Orphan baby mice & nursing aunt

Question
Hello, I currently have 2 female adult littermates that i have had from birth. one of them has her own litter and both of them seem to be feeding the babies. i am afraid the mother may die soon as she is very sick. will the babies be ok with their aunt? will she feed them still? or is she just letting them suck on her teets for some strange reason without producing milk?
an answer is much apreciated. also what is the best way in your opinion to tame the babies, i am already able to hold them all and they have fur but eyes are still closed.

have a good one mate.
-brittany

Answer
Hello Brittany!

I don't know if your 'aunt' mouse has milk.  it's interesting that she would nurse her littermate's babies!  When the mother mouse dies, you'll have to watch very carefully to see if the babies are getting milk.  Too bad they have fur-- without it you can see the milk in their tummies!  So you will have to watch carefully to see signs of poor health in the babies.  I think you would see it pretty fast.  Watch how active they are now so you have a measuring point.  

Before anything happens, right now you should call pet stores until you find one that will take your babies because they have a nursing mom.  If no-one will take them, either they will die (you can kill them for mercy) or you will have the tough job of feeding them yourself.

Raising them yourself is not impossible.  It's great that the other mouse loves them because she will keep them warm.  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.  

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 it swallows before giving another.  Give them as much as they will eat.   Panya suggests that you can additionally put a little fromage frais near the nest or offer it to them.

A baby with fur but closed eyes is between 1 and 2 weeks old.  At 2 weeks they will open their eyes.  This is called the 'flea' stage and they will suddenly become terrified of everything, even you.  They can jump up to two feet in the air because they weigh almost nothing and they have strong hind legs.  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 that they will take an interest in real mouse food.  However they need to keep being nursed with the formula until they want to stop or at about 3 1/2 weeks.  You can really tell the age because in my experience the eyes start opening on the 14th day.

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, though littermates might not.

Do keep at least two girl babies for mom to have as friends.  It's a pity to keep a single mouse because they need each other.  

Best of luck!

squeaks,

Natasha