AboutNatasha Expertise I can answer questions about raising mice and caring for them as pets, with knowledge from my 35 years of having mice as very tame pets, including some breeding. I know about illnesses and problems which have come up in my experience with my mice. I also may be able to use contact with a fancy mouse breeding expert who is a friend (he knows a lot about illnesses too). Right now I have 4 sweet show (fancy) mice named Clara, Brandy, Little Honey and Fluff (who will have the name Clementine when she is big enough for it). My expertise is pretty broad, and I have numerous mouse books to fall back onto.
I want to stress that my advice is about tame mice, which may be very different than advice by someone who breeds rather than lives in the company of mice. This can lead to differences between experts, so be sure you are asking the right person. If I contradict what a breeding expert says, this is why.
Experience I have had mice for 34 years (since I was 5!). I raised them when I was a child but now I keep all females, and never fewer than three so that if one dies the others are not devastated, because they have each other.
Education/Credentials B.A., M.A., M.A. in Linguistics: Yale University and University of Connecticut
Question Yesterday my mother and I opened a construction box and found 3 baby mice sitting alone. I couldn't let them die so we went out and bought formula and have been feeding them every 2 hours and didn't feed them overnight last night. They have a smooth layering of black fur on their backs and their ears move a little but their eyes are not open yet. I was wondering how much formula we should be feeding them and how often. We have a syringe that we have been feeding them with but it seems like that are not getting that much food, yet you can still see the formula in their stomachs. The mice seem very content and we have them in a box with a soft blanket and under the box there is a heating pad set on low. How old would you say the mice are and when exactly do we start giving them mice food and put them in a glass cage. Furthermore once we put them in a cage what bedding do we use and when do we stop feeding the formula? Also if you have any suggestions on how to feed them a little easier let me know!
Thank you so much!!!
Answer Dear Jordan,
Your foundling mice are between 3-7 days old! At 7 days they will have a full coat of fur. At 14 days they open their eyes- then you will know how old they are. When they open their eyes they can be very jumpy, because they have never had vision before, and they are programmed to be terrified of anything from above (you can imagine; predators generally come from above--raptors, felines, canines). With such strong little legs, they weigh almost nothing and can jump up to two feet high. This can be called the flea stage, for obvious reasons; I call it the popcorn stage (Have you ever seen popcorn pop in a pan?). Thus you should have them in a somewhat tall cage (aquarium with good lid) within 6 days from when you found them, using perhaps kleenex for soft bedding but on a layer of wood chips for litter.
You are feeding them the best way you can, but you must feed them more often at night. Mom mouse feeds them every half hour. You have really done a great job overall. Feed them until they don't want to eat anymore. It is also important to ever so gently massage their tummies maybe before and after feedings to get their digestive systems working (Mom licks them thoroughly and constantly). Put a water bottle in the cage immediately but also leave them a small dish of water (small so they can't fall in!) when they begin to eat dry food, until they have figured out the water bottle.
At three weeks they will start to be weaned. Thus introducing seeds and crackers at 2 1/2 weeks is a good idea, but keep offering the formula until they are 3 1/2 weeks. By 4 1/2 weeks you must separate the boys from the girls because the promiscuous little things will mate! Girls have nipples; boys begin to grow what looks like a big butt but it is actually their testicles.
Good luck and have fun. If you read some of my older posts (go to my profile by clicking on my name) you will learn more about baby wild mice and about raising and housing mice in general. The names of the topics are pretty clear.
