Baby mouse not old enough?

Question
I just got this baby mouse, but I'm afraid that it may be way to young to live with out milk. its not a pinky so that's good. but its a fuzzy. i don't know wether to give him milk or give him real food (mouse food from a pet store). I've only dealt with mice mice the normal regular sized mice that eat really food. and i don't want to kill this poor baby. i just don't want that on my mine all the time. please help. :)

Answer
Dear Krysten,

This is one of those times I wish I were "on call.." your poor little mouse has been waiting for an answer for 8 hours, which is a long time for a hungry baby mouse.

If he is lucky, he is old enough and by  now he's either eaten real food for you or is ready to. A good way to test that is with a bit of cracker, which is easy to eat if he is weaned. However if you gave him something 8 hours ago and he hasn't eaten, I think he may be in trouble.

What an unweaned mouse pup needs is kitten milk, or KMR. Until you can get to the pet store, soy milk is an OK substitute. He actually ought to be nursing every three hours. Mother mice nurse their young every half-hour, so when they are young a human has to do it every two hours. But since his eyes are open, every three should be enough. In the first three hours, though, try every hour: He's very hungry.

Offer him the milk either with a eyedropper or syringe; or small paintbrush, corner of paper towel, or clean cloth; or even just on your finger. If he takes it, he needs it. If he doesn't take it but doesn't eat anything else, try seeing if he will eat a little soy yogurt. In any case it will be a week or less until he is ready to be weaned.

Before mouse pups are old enough to eliminate on their own, their mom stimulates them to go by licking near their genitals. When we hand-nurse pups we use a Q-tip to gently rub near that area. At two weeks, which is how old they are when they open their eyes, he may already be doing this on his own; but it is safer to try, unless you have seen him poop or pee on  his own. If they don't eliminate they hold toxins inside and it kills them.

Best of luck. Please let me know what happens. I worry about my little faraway patients.

squeaks,

Natasha
<:3  )--~