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sick baby mouse please help as soon as you can

21 15:32:43

Question
i just came home to find my baby mouse almost comatose, he put up no struggle when i reached in a plucked him up (which is weird for him, because I've only had him a week or two and I've been letting him come around to me on his own time) while holding him i found fecal matter dried to his rectum which i gently removed with a warm damp cloth and then dried the area. while holding him he was shaking periodically and just seemed week and under weight. he is currently in a cage by himself with fresh food and water his 'home' bedding has also been replaced with torn up 100% cotton tee shirt. when we got him a few weeks ago he may have been a small three weeks at best and i was unaware at the time that i shouldn't have adopted him so young could this play a part in his illness? and what can i do for him now, i will take him to the vet at the first opportunity but that still could be days for financial reasons.

Answer
Dear Jen,

Poor mousie.  You are right that the mouse needs immediate vet attention.  Maybe you can work something out and get billed for the visit instead of waiting until you have the money.

In the meantime the most important thing is that the mouse stay warm.  If he is not eating his food, try to tempt him with a bit of a salted tortilla chip or something else yummy;  or if he seems too weak to eat that, try feeding him some yogurt from your finger to get some calories in him.  

I hope he gets well quickly.  

squeaks,

Natasha