A man decided to surrender hundreds of pet mice, many of which were pregnant, from his New Hampshire home after he became overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals in his possession, officials said.
The New Hampshire SPCA said this week that it took in more than 300 mice that were surrendered from a Seacoast resident’s home and that the number of animals involved is expected to grow to nearly 1,000 because many females came to the shelter pregnant.
When the pet owner visited the SPCA on Monday, he told staff that he had 150 tanks of mice that he could no longer care for. Shelter officials then made trips to the man’s home on Tuesday and Wednesday, filling vans with tubs full of mice.
The shelter said the mice were not separated by sex and were reproducing uncontrollably, noting that its intake count is now approaching 400.
The SPCA has since put out a call to all shelters in the New England area for assistance with transferring some of the mice out to make room for the remaining mice still in the man’s home.
“We have never seen anything like this. And the longer we wait to get all of the mice out of their terrible living conditions, the greater the likelihood is that the numbers will continue to grow,” Savannah Alcero, Director of Animal and Veterinary Services at the shelter, said in a statement. “With a gestation period of just around 20 days, mice can reproduce at an alarming rate.”
Some of the mice will be available for adoption beginning on Thursday, while those that are on pregnancy watch or in need of veterinary care will need to remain in care longer.
Community members wishing to help are encouraged to foster, adopt, or donate.
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