in a tank and fed him up good. Then he fed the snake.

This is the circle, the circle of liiiiiife.

I LOL'ed... I LOL'ed HARD!!!

:lol:

PS: Is there an online version of your article?

I caught about 115 Deer Mice in my 1960's trailer last couple of years (live in the middle of a grain field) and I HATE those little bastards!!! I bought quite a bit of bleach over the years....

Finally dug a moat around the trailer, screwed on wire heavy gauge wire mesh all around and draped into moat, then back filled moat with 30 tonnes of nice clean 3/4" gravel!!! NO MORE ****ING DEER MICE!!! :sHa_shakeshout:

Now I live in a new house with a concrete basement and have 2 cats. No mice yet! :)

I hate rodents with a passion. I slept in my truck a few nights because of those little ****ers... :sHa_sarcasticlol:

[Arachnodisiac]

classic !

:lol:

what did you assk us for then ? as most said, 100% deer mouse .

glad you kept it accurate !

Most, not all. And I wasn't confident enough to assert it 100 per cent.

So, I did what I thought was best, which was this for a caption:
"It can be hard to tell rodent species apart when they are infants, like this one. It is best to err on the side of caution and assume all rodents as a possible hantavirus vector."

So really, the photo itself, and us not being sure, was actually a good exercise because it generated the above point, which really should be a consideration when trying to determine what level of safety precaution to take.

(I don't even know if the photo will be used.)

A lot of energy expended for something rather silly, I suppose.

[greylynx]

We use a bleach mixture to spray over any mouse poops in the attic.

We then suck them up with a shop vac that has some betadine in the bottom.

The idea is to keep the dust down.

[Big Daddy Badger]

We use a bleach mixture to spray over any mouse poops in the attic.

We then suck them up with a shop vac that has some betadine in the bottom.

The idea is to keep the dust down.

Yup...1:10 and about 5 minutes contact time but...the main thing is to keep the dust down.