Advice by Species   ||   Common Situations   ||   Find A Wildlife Rescue   ||   Home      Badgers            Bats            Birds of Prey            Deer            Foxes            Garden Birds            Hedgehogs            Larger Birds            Small Mammals            Squirrels            Waterfowl            Animals Trapped in Netting or Fencing            Baby Birds            Baby Mammals            Birds Stuck In Chimeys            Birds With Broken Wings            Cat and Dog Attacks            Fishing Line            Lost Racing Pigeons            Oiled Birds            Road Traffic Accidents            East of England            East Midlands            North East            Northern Ireland            North West            Scotland            South East            South West            Wales            West Midlands            Back to Main Page

Small Mammals

This page covers animals such as Mice, Rats, Moles and Voles. If you want advice on humane control of these animals please see our "pest" control pages.

	When should I help?
	If the animal has been caught by a cat. It must receive antibiotic treatment within a few hours or the bacteria on the cats teeth may cause it to develop fatal septacaemia.
	If an adult can be easily approached and does not try to run away
	An animal of any age with an obvious injury
	A lone baby out of it's nest.
	What Should I Do Next?

Don't be fooled by the small stature of these little guys. Even a tiny mouse can give you a suprisingly painful bite. And you need to be aware that rats can carry Leptospirosis or Weils Disease which can be passed to a human through a bite. So you do need to handle with care, using gloves or a thick towel. Place the animal in a secure box (bear in mind that they're good chewers so a cardboard box may not suffice) and keep it somewhere warm and quiet. You can offer some cereal or biscuit as a snack to keep him going.

Rats and mice are usually considered vermin. Not that we take any notice of that - a life is a life and all animals have an equal right to live free of pain and suffering as far as we're concerned. But you need to be aware that not all rescue organisations will be willing to treat these animals so it's best to check first so as to avoid the animal being euthanased unnecessarily.