Found newborn mouse - advice needed

Question
My husband started his garaged car for the first time in a while yesterday - we believe that some mice were nesting somewhere up inside the engine compartment, as we found a tiny, pink mouse in the driveway shortly after he arrived back home.  We also found some not-so-lucky babies in the road.  We rescued the live baby and have been nursing him since yesterday.  We believe he is no more than a day or two old.  After doing some research on the web, I began feeding him human infant soy formula.  I feed him about every 2-3 hours, using a very tiny paint brush.  I gently "paint" the formula on his mouth, and wait for him to lick it up (which he does quite nicely).  I've got him in a closed container, in a fleece bed, on top of a heating pad (with a towel between the container and pad, for safety).  I've also been massaging his belly after he eats - so far, in 24 hours, he has eliminated waste at least two times.  Here are my questions:

1. We didn't expect too much, in terms of keeping him alive.  But so far, so good.  It's been 24 hours.  At what point can we consider him "out of danger" (within reason) if we keep doing what we're doing?

2. Is the feeding frequency ok?  I've read varying times - from every 30 minutes, all the way up to 4 hours.  He seems to be doing well on the current schedule, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to keep him healthy.

As you can imagine, we're getting more and more attached, with every hour that passes.  I want to make sure we're doing every possible thing to give this little baby the best chance at survival.  Any other tips you can offer would be greatly appreciated...thanks!!

Answer
Dear Andrea,

The pup must be fed *at least* every TWO hours around the clock. It makes a big difference in their survival. Mice nurse their young every half hour, so it is still waiting 4 times as long between feedings. Prepare not to sleep for the next 2 1/2 weeks! I'm glad there are two of you. I raised an infant kitten alone once...

The paintbrush is good because it should learn to suck on the brush, allowing it to choose how much to take. Try to guide it to do this.

Any formula meant for humans is not the best thing for mice. The most commonly used formula is kitten milk replacement (KMR) or puppy formula. Wombat milk is excellent. You should have an electrolyte formula such as pedialyte on hand; diluting the formula 1:1  formula: pedialyte can keep the mouse from getting dehydrated.

I think I used to say massage its belly but it is better to say massage its abdomen, and even its genitals.

It won't be really out of the water until about two weeks, when its eyes open and it can walk around. Mouse pups are so delicate, and it is so difficult to replace a mouse mom, and the pup has gone through such trauma, that there are too many things that can go wrong. The most common problems are dehydration and bloat. Bloat is when its system gets backed up because it didn't eliminate properly. It can die of blood poisoning if this happens.

Please watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNX2byHbppM&feature=related

and the other videos on this woman's channel. The titles are sometimes misleading, so just watch all of the ones about pups. She rescues feeder pinkies and raises them. There is also a video showing how to make a formula of your own. Her experience is about 25% survival if you get them that young. But when they do make, it they are the most wonderful, loyal, loving pets ever. And I have definitely gotten a lot of feedback that mice have thrived on my advice. They also live longer than fancy mice.

Use the next week, before it gets furred in, to look for tiny nipples on its belly. This is the easiest way to tell if it is a girl, because males don't have nipples.

I wish you and the mouse the very best of luck. Let me know what happens please!

Squeaks,

Natasha