rescued mice

Question
Hello
This morning at my work they found two mice in the kitchen sink. I went down to save them and found that the cook was trying to kill them my filling the sink with cold water and soap. So I put them in a bucket with a towel and took them home with me. I have a hamster cage that I put them in. They both seem to be fine and I belive that they are about 4 weeks old. They hop around a lot. I'm not sure what to feed them. I put salty crackers, cheese, popcorn, a gerbil mix that I had left over from my last hamster which has seeds and what not. But they are not eating any of it and im very worried. I don't want to release them back into the wild until I know that they are healthy enough. So if you could please give me some advice I would really appreciate it.
thank you so much
sincerely
alesha

Answer
Dear Alesha,

Give them a little time.

They are terrified.  They are in shock.  Nothing like this has ever happened to them before. it will take a while for them to calm down.

Give them lots of soft bedding to make a hideaway nest in. Give them water in a small dish that they will not fall into. Put them in a dark room where no-one will disturb them and there will be no loud sounds.  They would actually appreciate a wheel, if you have one. Leave them alone.  Tomorrow morning they will have eaten some of the food. They will probably have created some small sort of nest.  They will still be very jumpy and scared, but they will no longer be in shock.

If you don't want to keep them then don't try to tame them at all.  In a couple of days when you release them, bring them to a quiet woodsy or grassy area, if possible; somewhere where they can find hiding places right away.  Leave them a bunch of food (gerbil mix is fine). and whatever you dump out of the cage (litter, bedding).  

If you have any more questions, or decide to keep them (at that young age it wouldn't be so hard to tame them), do write back.

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha