wobbly baby vole

Question
Hello Natasha
I have found a baby vole, eyes open, eating/pooping/peeing, but doesn't walk very well. I read an earlier post in which you said that some mother mice will dump their handicapped or ill babies. Do you have any more information on this?

Answer
Dear Renee,

A mother mouse who is aware that one of her babies has a defect will sometimes push that baby out of the nest.  Her energy (milk) is better spent on mice who will survive:  In the tough world of mice, only the fittest survive.  Thus it is most efficient to help her stronger babies survive by giving them all of the milk.   Also, even if a handicapped mouse did somehow survive, if it had babies they might also be handicapped, which pollutes the gene pool.  Thus evolutionarily speaking, the mother mouse is trying to keep the gene pool clean as well as ensure that her own genes be carried on by the stronger babies in her litter.

However, your baby vole might be just fine.  Give it a week to see if it is still wobbly.  Apparently voles make nice pets when you start them small, though they only live for 3-6 months.  If it is handicapped, be assured that if you keep it as a pet, it will never know the difference.  To my mind its clumsiness would only make it the more endearing.  Have fun with it!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha