orphan wild mouse doing great a year later!

Question
QUESTION: I have a wild orphan whose eyes opened early last week.  I've been feeding him kitten formula (JustBorn) and introduced baby oatmeal mixed in the formula and left in a bottle cap a few days ago.  He doesn't drink much although there is a water bottle.  I've had him a week and his poop went from black dots to grey blobs to very wet.  It dries around his privates and I have to give him sitz baths to free him of it.   

My neighbor, who knows about hamsters and guinea pigs, suggested that maybe there is something we need to do to get the proper flora in his gut so he can digest what little he's eating.  (She gave me lots of grains to keep in the cage, but he doesn't seem to be nibbling yet.  When he nibbles on my hand it doesn't hurt, just feels a little rougher than when he's licking.)  Hamster babies eat their mom's poop to get her flora.  Do mouse babies do something like that?

Shall I change the grain in the formula to rice?  change formula?  Give rice gruel instead of formula?

I didn't expect little Walter to live very long, but I would like to make his time on earth as warm and comfy as possible.

ANSWER: Dear Susan,

First question: You're sure he can drink from the water bottle, right?

If he were growing up with his mom, he would go straight from pure mouse milk to solid food.  The main reason to do anything in between isto make it easier for him to eat on his own instead of needing to be fed. My recommendation is to keep the straight JustBorn in the bottle cap (he still takes it, right?) and keep regular food in the cage too.  It might be best to start with easier foods such as cracker crumbs, bread, uncooked regular oatmeal, and bits of vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, as well as a bit of soft cheese.  This should make his poops more uniform.  Greens sometimes make the problem worse, so stay away from those at first.

Mice don't eat poops at all.  

Walter may well live a good long time and always be a terrific pet. Wild mice have the capacity to live longer than tame varieties do.

Have fun with Walter : ))

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Turns out Walter is a white-foot.  He is over a year old now and just a lovely little fellow.  Likes to be read to, to explore in my sloppy old sweater (I wear it with a belt so he can't fall) while I clean his habitat, enjoys cat and dog treats along with his ordinary food, and sunflower seeds, carrots and chicken jerky.  

Thank you for your help.  He is a dear little fellow.
Susan

Answer
Dear Susan,

THANK YOU for the update! It delights me to hear that the orphans survive. I believe the survival rate is better than the 50% that I read online, but I can't tell unless people write back. I've just changed my profile to beg people to write back, so hopefully more will. I'm sure people who read the archives like to know what happened too. And I do worry about each and every tiny distant client that I have, old and young.

I learned something since I wrote that answer. There is a sense in which mice eat their poops-- it's called coprophagia (just like bunnies). What they excrete and eat aren't exactly poops-- they are called cecotropes. They are softer than poops. I have not spoken to anyone who is sure they have witnessed this but I think mice are just more subtle about it than bunnies. I think sometimes when we think they are carefully washing their privates, they might be indulging in coprophagia.

That leaves the question of whether moms give it to their babies. Eww I hope not! lol. I need to research that a little further! My way of researching, when Google doesn't do it, is to put the question out on FB to all  my rat and mouse and vet friends, and see who answers.

As for the gut flora, just like people, it can be good for mice to ingest probiotics-- especially if they are on antibiotics. I am only just learning about this as I get into rats-- the rat community (at least in the US) is so much more knowledgeable than the mouse world! Not everything translates, but most does. Just showing my ignorance: I think soy yogurt can help. They aren't supposed to get dairy, which is one of the best ways people get their gut flora replenished.

I am going to post these questions to my friends and if I get answers I will amend this and you will get a note saying the answer has been modified.

Also I have decided to invite my mouse questioners to find me on Facebook. Please make sure you write why you want to be my friend or I  may refuse. I am the only Natasha Millikan on there. Be warned that I am left-wing : ))

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha
<:3  )--~