mouse mother abandons babies

Question
My mouse just had babies and has had nothing to do with them since she gave birth.  The only thing she did to keep them alive was she cleaned them off. After cleaning her babies she proceeded to push all of the babies out of the nest. What should I do?  I'm afraid they may freeze and, or starve to death.

Answer
Dear Amanda,

That's so sad.  First-time mother mice sometimes get confused.  All you can do is keep putting the babies back in the nest and keep putting the mother in the nest.  Take all playthings, wheel, etc out of the cage so she has no distractions.

If she truly isn't feeding them, and you really want to save them, and don't mind an incredible amount of work, you can nurse them yourself with an eyedropper and kitten milk (KMR).  Look at any of my posts about foundling baby mice to see how.  I would just let Nature run its course.  

I truly hope she figures it out.  You may not want to breed this mouse again.

squeaks,

Natasha