Collection of blood from wild‐caught mice (Peromyscus) via submandibular venipuncture

Abstract

ABSTRACSubmandibular venipuncture is a common technique used to harvest whole blood from laboratory‐strain mice, but its effectiveness on wild‐caught Peromyscus spp. has not been formally tested. We used submandibular venipuncture to collect repeated blood samples from 30 wild‐caught deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and white‐footed mice (P. leucopus) in captivity and used a capture–mark–recapture field study to evaluate the influence of blood collection on apparent survival of deer mice in wild populations in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA in 2015–2016. We were able to collect sufficient (0.05–0.10 mL) whole‐blood samples rapidly (within <1 min) without the use of anesthesia. The procedure caused only localized tissue damage; puncture sites generally healed within 24 hours. We documented 1 case of venipuncture‐induced mortality in 73 blood collections (1.3%) from captive Peromyscus, and found no influence of blood collection on apparent survival of wild deer mice. We found submandibular venipuncture to be an efficient and humane procedure that is well‐suited for field conditions when proper technique is used; small mammal researchers should consider its use instead of traditional methods involving bleeding from the retro‐orbital sinus or tail clipping. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.