mice care

Question
Hi im sara and I have just found 2 baby field mouse in my yard with no mother, I left them there alone for about an hour to see if the mother would come back, but when I went back, they was still there. So I took them in. They  have pink bellies and feet, they have fur on the front and there face like light gray, their eyes are closed, and their tails are dark gray. When I first brought them in they were very quiet but since yesturday(the day I got them) they look good. I feed them just 2% milk I don't know if that's ok I did some research and they said to mix milk with honey?....but I don't know what else to give tthem. Is it ok to give fruit like bananas or apple sauce?....I don't want them to die. After I give them milk, they clean their mouths off and go to sleep. And everytime I touch them and they smell my hand they crawl right in my hand. But I really need help on what to feed them and how to keep a nice environment for them.

Sincerly sara

Answer
Dear Sara,

Your little foundlings are about 4 days old.  One thing to do is call around to local pet stores to see if they have nursing mothers who might take the mice in.  Let them know if you want the mice when they are weaned!

However, raising them yourself is possible, if a little labor-intensive.  You will need to give them some replacement formula.  Many people have been successful with a kitten formula, but one source has suggested using infant rehydration formulas such as Pedialyte, Infalyte, or Rehydralyte.  I think the kitten formula is probably the best.  

First off, put them in a safe place (best is aquarium-- must have lid!-- if you use a plastic box, drill very big holes all over the lid) with some soft bedding (kleenex is ok; or shredded cloth, or cotton) and a warm cover such as (my favorite) a piece of soft cloth-- they need darkness.  Make sure the temperature is not too hot or too cold (A/C is often too cold).

You will need to feed them with a little syringe.  Every 2-3 hours is a minimum:  The mom feeds them every half hour!  Hold them by the 'scruff of their neck'-- that is, the loose skin just behind their heads.  Give them one drop at a time and wait a few seconds till they swallow before giving another.  Give them as much as they will eat.  You will see the white formula in their tummies when they are full!!  Feed them until they don't want to eat anymore.  It is also important to ever so gently massage their tummies maybe before and after feedings to get their digestive systems working (Mom licks them thoroughly and constantly).  Put a water bottle in the cage immediately but also leave them a small dish of water (small so they can't fall in!) when they begin to eat dry food, until they have figured out the water bottle.

They babies will get their full coat of fur by the end of 7 days.  At 14 days, when they open their eyes, they can be very jumpy, because they have never had vision before, and they are programmed to be terrified of anything from above (you can imagine; predators generally come from above--raptors, felines, canines).  With such strong little legs, they weigh almost nothing and can jump up to two feet high.  This can be called the flea stage, for obvious reasons; I call it the popcorn stage (Have you ever seen popcorn pop in a pan?).   Thus you should have them in a somewhat tall cage (aquarium with good lid) within about ten days from when you found them, using perhaps kleenex for soft bedding but on a layer of wood chips for litter.

You will probably need to catch them to hold them.  Don't chase them around the cage with your hands because that is very frightening for them.  Use your hands to approach them slowly and then hold onto the very base of their tails (by their butts).  Immediately place them on the other hand and you will probably need to keep hold of that tail until they get calm on you.  I often wrap them in  my Tshirt bottom for a few minutes so they recognize my smell and it calms them down.

This is also the time to start offering them real mouse food.  Get a bag of mouse and rat food at your pet store.  There are several brands. If they don't have this then get a hamster/gerbil mix.  However they need to keep being nursed with the formula until they want to stop or at about 4 weeks.  You can really tell the age because in my experience the eyes start opening on the 14th day.  It's also time to get them a little mouse wheel.

At 4 1/2 weeks they can become sexually mature.  If you have a boy and a girl, you'll have 1000 mice before you know it.  Check their tummies:  Girls have nipples and boys don't.  As they get older, boys look like they are developing a big butt but it is actually their testicles.  Two girls live together easily.  Two boys tend to fight, but it isn't always bad.

Let me know what happens and feel free to ask more questions, even as they grow.  You can also read some of my back answers for other kinds of advice for older mice.

Best of luck!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha