Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Rescuing an abandoned baby mouse
• Method 2 of 4: Feed the mouse
• Method 3 of 4: Make a house for your mouse
• Method 4 of 4: Protect yourself from illness
• Necessities

If you've found a stray baby mouse, then you may want to take care of it. Although it is a lot of work, you can get a baby mouse in good health. Your main duties are to feed the mouse and give it a place to live. You should know that - although it is rare - wild mice can transmit some diseases. Furthermore, with regard to animal welfare, it is always a good idea to contact a veterinarian for advice.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Rescuing an abandoned baby mouse

1. Make sure the nest is abandoned. If you find a nest without a mother, you can't tell right away if she's gone for good. You may have scared her on her own or she may be looking for food. Leave the nest (and the young) alone and check again later. If the mother is still absent, you may need to take action.
   • Try not to touch the nest. Don't worry, however, mothers do not reject their babies if they have been touched by humans.
   • Return after 1-2 hours, and then again after another 1-2 hours.
   • Check the babies' bellies for white bands, we call this milk bellies. If you don't see these in a 4-6 hour period, the babies have not been fed and are likely orphans.
2. Seek help from a vet if necessary. If the baby mouse has been attacked by a cat, you should immediately go to a vet for help. Bacteria from the cat's mouth can cause a serious, and often fatal, infection called "septicemia." A vet may be able to treat the baby mouse.
   • Search the internet for nearby vets.
   • Call ahead to ask if he can treat mice.
3. Handle mice with care. Baby mice are small and docile, so they should be handled with care. They shouldn't bother you much, but you should still make sure you have a firm grip on them when feeding to prevent them from falling. It is also important to know that wild mice usually carry diseases.
   • You can choose to wear latex gloves when handling the mouse.
   • Whether you wear gloves or not, you should always wash your hands thoroughly after handling.

Method 2 of 4: Feed the mouse

1. Provides liquid nutrition. Baby mice would normally drink milk from their mothers. Now you have to give that "milk" to the baby. Avoid cow's milk. Instead, opt for:
   • Infant formula made with soy (slightly diluted).
   • Kitten food (slightly diluted).
   • Goat milk.
   • Milk replacer for puppies.
2. Feed it every 2 hours. Your baby mouse needs to eat throughout the day until it opens its eyes. For very young mice (0-2 weeks old) you should feed every 2 hours. After that, they only need to be fed every 3-4 hours. Once the eyes are open, you should no longer need to feed at night.
   • Heat the milk. Test a drop on your wrist to make sure it's not too hot or cold.
   • Fill a dropper bottle, syringe or pipette with milk.
   • Hold the mouse firmly with your non-dominant hand.
   • Hold the pipette in your other hand and try to wiggle the tip into the mouse's mouth.
   • Place a drop of warm milk in the mouth and wait for the mouse to swallow (this looks like it is stretching and squirming).
   • Give the mouse as much milk as it wants.
3. Also, give solid food when the eyes are open. When the mouse's eyes are open, it can start eating some solid food. Continue to give him milk until he is 4-6 weeks old, after which he should be weaned. You can give the mouse the following:
   • Hamster food, moistened with the milk you give.
   • Kitten food (moistened).
   • Food for human babies (homemade or from the store).
   • Soft-cooked vegetables, such as squash, peas or carrots.
4. Stimulate the mouse to help it relieve itself. Baby mice cannot urinate or defecate without assistance. Normally, they should lick them to encourage them to relieve themselves. After each meal, take a cotton ball or catch and dip it in warm water, then gently rub the mouse's genitals until it has relieved.

Method 3 of 4: Make a house for your mouse

1. Set up a cage. You will need to provide some sort of living space for your baby mouse. The first night you can just use a shoe box with a kitchen towel in it. However, if you plan to make the mouse a pet, it will need permanent shelter. Typically, you should calculate 12 inches of space for the first mouse. For each additional mouse in the same cage, add 15.24 cm3 to that. You also have to clean the cage every week. You can buy any of the following habitat types from a pet store:
   • Glass aquarium.
   • Metal cage.
   • Plastic cage.
2. Keep the mouse warm. If your mouse were still in the wild, it would crawl up against its mother and siblings. In your house you have to make sure that the baby mouse stays warm.
   • Spread wood chips over the bottom of the cage.
   • Place the cage off the ground.
   • Keep the room temperature in your home around 21 degrees Celsius.
   • Place a heat source on one side of the cage.Use a pitcher wrapped in towels or place a heat pad under one part of the cage. Make sure the mouse can walk away from it if it gets too hot.
3. Place toys. Mice need to exercise quite a bit, need things to chew, and need mental stimulation. When your mouse starts exploring its cage, consider giving it some of the following:
   • Movement toys, such as an exercise wheel or small balls with bubbles in them (normally sold as cat toys)
   • Chew toys, such as toilet rolls or egg cartons.
   • Foraging toys or toys that hide food (made for birds and / or rodents).

Method 4 of 4: Protect yourself from illness

1. Understand the risks. Although transmission is uncommon, wild mice can carry diseases that can make you sick. Search the internet for the level of risk in your area and take precautions to protect yourself. For example, a wild mouse can transmit:
   • Hantavirus.
   • Salmonellosis (bacterial infection).
   • Lyme disease (from ticks).
2. Wash your hands. The best way to avoid transferring bacteria from your mouse is to wash your hands thoroughly after handling it. Avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and any other part of your face until you have washed your hands. Washing with soap and water is best, but if you can't, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
   • Wet your hands.
   • Rub well with soap (any kind of soap is fine).
   • Rub the entire surface of both hands well.
   • Rinse and dry them.
3. Keep the mouse away from your food. The salmonella bacteria, which results in salmonellosis, can be spread by mice. It is therefore important to keep your mouse away from the food you eat.
   • Never let mice walk on the counter or in the pantry.
   • Keep all your food in secure, sealed containers.
4. Remove ticks. If you live in a region where there are many ticks, you should check your mouse for ticks regularly (at least once a week). If you find a tick on your mouse, you need to remove it.
   • Wear rubber gloves.
   • Clean the area with rubbing alcohol (try to stun the tick).
   • Use tweezers to gently pull the tick out of your mouse.
   • Flush the tick down the toilet

Necessities

• Dropper bottle
• 'Milk'
• Baby mouse
• Cage
• Mouse toys
• Soap and water