Baby mouse ill

Question
Hello again
Thanks for the reply. Have just been to the vets and unfortunately he has an RI, fortunately the vet says that I managed to get it early enough as he is still eating a lot and growing. Duey has been prescribed Baytril and he has just had his first dose with some baby rice. Didnt quite finish it all, so I need to cut down on the rice. However he didnt enjoy it with just rice and water so I had to dip it in not from concentrate apple juice and he wolfed it down. Any other ideas on how to feed it the antibiotics. Also how long will they take to kick in and for an improvement to be made? I hope he makes it, it deserves to live.
Thanks for your time

Answer
Hi James,

I'm glad you got him to the vet on time. It isn't all that easy to get a mouse to take his medicine, though it helps that he lives alone so it can go in his cage (with no other food). Most of the time you have to scruff a mouse and force feed it meds.

There a few other foods that you can try. A piece of very buttery and salty popcorn might disguise the taste. You can even try pure butter, which most mice love. Peanut butter also has a strong flavor- use the commercial kind like Skippy or Jif, and WATER IT DOWN so he can't choke. You could soak a tiny piece of bread in the watered down peanut butter. I will remember the apple juice trick.

Although a vet will say 5 days, usually a mouse seems better by day 3. I have often had a mouse improve in a day, but I don't want you to count on that. Of course even after he is better, you will continue for the full 10-14 days that your vet prescribed. Otherwise the Baytril might not work for him next time.

Best of luck and good health to him. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Squeaks,

Natasha