Mice babies

Question
Hello! I saved three fuzzy pinky s from a pet store a couple of weeks ago. I couldnt help it they were on sale to feed snakes and it made me sad (they gave the pinkies to people in a plastic bag!)! Anyway, I gave them kitten formula every day, every two hours and sadly lost one about two days before they were supose to open their eyes. now I have the other two and they have thier eyes open and thier thick coat of fur. They are eating oatmeal now with crackers but water and mouse food is also availible. Anyway there is one mouse that is big and active and looks almost full grown, the other little guy is very small about half the size of his sibling. They both opened thier eyes on the same day so I figure they are the same age but why is the one so little? Should I be concerned? I introduced them to baby oatmeal a day after they opened thier eyes and they never wanted the formula anymore. Could,that be it? Maybe he still needed it? They get the formula still in thier oatmeal

Answer
Hi Bianca,

Selling mice as reptile food does not have to be cruel, but it sounds like they aren't being very responsible about it.  Do know that you can absolutely report animal cruelty, even in pet shops, to your local police department or animal control.  Take pictures the next time you go of the mice in plastic bags (assuming they are live) and give them to the animal control officer you speak with.  Pups can hold oxygen in their skin, so they won't suffocate very quickly, but that is not a good way to handle mice.  Snakes have to eat, too, but there is no excuse for abuse of a mouse while it is alive, no matter what age it may be.

How they were handled before you purchased them may have affected how they survived and grew, and genetics may be playing a factor, too.  Since you don't know where they came from, breeding may have caused the one mouse to be a bit more runted and need some extra time to grow.  You can give him extra protein by offering more kitten milk, a small amount of scrambled eggs (don't leave it in the cage for more than an hour or so), and dry cat or dog food.  Because they get their hydration from the milk right now, make sure you continue to let them drink kitten formula or continue to incorporate it into the oatmeal, like you mentioned.  Once you see them both drink from the bottle you can stop offering milk (unless you need to keep buffing up the little guy).

Have you determined their genders?  Sometimes males grow a little faster than females.  Here's a great reference for determining their sexes:  http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/sexing.cfm

You can weigh the smaller little guy using a food scale (available at your local general store or online) to make sure he never loses weight.  Gaining weight is best, not gaining weight is a problem, and losing weight may require a vet visit.  They need to be growing quickly at this age, and they need a lot of nutrition to do it!  When you feed them you may also want to check that bigger brother is sharing!

-Tam