Mom moved her babies, should I save them?

Question
Okay, I was wondering what it means when a mother mouse moves her babies outside of the house that she had them in.  They all seem very healthy.  She covered them up with bedding and goes over there every once and a while to see them or something.  This just happened last night so I still have time to save them if thats what needs to be done.  They are all about 3 days old.

Answer
Dear Chris,

I would gently replace the babies in the nest and see if she will keep them there.  I have had that work in the past.  If she removes them again, remove the house. It's best if she has no better place to sleep than with the babies.

If she still doesn't spend her time with the babies, observe to see if she is at least nursing them.  Mouse pups nurse every 30 minutes. They may be warm enough without her, but it's imperative that they be fed.

if she has truly abandoned them, you will need to feed them yourself.  Every 2 hours is often enough-- but throughout the day and night. It's no picnic, so I hope the above solutions work.  They should be fed kitten milk replacement (KMR).  You can use an eyedropper, syringe (without the needle), small paintbrush, or even the corner of a paper towel. Fed them drop by drop until they refuse it.  Go slowly so it doesn't go up their noses, or they could get pneumonia (that's what happens when you get liquid in your lungs).  Then you need to rub their abdomen/genital area to make them eliminate.  Always put them back wherever the mom is sleeping, in the hope that she will take over again.  Only remove the mother if she attacks a baby.

Best of luck : ))

squeaks,

Natasha