nevermind

[June]

They are so cute! I once tried to raise a baby mouse that I found, but he only lived for a few days Good luck!

[melodys_angel]

Man, best of luck with the little ones <3

[Chi]

I have raised little knew from this size.
The biggest issue is if they have been exposed to the cold, they may end up being "failure to thrive" babies, meaning the damage is irreversible. If you don't have a local animal wildlife place to take them in, give it a try. They're worth it.

First you'll need something to keep them warm, I recommend a plug-in heating pad WITHOUT auto shut-off.
Kitten milk replacement
Feeding bottle with very tiny nipple OR a medicine dropper which they can suckle from 
A can of pumpkin, just in case
Qtips/cotton balls
Soft towel/blanket to place over the heating pad

Feeing them is generally for "as long as they want" and they will cry when they are hungry. Feeding for mine were approximately every 4 hours, very little time for sleep. I actually began to hallucinate after a couple of days.

They should be able to easily suckle by now and the milk must be just barely warm, they'll be burnt by the hot liquid. You just need to cut a tiny hole which the liquid can sit at but they will suck it out themselves, it doesn't need to fit inside their mouths.
After feeding, let them all relax for a couple of minutes and begin to stimulate their behinds with a warm wet qtip or cotton ball. They can't evacuate their bowels on their own at this age and need you to do it them.

Remember to never ever let them get cold. Make sure the heating pad is secure in place and there is a little crevice in the middle that they can snuggle with together.

The pumpkin is in case of difficulties evacuating their bowels or if you're seeing its not looking well. Adding a tiny bit of pumpkin into the kitten milk will assist with adding fiber and hey, it tastes yummy to them! If you stay dedicated to it, you'll be able to experience the miracle of being the first thing they ever see and it is INCREDIBLE to see those little jelly beans turn into furry creatures that recognize you.

Post Merge: November 28, 2014, 10:45:44 AM

If they haven't been kept warm since you received them, time is unfortunately starting to run out. They can't make much heat on their own so it's definitely a "RUN TO THE PHARMACY FOR A HEATING PAD, HUNNY!!!" type of thing.

[NovelNerd]

These babies are so tiny actually dropper or anythign with a nipple was too big. Think about their mouths being like pencil led size of an opening. I took my new rats to the vet today for a check up, and they gave me a small syringe with a tube they use for small animal I.V.s  it's incredibly small.  I was able to get some formula into them that way, so hopefully this will work.

I'm just looking at it as they would have died anyway if I didn't try, so I'll just do the best I can and cross my fingers. Hopefully they will pull through and in a month or so can be free out roaming in the field. I'll just have to see.

[NovelNerd]

Updated photo since they are growing fast! Now my students are in love with them.
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[Thunderwing]

Oh wow, look how cute they are!  *heart*  They can probably be tamed if you want to keep them. Otherwise, once they are on solid food (providing the weather is good and food is ample) they should be good to go. I'd have trouble letting them go, so easy to get attached to the little guys.

[moonsugar]

Oh! So tiny!

You must be doing really well to get them to that stage. I'm so happy things worked out so far.

[Aitsuki]

I wouldn't release them.. winter is close, and they're just TOO CUTE..... I wouldn't be able to let them go!

[koteuku]

Great job! It's so good to see them all fluffy and well! 

[Teddy]

You're doing a wonderful thing! How are they today? They are SO cute!

I used to volunteer in wildlife rehab and raised a squirrel "pinkie" from 2-3 days old until I released him on my property as a young adult. It was ALOT of work for that first week or so, getting up all night long to feed him every couple hours and also having to squeeze in feedings while I worked pizza delivery. Luckily, I had an awesome boss who would give me the deliveries near my house when it was time for a squirrel feeding. Incredibly tiring, but so worth it! He was such a sweet, friendly squirrel. Still came back every day for food for awhile after his release. ^-^

[Shimmer Mist]

I've got a little bit of experience volunteering at a wildlife rehab. I'm nowhere near an expert but I have learned a few things about feeding little baby mammals. You'll definitely need to put it a LOT of time with those babies. 

