Orphan mouse found/how to raise

Question
my boyfriend through out an old carpet from the garage and a mother mouse and baby mouse fell out. Mom tried to run back into the garage with baby on her back. baby fell off by the garage door. I put baby back into the nest taht was still in the carpet. put the carpet back in the garage (not in the same place due to the original place being very high) but its close to where baby fell off. will she return to her baby. baby has hair covering the whole body but eyes are still closed. I'm worried that she wont find baby and it will die. what should i do ?

Answer
Dear Kelly-Ann,

Poor little tyke. There is no way of knowing whether the mother will come back, but if it has been three hours, and I think it has, then she has given up. So you have a baby mouse to raise if you feel able. On the plus side, hand-raised baby wild mice can be the very best of loving little pets, and they live much longer than fancy  mice. On the minus side, you will have to spend the next 1-2 weeks feeding the little thing at least every two hours around the clock. Every two hours. No fail. Are you ready? This is how you raise a baby mouse:

First, keep it very warm. A heating pad on low will be useful but you have to make sure it doesn't get hot. Put it under half of the container but not the other half, so the mouse can move out of the heat.

Second, you can either use KMR (kitten milk replacement) or, even better, the following recipe for a formula:

7 oz. sterilized water (baby water or boiled water)
1 raw egg yolk
1 cup of whole yogurt (avoid skim or fat free if at all possible)
1/2 Tsp Karo Syrup or Corn Syrup (NOT HONEY !!!)

Place ingredients in a blender and blend or use a wire whisk. Be careful to not over blend and create a milk shake full of bubbles
Keep in fridge and discard leftovers after 7 days.
Warm formula to body temperature when you feed. Discard any un-used formula.

To feed it, you can use a dropper, syringe, clean watercolor paintbrush, or even a corner of a paper towel or very clean lint-free cloth. I believe the paintbrush works best, because the mouse controls the flow of formula.  It's used to feeding every half hour, so it is crucial to nurse it every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Babies nursed every three hours get dehydrated and usually die. Give it as much as it will take, wait five minutes, and try again. You will need to do this until about a week after it opens its eyes (at two weeks of age). A few days after it opens its eyes, start giving it yogurt, cream of wheat (made with soy milk or KMR), or soft oatmeal to hopefully  wean it as early as possible. if you make the cream of wheat very liquid, the baby might be able to lick it off of your finger fairly easily.

Third, it is super important to rub its belly/genital area with a Q tip after each feeding, to help it to eliminate. Otherwise its system will back up and it will be poisoned. You will have to do this until it starts going on its own.

Next, it's very hard to replace a mouse mom; and this little thing has had a terrible shock and may even be injured from the fall. Don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't make it. You did the best you could.

I hope the mom comes back instead!

Best of luck to the little fellow,

squeaks
Natasha
<:3  )--~