weaning a baby mouse

Question
I found a baby mouse on the pavement at a mall on July 23,2008. His eyes were closed and his ears were still stuck to his head. He had dark skin but I could not feel any hair. He was burnt real bad so I used neosporin on him. I looked at pictures on line and by those pictures I think he was about 2 days old when I found him. He was the size of a quarter. I named him Dhiren, it's an Indian name and it means strong strength. His eyes are now open. I don't know if he can hear yet. He doesn't react when I whistle or clap my hands. I have been feeding him kitten milk, were now at every 4 hours including nights. I don't know how old he is so I don't know when to start weaning him. I printed out a 7 week daily feeding chart. It says at 2-3 weeks feed every 4 to 5 hours (no nights). Daily feedings are 4. Where I'm confused on what to do is - If I feed him every 4 to 5 hrs. that will take the feedings into the night. How do I know what time to stop feeding him? What do I do for him to get him through the night so he doesn't get hungry? When do I start giving him baby rice cereal, fruit and other foods? I have looked for answers on line and there are so many conflicting answers I don't know what to do. Thank you for being there to help all of us who really have no idea on what to do.
      Jamie

Answer
Congratulations on doing such a wonderful job of raising him. I know it's difficult to raise a baby mouse especially from such a young age.

He is probably 2 1/2 weeks old by now which means his eyes will be opened and he should be eating solid food. You can give him fruits, non-spicy vegetables, nuts, seeds, crusty bread, peanut butter, fromage frais, rice as well as commercial mouse food.

A mother would normally wean her babies around 5 weeks. You should introduce water into his diet now either with a shallow mouse bowl or bottle. Try to get him to drink from a mouse bottle so he can drink as often as he needs. They are also more hygienic than a bowl. Once he knows how to drink from a mouse bottle you can have one for water and one for milk. Obviously the milk bottle will need to be changed frequently, especially in hot weather.

Since your mouse is wild I advise releasing him in a suitable spot at least 2 miles from your home when he reaches 5 weeks. It would be cruel to cage a wild mouse especially if he is kept in solitude as mice are social creatures and need the company of other mice. This means you will gradually need to handle him less as a tame mouse won't survive long in the wild. To help him adjust to the outdoors you can include soil, hay, leaves and twigs in his cage. Just make sure they haven't been in contact with chemicals.

When you have found a suitable spot for him leave the cage with food, water and bedding and the door open so he can come and go until he has fully adapted to the outdoors. You can remove the cage after 4 or 5 days. I have found this a successful method, however if you are unable to do this then let him go in an area with plenty of hiding places.

Please feel free to ask any more questions. I hope it goes well for you.

P.s I love the name!