abandoned baby mice

Question
With out sounding mean or dumb, I found baby mice in my daughters closet when I was cleaning it out. I put them in a shoebox and put them outside now it is starting to hit me that that was mean. I dont think they were more then two weeks old due to the fact that their eyes were closed but they were brown. The mom was no where to be found so what will happen to the babies now that they are on their own and outside?

Answer
Dear Carissa,

Unfortunately, it's quite simple:  They'll die. Here are your other options:

1. Put them back and hope the mom finds them and accepts them (even though you touched them).
2. Call a pet store and find a nursing mother to take them.
3. Nurse them yourself, which is a huge job. I explained to someone how to do that in a question yesterday.

squeaks,

Natasha