Found Baby Field Mouse

Question
I found a baby field mouse, joust born, in my dad's car.
I am feeding it worm milk with a little bit of sugar in it.
I have made a bed out of a torn up paper towle in a basket with a big hamster ball on top for extra warmth.

  My dad said I have to let it go in two weeks when it's eyes are open and it can walk and eat on it's own.

         Hope for help,
      Sophia

Answer
Dear Sophia,

If the mouse is just born, you need to keep it for at the very least, three weeks. You will know its age when it opens its eyes. Mouse pups open their eyes at 14 days. You should continue to nurse it until it is at least 25 days old or refuses the formula.

The best formula to use is kitten milk replacement, or KMR (unless you can get possum or wombat milk.  Seriously!).  You can also use soy milk. You can give it to it with an eyedropper, syringe (no needle!), small paintbrush, even a bit of paper towel. Give it as much as it will take, which will be a few drops.  After feeding it, you need to very gently rub its abdomen and genitals with a Q-tip to help it eliminate.  The pup should be fed every 2 hours for the first  two weeks, after that every 3-4 hours until it stops accepting the formula or its eyes have been open for over 10 days.

Keep the mouse pup in a warm place such as next to a heating pad or water bottle.  It is crucial to keep it warm because it doesn't even have fur, let alone the warmth of its siblings and mom which it needs.

When it opens its eyes it is time to put it in something with a lid, because soon it will be climbing around. A couple of days later you can put a number of foods in the cage such as bits of crackers, seeds, a slice of apple, a bit of carrot, broccoli, and soft cheese.  Still nurse it for at least a week.

Hand nursed mouse pups do make great pets. But if you have to let it go, make sure it is in an area where it can find food and hiding places, such as a meadow or forest.  Leave it a supply of seed or other food. It's better to keep it a few weeks after it is weaned to make sure it is mature enough to try to survive on its own.

Best of luck!  Do write back with more questions.  Also if you search under "mice, mouse, natasha, orphan, baby" you will find my other answers about the same topic. And DON'T blame yourself if it doesn't make it.  It has had quite a traumatic experience, it's incredibly young, and it's hard to replace a mother mouse.  But if it survives, a hand-nursed wild mouse will be very sweet, and they live longer than pet store or fancy mice.  

squeaks,

Natasha