Wild Animals/Wild mouse care

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Expert: Jonathan Wright - 11/1/2009


Question
Actually, it's not a question but a clarification.  I was reading your article regarding wild mouse care and wanted to let you know that baby mice, and most rodents, need to be fed Esbilac (puppy milk replacer) preferably, or KMR if Esbilac isn't available.  Crushed up rodent block or wet cat/dog food mixed with water is NOT ok.  Once the babies eyes are open, introducing rodent block crushed into Esbilac in addition to it's pure formula feedings is a good idea and a nice way to start the weaning process.  Cat/dog food isn't recommended.  

Hope this helps in the future.
Sincerely,
Abigail
Coordinator, South Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Answer
Dear Abigail

Thank you for the information. It's useful to have clarification about various questions. When I joined AllExperts, I aimed to answer Wild Animals questions via Science. Unfortunately, this is linked to Pets and Veterinary Care.

I don't know much about either subject, but tried to answer questions by using Search Engines. The problem with this is that I can't tell whether the information is correct or not. I also ended up dealing with problems where the questioner wanted advice that would be best obtained by visiting a vet and it seemed that they were prepared to go to an internet site and wait rather than seek professional help (probably for financial reasons). This is why I am now reluctant to give the kind of advice you mention above, as many of the websites seem contradictory. I have written this at the front of my page, but it seems to be ignored by many people.

I'm sorry if the advice I gave was wrong. I tried to cross-reference the answers, but questions about mice can be difficult, especially as many of the 'mice' are not related and most of the care information is most applicable to the house mouse.

I hope that the information you have given me is available to other users of the Internet.

All the best

Jonathan

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Jonathan Wright

Expertise

I can answer questions about wild mammals and other animals, as well as extinct animals and zoos. I am not an expert about every animal species. I can look up information from books and the internet, but can't verify if all the information is true. Please don't ask questions about: 1. Pets. I am not a vet. Please contact a vet if your pet is ill. You may need to spend some money if you want your pet to live. Don't get a pet if you don't know how to look after it and if you can't provide it with the space, food and possible companions that will help it live a healthy life. Don't take animals from the wild, unless they are ill and/or injured and you can protect them until a wildlife charity can help. It is cruel to take animals from their parents, especially if the parents will look for the babies, while putting their other babies at risk. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals or you may need a licence to look after some species. Please check with a local wildlife group. 2. Eggs: Please don't remove eggs from nests. The mother birds provide the right temperature for the eggs and won't sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If theys aren't fertile, they won't hatch. 3. Fights: Please don't ask about fights between different animals. These questions assume that individuals of two species fight each time they meet and that one species will always be victorious over another. This is untrue. There are cases where a live mouse has been fed to a venomous snake, bitten the snake leading to the snake's demise. 4: Diseases: Please ask doctors or other medical experts about diseases that you may catch from animals. I can't advise on how to deal with viruses, bacteria etc.

Experience

I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
WWF. ZSL. Natural History Museum. RSPB. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' level in Zoology. 'O' Level in Biology.

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