PLEASE RESPOND!! BABY MOUSE FOUND!

Question
I just found a baby orphaned mouse, and I want to try and help him survive, but I know nothing about mice! I believe that he just opened his eyes in the past few days because he is very weak and lethargic, but I'm not sure he could be sick. If you could tell me what to feed him and how to care for him, it would be much appreciated.

Answer
Hello there! Poor little one. Is he still alive? Is he is a house mouse you can take him into the vet and they should see him. He may have lost his mother, or he may be ill. Do you have a photo of him? First you need to find out what type of mouse it is.


If you would like to give it a shot at rearing the little one yourself you will have a lot of work cut out for you. Young babies need to be fed about every 2-4 hours until their eyes open. Once their eyes are open you can space feeding out to every 4 hours. I feed my babies a combination of soy baby formula and possum milk replacer/Wombaroo milk replacer. This is a specially made formula used by zoos to feed possums, squirrels, rats, wombats etc. It is absolutely great! You can check with your local pet store to see if they carry it, or you can purchase it online. It also makes for a great supplement when sprinkled on food once the baby starts to eat on his own. I feed all my orphans with a q-tip dipped in the formula. You can pull a little piece of cotton away from the q-tip to form a "nipple" for the babies to suck on. Make sure they don't take in more than they can handle. They can get sick if they aspirate formula into their lungs. You will need to make sure the baby stays warm, with either a hot water bottle of under tank heater. You can find under tank heaters in the reptile section at any pet supply store, or a human heating pad works just as well. Just make sure the little guy has enough room to move away from the heat source should he get too hot. If you are going to use a hot water bottle, make sure the temperature isn't too hot. Babies can overheat easily and if the water bottle is too hot it can also cause burns.

You will need to make sure the baby is eliminating. You can use a cotton ball soaked in warm water to rub the babies genital area. This should cause him to poop and pee. =] Watch out though, because sometimes they don't need encouragement, lol. Also, though extremely rare, deer mice can carry the hanta virus. Care must be taken when handling any wild animal. You may also want to check with your local and state laws in regards to keeping wild mice.

Once the babies open their eyes they usually begin to sample food. Scrambled eggs, cheerios, rice infant cereal, and oats make first good foods to nibble on. You will also want to check for dehydration. You can pull up on the scruff of their neck. If the skin takes awhile to go back down he may be dehydrated and may require subcutaneous fluids from a vet. I think I covered everything but if not write back. =] Good luck!!!

Forgot something! You can buy some nutrical to use if the baby isn't eating well. Just place a small amount on his lips so he can lick it up. It is a vitamin and mineral supplement.