Orphaned baby mice! help!!

[Maddison]

Ok so after our collapsed shed had finally been moved today as we were moving stuff out my mother discovered 3 baby mice covered in meat ants when she moved something, the parents abandoned them and they were left there all alone, obviously I couldn't leave them there not only because of the ants but cement would be layed on their nest in just a few days. these mice are very young their eyes are still closed and they definitely are not able to eat solids. they are okay aside from some bloody cuts from the ants I've put them in a small rodent cage with some wood shavings and they are burrowing in that. what should I do to help these babies? and should on the off chance I decide to keep and raise them am I able to do that with wild mice?

 

[Maddison]

some pictures, forgot to add they are about a week old judging by amount of fur.

 

[cassie]

You need a soft nest so they can be kept warm. I would suggest making a nest of cotton wool or shredded kleenex or toilet paper and surrounding that with shavings. I raised a wood rat once on canned milk diluted six parts milk and one part water. I fed him with an eyedropper. They will lick the milk off the end of the eyedropper. You have to be careful that you don't give the milk too fast so they don't get it in their lungs. You can also use a bit of cotton wrapped around something like a matchstick. Dip it in the milk and they can suck it off the cotton. Feed about every two hours or so. I fed my rat every two hours during the day and every four hours at night.

 

[cassie]

By the way, if they are field or deer mice mice they make good pets. At least that is my opinion. They don't stink like house mice do. Deer mice can carry diseases but since these are babies, that shouldn't be an issue. Field mice have white markings. You can make a pet out of house mice too. In fact the white mice you find in pet stores are just albino house mice. If you decide to keep them make sure you keep the males and females in separate cages.

 

[Maddison]

By the way, if they are field or deer mice mice they make good pets. At least that is my opinion. They don't stink like house mice do. Deer mice can carry diseases but since these are babies, that shouldn't be an issue. Field mice have white markings. You can make a pet out of house mice too. In fact the white mice you find in pet stores are just albino house mice. If you decide to keep them make sure you keep the males and females in separate cages.

thanks, I read on the net that they can carry many diseases including lymes disease, though is that not a problem since they are so young? theres three so if I get 1 girl and 2 boys or vice versa I will have to give away the odd one out. if I raise them they will be domestic and would make someone a nice pet Im guessing. I went out and got them lactose-free milk, they drank it and one was weaker than the others, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[Bunnylady]

Nope, you can't rehome them - they are WILD ANIMALS. I don't care what you do or how much you handle them, they will never be domestic animals, and you can't call them that. In a lot of states, it is illegal for you to have wild animals in your posession unless you are a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and even in the ones where possessing them is legal, you aren't allowed to breed them, sell them, or even give them away.

 

[cassie]

thanks, I read on the net that they can carry many diseases including lymes disease, though is that not a problem since they are so young? theres three so if I get 1 girl and 2 boys or vice versa I will have to give away the odd one out. if I raise them they will be domestic and would make someone a nice pet Im guessing. I went out and got them lactose-free milk, they drank it and one was weaker than the others, so we'll see how it goes.

If you are feeding regular milk, whether it is lactose free or not, it most likely is too dilute. Mouse milk is a lot more calorie dense than goat or cow milk. That is why I used canned milk for small orphans.

 

[cassie]

Bunnylady is probably right as far as the law is concerned. However, there are wild animals and then there are wild animals. Whether or not they can be tamed depends on how their brains are wired and that varies a lot from species to species. I have been told by people who should know that it is possible to raise and tame a cottontail rabbit if you get it when it is very young but you cannot tame a jackrabbit. I once raised an orphan wood rat and he was a fine pet, and as for mice, they aren't any wilder than the ones you buy at the pet store. But then I never noticed the white mice we sold in the pet shop were ever particularly cuddly. They were all nervous and hyper. That said, your best bet is to raise these up and just turn them loose somewhere when they are mature enough. I would release them in a sheltered area and provide feed for a few days until you think they can fend for themselves.

 

[Bunnylady]

At one point I raised domestic mice, and some of them were very friendly and interactive. But my point is the distinction between a domestic animal and a wild animal. Coyotes and dogs may interbreed, but even if you hand-raise a coyote pup, it's still a coyote, not a dog, and the laws regarding it are not the same as those involving domestic animals. The coyote would be a captive wild animal, which is what these mice would be considered.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

That said, your best bet is to raise these up and just turn them loose somewhere when they are mature enough. I would release them in a sheltered area and provide feed for a few days until you think they can fend for themselves.

I think that is just as illegal in MANY places! I know we are just talking about mice, but I would not be very happy having someone dump mice near me. I have enough trouble with them having a rabbitry even with two active hunter cats. Sorry, but I like mice to be far away from the homestead, not part of it.