Yesterday, my sister found a little mouse in the middle of the road at our country club. He was all alone and shivering (it was about 40 degrees out). Hes very, very tiny and his eyes are not open yet. We put him in a little basket with cotton balls in it. About every hour we're feeding him sweetened condensed milk mixed with lukewarm water from a little eye dropper. He barely opens his mouth, but hes getting some. Hes been in my room with the heat on so its warm enough. I know theres a good chance he wont make it but is there anything else we can do? Or are we doing something wrong? Anything would help. Thank you.
The Sweetened Condensed Milk is made from whole milk, which baby mice cannot easily digest. You will need to get something like KMR. Since his eyes are not open, he is less than two weeks old. Two weeks is typically when they open their eyes. Following is a suggested list of everything else you will need:
KMR - Kitten Milk Replacement Formula - can be found in pet stores powdered form is best - it is important to dilute the powdered form by twice the recommended amount of water
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Syringe - make sure it is the proper size for the formula to go through-non-needle insulin syringes work well
Bedding - paper towels, unscented toilet paper or Kleenex or clean towel with no loose threads (threads could cut off circulation if they got caught around parts of the baby)
Heating pad - put it on the lowest setting - place it under the home - make sure a towel is placed between the pad and the house - check frequently to make sure it does not get too warm - the proper temperature for a nest is 80 degrees - once the baby gets to be two and one half weeks, she can maintain her own body temperature better as long as the room is not cold
Q-tips/Cotton Ball - these will help the mouse go to the bathroom - baby mice cannot do this by themselves, so it is crucial that you help her remove the wastes from her body
Scale - used to determine weight so proper amount of food is given
Feeding instructions - newborns until the eyes open at about two weeks old have to be fed every one to two hours - once the eyes are open, you can feed the mouse every three to four hours - a baby should be fed .05 cc per gram of their body weight per feeding - never force feed - be careful not to get the formula in the nose or lungs, as she can easily drown/suffocate - feed from the side of the mouth, and be very patient - it may take awhile for the baby to get used to the syringe - once the eyes are open, you can start to wean her and introduce solid foods such as KMR (one part KMR to two parts water) mixed with white rice or bread - start a water bottle at this point, too - make sure it is low enough for the baby to reach - a shallow bottle top, such as from a human water bottle, can also be used if the mouse water bottle seems too difficult at first for her to use - never use a full size water bowl, as she can drown - between three and one half and four weeks, the mouse should be completely weaned
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Bathroom - it is extremely important to help the mouse go to the bathroom, as she cannot do it by herself-she will become bloated, blocked up, and die - after she is done eating, gently massage her belly with the q-tip - rub very softly until she goes - you can also try dribbling warm water over the genital area, or lightly wipe the area with a warm, moist q-tip or cotton ball - if she does not immediately relieve herself, take a break and try again later but make sure she finally goes
It is quite a task you will be undertaking. I wil give you link to an international wildlife rehabilitator that may help either by taking the mice themselves or answering questions. The link is as follows:
http://www.wildlifeinternational.org/EN/... Another link that may be useful is strictly a mouse forum. I use the Fun Mouse site all the time, as the people there are well versed in mouse care. To post on the forum you need to register, but their hand raising section is at :
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http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/orphaned ... Taking care of newborn animals is very difficult, so please do not feel bad if this little one does not survive. Even experienced wildlife workers are often unsuccessful. You are a very kind person for trying, and I do hope he survives and thrives.
Read this page.
http://www.ratfanclub.org/orphans.html Yes, it's about rats, but the same things apply to mice. Make sure you stimulate him to poop, otherwise he could die. It says how in the article. Raising orphaned pinkies is a difficult task, so best of luck!
