The house mouse should be accustomed from a very early age to being handled and should not be afraid of being held in a human hand. Unlike some other rodents, mice do not usually bite unless caused marked distress or pain. Docile animals can easily be picked up under the belly with a single hand, with the hands cupped or can even be accustomed to climbing voluntarily onto an open palm. For animals that are a bit more reluctant, the base of the tail can be gripped between the thumb and index finger (Fig. 1) and the animal then placed on the open hand (Fig. 2): it is important not to hold the tail too distally since this could lead to it fracturing.
If it is necessary to immobilise the animal, the mouse can be gripped by the base of its tail and made to approach the grid of the cage so that it clings to the cage with its front limbs; keeping the hind quarters lifted, the dorsal skin fold of the neck can be gripped between the thumb and index finger of the right hand (or left hand for left-handed people) and the tail placed between the remaining three fingers of the same hand and the palm (Fig. 3). This technique, useful above all for very aggressive mice or when particularly irritating procedures must be performed such as dressings or examination of the animal’s body, enables the mouse to be restrained leaving one hand free. With the help of an assistant, a two-hand immobilisation technique can be used (Fig. 4).
