The quick answer is ABSOLUTELY not. Never handle a wild Orange County animal with your bare hands. No matter what animal you’re dealing with, the risk of exposure to diseases and parasites is high.



California field mice, for instance, have been known to carry a disease called hantavirus. In 2012, there was an outbreak in South Lake Tahoe that lead to five infected and at least one dead. According to EDC.gov, “Since HPS was first identified in 1993, there have been 57 cases in California and 587 cases nationally. About 35 percent of HPS cases identified in California were fatal.” Though the outbreak was regional, there are new reported cases every year in California. It is recommended that if you have a mouse invasion you call a professional. If you choose to use traps or bait, wear gloves, don’t touch your face, and thoroughly wash your hands after disposing of the rodent. Since the hantavirus is spread through the creature’s saliva, droppings, or nesting materials, use a mask. A simple face mask such as doctors or nurses wear will do.

If you’re still not convinced and are tempted to handle a wild Orange County animal, here are some other diseases carried by rodents:

• Bubonic Plague
• Leptospirosis
• Tularemia
• Lyme disease
• Rabies
• Salmonella

Diseases aside, handling a wild animal without expert knowledge can harm the California animal. If you handle a baby bird, squirrel, or mouse for instance, the parents will smell the scent on the baby and will often leave it to die. Of course, there is always the option of nursing the animal to health yourself, but if a wild animal is tended to by a human during its most formative years, it will likely lack the skills to survive in the wild once released. It is also illegal to own a wild animal without a license.

If you absolutely must handle a wild Orange County animal, you can get a pair of gloves that are scratch and bite proof to prevent contracting any diseases by these means. Make sure you have a safe place to put it (shady if it’s warm, with plenty of breathing room) while you call animal control. Again, it is recommended that if you have caught a wild animal and are wondering what to do with it, you call an animal control professional as they are already equipped to deal with the situation and can do so in a quick and professional manner that is safe for you and the animal.

Visit our Orange County wildlife removal home page to learn more about us.