Baby fieldmouse found

Question
Hi Tamarah,

I have found a baby fieldmouse seemingly orphaned (was on it's own for 4 hours) in the garden, it's about 1.5 inches long, fully covered in fur, eyes shut... We have brought it indoors last night for safety, and tried to feed it through a pipette ~ firstly semi skimmed milk (that's all we had then!), now "newborn" milk but it does not seem to take any in :-(   It's now in a box on tissue paper/straw with a desktop light on it to keep it warm. I'm guessing from ding a bit of Googling it's about 4-7 days old ?, and am after some advice please on how to get it to feed as I'm afraid it might be getting weaker...Although if placed on your hand it will slowly walk around a bit.  If I listen carefully it is making a sort of clicking noise, is that normal ?? ~ Thanks for any help. I can send a photo of the mouse if of any use ?  Rgds Steve

Answer
Hi Steve,

With fur but with the eyes shut I'd guess it a little older, maybe between 7 and 10 days.  That's a good thing - the older they get, the higher chance they have at making it.  Unfortunately, when a mum abandons a pup it's occasionally because something is wrong with it.  The clicking *could* mean he's sick (the sound typically comes from trying to breathe), but in any case, he has to eat in order to survive.  A lot of times when a mouse feels very poorly they have trouble getting up the will to eat, so try different things in case it helps.  You can mush up a bit of banana in water and try to feed that through the pipette, watered down baby food in fruit flavors, or kitten milk replacement (like the newborn milk but specifically for small animals - this is your best bet), and try gently warming it first.  It might help to hold the pup vertically, keeping it warm and safe in your palm while you offer the pipette.  Older pups tend to hate this, though, so if he struggles with that position just lay him belly side down on your palm and try setting a drop of milk in a crease of your hand.  Whatever you do, be careful not to let him stick his nose in the food, nor give it so fast it comes out his nose - this can make a respiratory infection a lot worse, not to mention impairs breathing.  You could also try keeping normal mouse food in the box in case he feels like exploring it on his own (though he would still need milk for hydration), like a commercial mouse mix, rodent blocks, or stale bread.

Sometimes pups won't eat if they are not old enough to go to the bathroom by themselves.  Try taking a warm, moist cotton swab and gently massaging his genitals (this simulates mom grooming him and makes the digestive tract start up, making him hungry again).  Remember to dry him off completely before putting him back in his box.  Check the light and make sure it's not making him too warm or not warm enough - it's good to heat only half the box if possible so he can escape it if he absolutely needs to.  Mouse pups can't regulate their body temperatures, so he wouldn't be able to handle the same highs and lows in temperature an adult mouse could.

If you can, I'd definitely recommend seeking out the help of either a vet familiar with mice, or a wildlife rehabilitator who works with small mammals.  Here's a listing of wildlife rehabilitators in the UK:

http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/wildcents.html

Even asking around at local pet shops might yield someone who has a lot of experience with mice and could give you a hand.  Raising orphaned mice is never easy!  Here's one more link with a lot of detail on raising orphans:

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm

Hope he's doing alright, and best of luck!
-Tam