Orphan field mouse refuses water

Question
Not sure if you remember me, but I'm the one who found the baby field mouse. He's now about 2.5-3 weeks old I think. The thing is, I see signs of dehydration (bumpy tail, shrunken-like body and non elastic skin). It's scaring the crap out of me because he REFUSES to drink from a dish AND from his syringe. I mixed some pedialyte with his baby cereal and formula mix (which is the only thing he'll eat.) and he STILL won't touch it. I can't tell if he's peeing or not, but he is pooping. The poops are dark in color and usually have to be wiped off his rectum. How can I get him to drink? I feel like making him drink from a regular mouse water bottle will drown him since he's so small.
I will do absolutely anything for him right now.
Please please please help as soon as you can.

Thank you.

Aurora

Answer
Dear Aurora,

Unfortunately, you are right to be scared. He is severely dehydrated.

I'm trying to understand- he will eat the baby cereal/ formula alone but not when it is mixed with pedialyte? If so, maybe he doesn't like pedialyte. Willl he take plain formula still? If he is eating the mix, you may want to water it down with real water. Make it as watery as he will take it. Another thing to try is the paintbrush method. Although that is more likely to be effective for a little baby, still you want to try everything.

I would also get some actual Gatorade. I do not know what flavor a mouse would like- get a few flavors. See if he will take those from a syringe/eyedropper. Try apple juice (if possible the unfiltered kind) too. Water down some commercial peanut butter a very lot and try that. Water down some soy yogurt (also a very lot).

If he won't take any of those liquids, next soak some foods in water, formula, and/ or pedialyte. Crisp bread, any other crackers, the white part of popcorn (don't let him choke on the husk), anything you can think of that will soak up liquid.

Then you can try wet fruits such as a grape cut in half, strawberry (ditto), water melon, etc.

Try leaving lots of these things in wee bottle caps around his cage.

If nothing works, he might just have something wrong with him. Poor little fellow. The only option is to bring him to the vet to be hydrated. The vet would simply empty a small syringe of water under his skin. They may be able to send you home with what you need to repeat the prodedure at home.

I really hope something works. Poor little fellow. If it is any consolation, it isn't painful to be dehydrated. I have been severely dehydrated myself and basically you just feel very weak and eventually pass out.

Best of luck to him.

Squeaks,

Natasha