Question
grooming
Hi! almost 2 weeks ago we caught a mouse climbing up our window curtain and let it go outside. The next night, a little blur scurried across my feet. I thought it was a young mouse because its head looked so big in comparison to its body and it was pretty easy to catch. It almost ran into my hands. I was going to let it go outside, along with the mouse I put out the night before but I noticed its eyes weren't open. (The mouse i let go the night before had HUGE black eyes & big ears)
I put the little girl in a large plastic crate to get a better look the next day. That night it darted all around the crate, jumping really high and "nursed" on a wet paper towel i rolled to a small point.
The next day, upon closer inspection, I saw thats its eyes looked dehydrated- sort of crusty little slits. This concerned me more because I once had a pet rat that was the runt of a litter who had one eye that remained a crusty slit & whose head and body never matured into adult proportions. I was afraid that the mouse might not make it on its own because of its "blindness" or sickness or age.
I got it KRM that next day which it laps up from a bottle cap. It eats cereal & dried fruits & peanut butter. The mouse has made itself cozy in a paper tube and runs on the wheel I got it. She seems much more content since the wheel has been added to her domain. I've seen that the mouse is just starting to get the idea that water comes from a bottle but she still doesn't push hard enough to get any water out. (she still gets the kitten milk available all day)
I'm not sure how old this mouse is, what kind it is, and why its eyes aren't open. I've attached a picture for any clues.
Her head is less out of proportion with her body now & her tail seems longer, but she's so physically adept I've been confused about her age. If she's young, it makes sense that her eyes haven't opened- but for 2 weeks? Her eyes almost seem to be shedding...?
I want to make sure I'm doing alright by her. I don't want to trap an adult mouse. I want to help a blind or young mouse by getting it healthy. i'm not sure if I should keep her (poison has been set out around my apartment builing), and if I do, would I then introduce a companion. Ack.
Thanks for any help you can offer,
Katie
AnswerDear Katie,
You are right that this is not normal. I'm afraid her case may be like your rat. As long as her eyes are closed, she cannot survive on her own. She may not even have eyes. The fact that she is still nursing suggests also that she is a little runt who is not growing up as fast as she should. But handicapped mice don't know they are different, so there's no reason why, as a pet, she shouldn't be a happy mouse. I'd suggest you keep her. A companion, however, would see that she is a weaker mouse and might attack.
You might want to try rubbing her eyes gently with warm water to see if it is the crusty material which is keeping them closed.
She is a real cutie. She is definitely older than a nursing mouse should be. Still, as long as she wants the formula, I'd give it to her. If she doesn't survive long, it's as nature intended.
Best of health to the mouse.
squeaks,
Natasha
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