An animal shelter in New Hampshire recently faced a massive surprise when a local resident surrendered nearly 1,000 mice, flooding the shelter with tiny, furry residents and creating a unique “enor-mouse” challenge.
The New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NHSPCA) initially received a call from a man overwhelmed by his growing number of pet mice. When he arrived, he reported he had around 150 mice, only to later clarify that he actually had 150 containers of mice—not just 150 individuals. Soon, the shelter realized that the 73 mice he brought were only the beginning, with hundreds more at his home waiting for rescue.
“An Exponential Problem”
Executive Director Lisa Dennison described the situation as one of the largest intakes the shelter had ever handled. With the mice breeding rapidly and capable of reproducing every 20 days, Dennison emphasized, “It’s an exponential problem that keeps growing.” Even during the initial intake, many of the mice gave birth, adding to the overwhelming numbers. This unexpected influx led the shelter to transform part of its cat pavilion into a temporary mouse sanctuary, with containers and crates stacked high to house the ever-growing population.
Finding Homes and Names for Hundreds of Mice
NHSPCA staff and volunteers have rallied to care for the mice, ensuring they have food, water, and clean bedding. Volunteers also set up a system to log each mouse individually into the shelter’s database, no small task when dealing with hundreds of animals.
While the shelter’s resources are stretched thin, community members have come forward to help. Donations of food and bedding have been pouring in, and other shelters and foster homes have taken in some of the mice. A handful of the mice have even found permanent homes. Local resident Elisha Murray, who has a history of owning small pets, adopted four female mice, despite her previous “no more rodents” rule at home.
Many of the mice have also been given names by the shelter staff to help personalize their appeal to adopters. With names like Doug, Daryl, and Dude, and others named after candies such as Junior Mint and Milk Dud, the shelter hopes the friendly identities will help them quickly find forever homes.
A Call for Help
With so many tiny lives to care for, the NHSPCA is calling on the community to consider adopting these unexpected guests. “Help these mice find wonderful new homes,” Dennison encouraged, adding that the mice could make fun and rewarding pets. While the shelter faces a logistical challenge, they’re optimistic about placing these animals in loving homes.
In the meantime, the mice are receiving top-notch care while they await adoption, thanks to the efforts of dedicated staff and volunteers—and some very kind adopters.
