Effects of bleeding nonanesthetized wild rodents on handling mortality and subsequent recapture

Handling mortality and recapture rates of wild rodents that were bled from the retroorbital capillary plexus without anesthesia were assessed. In 9,670 captures of seven species of rodents from 1994 through 1998, we found no difference in handling mortality in bled mice compared to those from trapping grids where mice were not bled. Recapture rates of rodents on control (non-bleeding grids) and rodents on bleeding grids was not significantly different for any species. We conclude that bleeding in the absence of anesthesia does not affect immediate mortality or subsequent recapture.