mouse eye infection?

Question
Hello,I have a wild orphaned baby mouse who's eyes were not open when I found him but now they are. He seems to be doing well, eating ,pooping and cleaning himself and doing what mousies do.But he seems to have developed some gunk in one eye.I clean it with warm water and a cotton swab. It would be hard for me to afford a vet right now but if you think it is imperative I will take him. I was wondering about using Tetracycline from a pet store.Some people seem to use it but I don't know about the dosage,etc.    Also, I've grown very attached to him. Do you think it cruel to keep him?Will he be lonely?Should I keep him until Spring and then let him go where I found him?  Thank you so much for any help you can give me.   - Kay

Answer
Hi Kay,

You're doing just right with the warm water and cotton swab - you can continue to do this a few times a day until it heals up.  Sometimes this can happen if the eye is irritated by something, such as an accidental scratch, dirty bedding, or even just dust, but it should heal just fine.  The only reason I would recommend taking him to a vet would be if the eye becomes swollen, shuts and won't open for a couple of days, becomes an angry red around the eye, or if he begins acting sick or lethargic.  I wouldn't recommend giving him tetracycline, as I usually only recommend it for adult mice, so just keep the eye soothed as best you can and don't worry about an antibiotic unless you need to see a vet (in which case they can give you the most appropriate antibiotic if necessary).

Whether or not to keep him is completely up to you, but he will still have all the instincts he needs to survive.  As he grows up you'll get a feel for how nervous or content he might be around you.  While I'd never tell you to put him outside mid-snowstorm, if you do not decide to keep him until Spring, the earliest you release him the better, provided he can feed himself and find hydration without help.  If you decide to keep him, make sure your cage is escape-proof!  :)  I wish I could give you more advice on this, but it's really a question only you can answer.  I don't think it would be especially cruel either way, in my personal opinion.

I'm sorry I took so long to respond, and just let me know if you have any other questions, or if anything has changed with his goopy eye.
-Tam