If you are using a syringe/dropper: Be careful not to over feed them! Just because they keep eating doesn't mean that they aren't already full. Check their bellies! Keeping 'em well fed is good, but sometimes hungry babies will keep eating because it can take a few minutes for their brains to register they are full. Be sure they aren't inhaling the milk! This can happen when you are give them too much too fast or your pace is faster than they are swallowing. Take notice whether or not they are actively swallowing/lapping. They don't always spit it, dribble, or refuse more milk once they are full. Even if the milk is going down it doesn't necessarily mean it's going into the esophagus/belly.  That milk will get into their lungs and they can die. >:

EDIT: Also, I'd try to find some sort of milk replacer that's closer to the species you are feeding it too! The formula you are giving them is everything! Kitten milk replacer is formulated for a carnivorous animal. Mice aren't carnivores.  Also the "every species" formulas you'd buy at places like Rural King or feed stores  isn't necessarily a better option. What's good for a foal isn't going to have what a puppy would need. Milk isn't generic and it isn't "all just milk" if that makes any sense. Definitely try to find a more appropriate milk somewhere like Petco.

Also, I'd be careful with wild mice. If you intend to keep them once they are grown keep in mind that they probably won't have the same temperament as domestic mice. Even if you did hand-raise them, don't expect that to be enough to override their wild instincts, especially once they mature. Tame is not the same thing as domesticated. They could be a lot more skittish and maybe even more prone to biting.


I know my post sounds all negative and nagging and I apologize! I just really want those adorable little mice to grow up all big and healthy!

[NovelNerd]

I know the difference between my milk replacers. I live on a 600 acre farm, so it's really not my first time raising animals. I ended up with a replacer that my vet suggested, I'm feeding them with tools my vet suggested in quantity and amounts that my vet suggested. Basically I'm doing what the vet has told me to do. At this point I give them the measured amount he prescribed and they lap it up, since I no longer need to feed it to them. Believe me when I say I know not to "drown an animal" in milk. 

As far as them staying with me. I don't particularly want them, and they show signs to me of still being "wild mice". I'm not deciding on anything unless they live. Like I told my students it's a waiting game and if we get that far I'll just do whatever is best for them at the time. Since their eyes aren't even open, and they have about another week and a half/two weeks before I need to make those decisions at this time I'm not worried about it for the moment.

Sorry, I may sound crabby but feeding them every 30 minutes and having my busy schedule doesn't allow for much sleep. I appreciate your concern but at this point I'm not really looking for advice anymore since I'm just consulting my vet. I value his opinion since he's been our family vet for 22 years and does small domestic pets to exotics ect. In short all my care instructions are coming from a vet now, and I value his opinion over Internet sources. 

[Chi]

I'm glad they're doing well. You should see them fattening up soon.
I'd honestly have a hard time letting go, but id make sure they have a home outside first. Maybe a cheap wooden bird house from a craft store on the ground filled with something.

You're doing great.

[HelloGoodbye]

My family ended up with a pet field mouse once through kind of a similar situation.  We were taking a big chest of drawers out of our garage and it accidentally fell as we were moving it and we didn't realize that there was a mouse nest inside.  Unfortunately, all of the mice but one were killed when the chest of drawers fell 

The remaining mouse was clearly quite young, although his eyes were open and all, so we brought him inside since his tail was hurt in the fall and we wanted to make sure it didn't get infected.  We had a big hamster cage that we put him in and he was very content in there.  He actually lived for a couple of years which was awesome since it was a pretty long amount of time for a mouse.  He really loved running on the hamster wheel and building nests.  Since he was born wild, he was pretty shy and stand offish, but he was curious about people and liked looking at us; he just wasn't a fan of getting touched, which was fine.

I'm glad that the two that you have are still doing well!  It is really great of you to take all of that time to care for them and everything. 

[Mkia]

Awwww they're so cute!! You're awesome to try and help them! Hope they hang in there!