| Re: Releasing orphaned field mice - Too cold?
He wouldn't have wandered off on his own ... he wouldn't be capable of that as yet ... even if the mother was killed and he and his siblings were starving.
He most likely was being transported by his mother from the old nest after it was disturbed ... perhaps by a predator, or perhaps due to the nest becoming flooded or damp. She would pick him up by the scruff of his neck and carry him that way. She'd have to carry each one of the brood to the new location before returning for the next one.
If the mother was disturbed by someone (maybe even your husband) or a car moving, or whatever, she may have had to put the little one down, in order to beat a hasty retreat for cover. She might not have been too far away when he was discovered. |