Why did my orphan mouse pup die?

Question
QUESTION: 3 days ago i rescued Rusko (my new born pinkie mouse) from being eaten by my bearded dragon. i named him this because it reminded me of "rescue". :] I couldnt stand to watch the poor lil thing get eaten... so i have decided to raise it now. i think he is about 5 or 6 days old. eyes shut and a little bit fuzzy. i have read all about how to care for them but of course my love for him and how attached ive gotten has left me still wondering. so i need your help :]

1. i feed him kitten formula diluted with water and with a drop of almond milk(every two hours)... i feed him with a thin soft paintbrush. works well. seems to like it. but i wanna make sure im feeding him enough. so i go off of him refusing it after awhile and assume hes full. is this ok?
...also i always wash his parts with warm water adn only sometimes/not every time... he will go potty... is this ok as well?

2. he sleeps 90% of the time. which is normal i guess. and ive noticed he sometimes twitches when he sleeps. mainly his tail. is he dreaming? because i read your discussion with emily and i got scared about the convulsions thing :/

3. i keep him in a shoe box with a warm water bottle at the bottom and a soft dry wash cloth on top... i have a thermometer in there and i keep it in between 70 and 80 degrees. i hope thats right.

... i have seriously fallen in love with this lil guy and have my hopes up for his survival. the last thing i need is for him to pass. i would be DEVASTATED and heartbroken. i am doing all i can for him and have put in do much effort for him, day and night.

let me know if u can help. it would mean the world :]
-Taylor

ANSWER: Dear Taylor,

Thank you for rescuing poor little Rusko. If you watch the video at the link I have on my profile, you will see how someone more experienced than I am in such things, feeds her rescued pups. She says to wait five minutes after he refuses, and to try again. Of course you know feeding every two hours is an absolute minimum; no breaks. And he must develop a visible milk band in his tummy. She has a lot of videos of raising these little tykes. Watch them all; the titles are misleading. Always rub his genitals gently after feeding; it is fine if he only sometimes goes.

Don't worry about the twitching. Convulsing and twitching are as similar as saying "ahem" and having the whooping cough. You would know if he was convulsing in a seizure.

I would make sure the temperature is at least 80. I am traveling so I do not have my computer (so I can't search for a link) but at some point recently I researched for someone what temperature the nest should be to answer a question. Try searching under "natasha mice mouse baby orphan nest temperature" and you should find it. I apologize.

I certainly hope Rusko makes it. The woman in the video writes that she has a survival rate of about 25% when she rescues feeder pups- which is why I strongly discourage going to a store and rescuing the pups on purpose, since it just means more pups will be bred for the purpose (in your case it is to rescue an individual special mouse, which is different). In any case, when people find wild babies they seem to have a better rate than that. So I hope Rusko is OK. If he isn't, please don't feel you did something wrong. It is very difficult to be a mouse mommy, even without the various traumas a baby pup has gone through before you even get a chance. If you want another mouse, though, I don't recommend getting a feeder on purpose, for the reason I just stated. Get a mouse/mice bred to be a pet, because they may (depending on your pet store's mouse source) be bred to be healthier, more friendly, and to live longer.

Best of luck and health to Rusko.  

Squeaks,

Natasha



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i really appreciate your advice and response. sadly, i lost my baby rusko on valentines day at 3 am.
i woke to feed him at 3 am like clock work and when i lifted the sock that was on top of him, he was on his back with his little mouch open. still alive though. i knew something wasnt right. i picked him up and noticed he was making little convulsion like twitches here and there and tilting his head back like he was gasping for air. i was so confused and i felt helpless because he was helpless. but there was nothing i could do. :'[ i was absolutely devastated. i held him in my hand the entire time to keep him warm and to be there for him. (crying the whole time and praying) i was about a half hr later when he took his last breath.  i fell ot the floor so heartbroken and its been 2 days and i am still crying and i feel like i did something wrong. (which by what you said previously seems to me like i did do everything right).

do you know what happened to him? i know your not a doctor or anything but maybe this has happened to someone before.

i feel like i need closure because i cant seem to cope with it.
Thanks.
-Taylor

Answer
Dear Taylor,

I'm so sorry. The little guy didn't have much of a chance. It is very common for an orphan pup to seem completely fine one hour and the next be dead or dying. The convulsion at that time is simply what a mouse does when it dies. It was nice for him that you were holding him. Mice appreciate being held by someone they love as they die. And he knew you loved him.

He simply had too much of a shock, and then he needed his mom's milk and exactly the right conditions, plus the comfort and company of his siblings. A person really has a hard time standing in for a mother mouse. I'm so sorry.

I still cry when my mice die, after 36 years of owning them. As tiny as they are, they are wonderful little creatures. Maybe you will want to get a healthy, older mouse from a pet store or breeder. If you want one, get a male. If two or more, get females.

My little whiskery friends send their condolences too.

Squeaks,

Natasha