found mouse

Question
I found a baby mouse in my driveway -eyes shut, I believe it was out all night and probably cold.  How do I care for this creature and when can I release into the wild?  I will be leaving to go out of town in a week!

Answer
Hi Katrina,

If the little guy is still with you, the most important thing is to get him warm and a meal in him.  If you have something you can put him in, even if it's just a shoe box, with some kind of warm bedding in the bottom (like a tshirt or dry, soft rag, aspen shavings, or even regular mouse bedding), that would be ideal.  He needs to be kept away from drafts and if you have a heating pad, you can place it underneath his enclosure on its lowest "warm" setting.

Next, it's important to get him using the bathroom and eating.  You will need kitten or puppy milk replacement, which you can find at your local pet store, and a small dropper to help him eat.  Since I don't know how old he is (are his ears attached? Does he have fur at all, or a full coat? About how big is he?), I'm not sure how much to tell you to feed him, but the simple answer is as much as he wants to.  He may not want to eat until he's been stimulated to go to the bathroom, so use a warm, moist cotton swab or something similar to gently dab at his genitals, like mom would when grooming him, until he uses the bathroom.  You may want to try it again after he's eaten, if you don't have much luck but he has an appetite.  Be sure to dry him off completely after eating to keep him from getting chilled, and very gently pet down the sides of his belly after each meal for a little bit to calm his tummy.

This whole thing is really oversimplifying it - raising an orphaned pup is extremely difficult, even when you have experience things can go wrong.  Sometimes moms kick pups out of the nest if they have too many, or if they know something is wrong with them.  The odds can really be stacked against the little fella, so please if you can do seek local assistance as well.  He will need continuous feedings (anywhere from every two to eight hours depending on how old he is and how often he wakes up for food) until he is old enough to seek out water on his own, which usually is the last sign that he can take care of himself, and typically happens around four weeks old (pups usually have their eyes open by about 10-14 days old).  If you'll be heading out of town, you may very well need help with him before he'll be able to be released.  Some good people to ask include your local vets that work with pocket pets, pet shops, animal rescue groups and shelters, wildlife rehabilitators, and local rodent breeders.  Even if they can't personally help, chances are that they know someone who can help, or can at least point you in the right direction.

In the meantime, this website goes into a lot more detail on the care a pup needs than what I have summarized:  http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm

If there is anything else I can help with or clarify, please let me know.  Best of luck, and I hope he's doing alright!

-Tam