r/mice • u/HiImGav • May 07 '26
We will probably be getting a lot of traffic owing to recent coverage of the Hantavirus cruise. I'm here to clear things up before people start spreading misinformation.
TL;DR:
You're not at threat. Hantavirus is rare in rodents. Don't vacuum mouse poop. Wear gloves and wash up if at home. Wear respirator if cleaning rodent infested buildings. Scroll to bottom for CDC picture guide.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that are carried by certain rodents. They've been around for a long time, but have recently been a topic of news coverage owing to certain outbreaks/talks of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome(HPS).
HPS is a respiratory disease(having to do with lungs/breathing) that results from coming into contact with infected rodents, most often via waste or saliva. It usually doesn't spread person-to-person, but certain hantaviruses such as the Andes virus(a type of hantavirus from South America) have resulted in previous outbreaks of such.
The now famous Hantavirus cruise is believed to have been caused by the Andes virus:
Dr Charlotte Hammer, an assistant professor and infectious disease epidemiologist at Cambridge University, said: “In the current case we are most likely talking about Andes virus, which is a New World hantavirus." - The Times3
If you live outside of South America, your chances of coming into contact with the Andes strain are practically zero. You won't be getting HPS from interacting with other people.
This doesn't mean you're safe from all hantaviruses though, as they are spread almost globally.
The good thing is, avoiding hantaviruses is surprisingly easy.
If you live in the UK or the US, your chances of encountering a rodent with hantavirus are incredibly low, and even then, contracting hantavirus disease from a mouse is even lower.
In the US, about 38.5 million people each year are impacted by rodent problems5. Compare that to the ~29 reported cases of hantavirus disease yearly6.
That's 1 in 1,327,586.
Most hantavirus cases occur in the rural or wilderness southwest, often resulting from cleaning old outdoor buildings like barns, cabins, or sheds, without proper safety equipment.
Hantaviruses can be spread if rodent waste is aerosolized(turned into small particles). This can happen from sweeping or vacuuming. Don't vacuum rodent waste. That goes for any animal waste really.
So unless you're going around vacuuming rodent infested buildings with no respirator on, you're not going to get hantavirus.
Look, we've already dealt with one pandemic, the thought of another is scary. But it's mostly just sensationalized media. With proper safety procedures, you won't be getting infected. Whenever you hear of something like this in the future, whether it's a new virus at home or a million miles away, always make sure to check sources and read. And don't be coerced into panic by the news, that's one of their tricks to keep you coming back.
At the bottom of this article, I've attached the CDC Hantavirus Prevention Guidelines(US), guidance from the UK Health Security Agency on Reducing the risk of human infection from pet rodents, and a summary of hantavirus also by the UK Health Security Agency.
r/mice • u/HiImGav • Feb 23 '26
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i want to keep her so badly but can’t :( just thought a quick share would be nice to all mice lovers, coming from a rat lover and owner!! she’ll be released somewhere safe, and again, just wanted to share her adorableness to everyone <3
r/mice • u/Striker-Fan2008 • 4h ago
I hate so much that my step dad leaves glue traps around the house (even though I have repeatedly told him that I will take care of mice if I see them in a humane way of course, and I will take the responsibility of checking and leaving capture and release traps). He bought capture and released ones that are box shaped but what he didn't tell me until I figured it out was that he hides glue traps in the capture and release traps and not only does he do that but he never checks the damn capturing release ones.
So until we smell a tiny rotting corpse we have no idea that a mouse is in there and suffering and starving, and sadly that has happened before. How apathetic and sadistic do you have to be to not only do that but to take enjoyment out of it. Luckily I don't think it's been too long since he's been in the trap too too long. He seemed more hungry than anything.
Baby deer mouse. I think I already named him Oak or Pine. Any other name suggestions?
Seriously I don't want to let him go, but also how do I tell if the mouse is sleeping or if he's dehydrated or something? He ate a peanut I gave him just fine, and he didn't drink any water. So is he just sleeping or should I try to make him drink a little bit first?
Also yes this is a repost because of a title typo
r/mice • u/LoveBirdNibbles • 20h ago
r/mice • u/huntalex • 2d ago
r/mice • u/OptimismFlavoured • 3d ago
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Saw this little one in June at the Four Falls walk in Wales
Any idea what (s)he is?
r/mice • u/stlarmin • 2d ago
I am in desperate need of, desperate red of a device that’s able allows me to detect mice in the walls and baseboards. Does anyone have experience with a device of this nature ? One that would allow you to see thermal heat in the shape of whatever is in the walls ?? Please !!!!
Hello,
My family caught this adorable little guy(?) in a live trap and released him earlier this evening.
I've been trying to figure out what type of mouse it is, but no matter how hard I look I can't seem to tell a difference between them.
I'm guessing that it's either a house mouse or a deer mouse, but that's largely because those two seem to be the most commonly found.
I'm sure you guys must get tons of questions like this every day, but I'd really appreciate any help figuring it out.
I apologize for the quality of the pictures, especially the blue tint, but it was all that I could get.
Thanks,
r/mice • u/Helpful_Train_8611 • 3d ago
I’ve had a pet female field mouse for just over a year and want her to have some friends. I went out and got a group of Seven from a rescuer, I’m aware that’s a big group and mice can get stressed easily. I’m hesitant to introduce them as from what I’ve read they can fight or get incredibly stressed. But I’ve seen people saying they’ve had successful introductions. My female mouse is in a Bucastat cage right now and my other mice are in a large cage, my plan was to upgrade them to a bucastate if I didn’t end up introducing them. Any opinions on this? If I was going to introduce them how would I do it?
r/mice • u/Bbbased428krdbbmbw • 4d ago
r/mice • u/ElisFluxDeser • 6d ago
I rescued white feeder mice and had to get another female as a companion for the one female, so I stopped at Petco and I couldn't not-take her home with me!! 🐁 Eeeeee so cute, look how photogenic she is!!
r/mice • u/ElisFluxDeser • 7d ago
r/mice • u/Independent-Pea7327 • 7d ago
So, I know I might get completely torn apart making this post but I truly want to do what's best for my mice. I got 2 pet mice almost a year ago, they had babies since then and i kept all females ect. I now had 5. Somewhat recently I had one of them die from a raw patch that I suspected could be mites however we didn't have the money for a vet so we tried to order medicine online to help but she died before it came. Now we're dealing with another mouse of the 4 left that is developing a similar raw patch by the ear. We we're going to begin trying to treat them with the medicine we got online but I have suspicion that the other mice are bullying her and over grooming her, however we also dont have any backup/temporary cage to separate them and we dont have the resources to get one. The more I research and think on this the more I realize I dont think I'm fit to take care of them and I cannot provide what they need from me. I feel terrible that I cant afford a vet to find out exactly what's wrong and I know I messed up by being extremely uneducated and assuming they wouldn't be too hard to take care of and getting them on a whim. I would surrender them to a vet to give them the care they need without having to pay, however the mice I have are the ones typically used for feeding snakes so im scared they will end up snake food if I do that. I really want them to be healthy and be in a good home which at this point I feel isn't with me. If anyone happens to be in the Statesboro Georgia area and can take in and help my mice (for free with all supplies i have of course) I'd appreciate it so much as I feel like I'm out of options. Any advice in the meantime would be great because I'm at a loss for what to do now and posting here is my last hope.
