STRATHAM, NH – What do you do with 1,000 mice? That’s a problem an animal shelter must solve after the rodents reproduced rapidly and overwhelmed a New Hampshire pet owner.
The New Hampshire SPCA said it benefited nearly 400 people mice from a Seacoast man who kept them in “filthy plastic bins.” Hundreds more were believed to be at his home and many of the females were pregnant. The shelter said it expects the total number of mice to be close to 1,000.
“The mice were not separated by sex and reproduced uncontrollably,” the SPCA said. Director of Animal and Veterinary Services Savannah Alcerro said in a statement, “We have never seen anything like this.”
“Fancy mice” for adoption
The shelter said the critters they took in are not a common field mice and are actually pet mice, or ‘pretty mice’. They are described as “entertaining and easy to care for.”
“Pet mice are generally friendly and curious. They are very social and prefer to live in groups or at least in pairs,” the shelter said. “They can be a bit more skittish than some larger rodents, but can learn to become comfortable with handling.”
The SPCA said it is reaching out to other shelters in the New England area to help take in some of the newly acquired refugees mice out of their hands.
Help needed after mice surrendered
The house mice are starting to appear for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting mice can click here for more information.
The shelter also said it is in “urgent need” of five- to 10-gallon glass tanks with lids to house the mice.
“If you have an old tank collecting dust in your basement, we would greatly appreciate it if you would consider giving it a scrub down and donating it,” the shelter said.
Tanks can be dropped off during the day outside the garage door of the adoption center at 104 Portsmouth Ave. in Stratham.
