Orphaned Mouse died, what did I do wrong?

Question
I found a baby mouse on Saturday - had fur but eyes not open. Didn't know much about what to do, but got on Internet and slowly learned.  I gave him Kitten mile replacer and fed him with a cc syringe.  I started out with pedal, but then switched to the milk replacer.  I would feed him, make sure he had the chance to pee/defecate (which he usually did).  I lost him yesterday morning and have just found your site.  I would feed him whenever he would stir from a nap, but am finding out maybe I should have been waking him up?? to feed.  I am totally heartbroken and blame myself for his passing.  I fed at 11:00 before going to bed, but he was in the process of passing when I got to him next.  I feel that I killed him and am very depressed.  Did I dehydrate him?  Did he not get enough to eat? I have so very many questions of myself for what I may have done wrong.  I didn't know about your site until after he passed.  Please help me, I've been crying for 2 days about this.

Answer
Dear Vicki,

if you didn't feed the mouse every 2 hours, that would have added to whatever other stress and situation was making him sick. You have to really encourage them. Of course you can't squeeze more into their mouths than they will swallow, or they will breathe it up their noses and potentially choke or get pneumonia. It's a tough situation. A paintbrush works better than a syringe because they can suck on it.

It is simply very difficult to replace a mouse mommy. Not only does the pup not get mouse milk every 30 minutes like it would in the nest, it also is missing its brothers and sisters, and it has gone through incredible trauma however it lost its mom.  Many orphans die without giving a sign of illness, and often when a person has done everything perfectly.

I'm very sorry for loss. The tiny size of the baby does not mitigate the big loss of a beloved creature.

squeaks,

Natasha