Baby mouse not drinking much

by Sian Sun 21 Aug 2016, 8:42 am

Hi All, a baby mouse appeared on my kitchen shelf. I think it fell out of a small hole in the ceiling. After leaving it for 8 hours we decided to try and help it get bigger and then let it go back up the hole! But, I'm concerned it's not drinking enough of the milk (kitten milk). It only licks a tiny amount from the soft brush. It has done 3 tiny poos and a yellow wee so it is getting something but so little. I think it is about a week old. Also you can see its heart is beating very fast and irregularly, is this normal. It has been 24 hours now and I guess its still alive!

by River Sun 21 Aug 2016, 10:43 am

I don't know what else to reccomend except for trying harder. Be persistent with the brush and make sure they're eating enough of the KMR. Its hard, but be patient!
Mice have fast heartbeats. This might look concerning to you at first, but a certain quick pace is pretty normal. However, it being irregular is abnormal. Can you get video?

by Sian Sun 21 Aug 2016, 11:16 am

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I will try to make a video at next feed. Last feed I held it in my hand completely surrounded by warmth and that seemed to encourage it to feed a bit more. It uses its front paws a lot to wipe its face when feeding.

by AnonONIagent Sun 21 Aug 2016, 4:10 pm

Be sure to feed every two hours around the clock. Keep it warm and cozy. Be sure to stroke its belly and anal region with something warm and preferably slightly damp (like a q-tip soaked in warm water) after each feeding to stimulate gut/bowel movement.

Additionally, human-raised mice typically fare poorly in the wild. If you do successfully raise it to adulthood you will likely need to keep it as a pet in order for it to survive.

by CinnamonPearl Mon 22 Aug 2016, 9:01 am

Anon, I have to disagree. A couple weeks of living in captivity isn't enough to do away with millennia of wilderness and instinct in a mouse's blood. When this little guy grows up, he MUST be released back into the wild. He's a wild animal, not a domestic pet, and keeping him in captivity would be a cruelty.

by Sian Mon 22 Aug 2016, 9:19 am

OK things have changed. Last night I went into the kitchen and found another baby mouse identical to the first. So, wasting no time I fed it and put it in the box with the other one. Big fight so now separate boxes. Then, at the same time they both opened their eyes! They are also able today to pick up food and nibble it so I soaked porridge oats in the kitten milk and they are eating that independently. They have also pooed by themselves quite a few times in the boxes and weed a little. They also bit me! I think the first one has a more laboured breathing but not much I can do. So do you think its OK to let them feed themselves now? I have turned over a small tupperware lid and filled the rim with water and placed soaked oats and small seeds in the centre. Their boxes are on a heated floor, half on half off. Can I sleep tonight??

by Sian Mon 22 Aug 2016, 9:25 am

I am planning to return them to the wild so that's why I'd like to stop handling them as soon as possible but of course I will if you guys know that it's necessary at their age. How old do you think they might be? Eyes opened last night for first time. The brush feeding looks stressful for them so if they can drink themselves I'd much prefer to do that. They definitely cant drown in the tiny amount of water I've provided. They preferred licking my skin to the brush.

by CinnamonPearl Mon 22 Aug 2016, 9:41 am

They'll still need KMR until they are four weeks old. If you post pictures, we can try to guess their age, but we can't be 100% certain. If you check out the orphaned mouse care page on the forum, it should answer all your questions. Check it out here.

by AnonONIagent Mon 22 Aug 2016, 10:41 am

CinnamonPearl wrote:Anon, I have to disagree. A couple weeks of living in captivity isn't enough to do away with millennia of wilderness and instinct in a mouse's blood. When this little guy grows up, he MUST be released back into the wild. He's a wild animal, not a domestic pet, and keeping him in captivity would be a cruelty.

That goes against everything I've heard about raising wild mice, at least when raising from a pinky/early fuzzy. Older babies, such as those found with open eyes, I know will usually do fine with being released.

by River Mon 22 Aug 2016, 11:43 am

If I'm not wrong, mice open their eyes at 13 days old, so we have a rough idea of their age.

by CallaLily Mon 22 Aug 2016, 11:46 am

I just want to wish you luck! I hope the babies continue to do well so that you can release them. The article on orphaned mouse care also goes into detail about how/where to release them when they're ready.

by Sian Mon 22 Aug 2016, 1:15 pm

Thankyou for your replies, I'm a bit worried about one of them but the other seems to be fine at the moment eating linseeds, boiled rice and drinking a little milk formula. Thanks and I'll keep you posted.

by CinnamonPearl Mon 22 Aug 2016, 1:23 pm

AnonONIagent wrote:That goes against everything I've heard about raising wild mice, at least when raising from a pinky/early fuzzy. Older babies, such as those found with open eyes, I know will usually do fine with being released.

Though pinky and early fuzzy mice may need a little more time to adjust to the wild, this can easily be done with the use of a mouse shelter. So long as they're released at four weeks, it's certainly not too late for them to learn. Most people who keep wild mice they raise are just people who get attached and are unwilling to let go, despite the inevitability of them not being able to get their wild pet vet care and the unhappiness a wild animal will experience living like a pet. Plus, it just doesn't make sense to keep a wild mouse who can live happily in the wild when there are thousands of domestic mice all looking for homes and families.

by Sian Tue 23 Aug 2016, 12:53 pm

Sadly one of the mice died this afternoon. I'm pretty sure I know what was the problem. Its heart was beating very visibly and it's breathing was noisy. It looked like a heart problem (my daughter was born with 2 holes in her heart). Last night he really opened his mouth wide for milk and for the first time he drank a reasonable amount. Unfortunately, too much fluid with a heart problem means heart failure and I'm sure that's what happened. Poor little fella. The other mouse is doing much better and prefers rice milk to the kitten milk. Do you think that's OK for it?

by Rodents rock! Tue 23 Aug 2016, 8:49 pm

Sorry to hear one passed away. I hope the other one makes it. You are doing a great thing to help the babies. Keep us posted. Smile

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