Wild Animals/Baby field mice

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Expert: Tara - 5/19/2007


Question
Hi my fiance and I recently found 3 baby mice after my dad cleaned out the tiller.....We were hoping the mom would come back for them...she never did. We decided to try and nurse them to health...We have had them for a week one now, However one died last night. We were so sad because we thought they were all doing so well. I really wish I could have saved him :( Anyway we still have 2 that seem to be doing well. I was just wondering what are our odds of keeping them alive?, as we have grown quite attached to them. We feed them KRM every few hours and keep them in a padded box on a heating pad. Also what is a field mouse life expectancy? I would gladly take any advice on keeping them alive. I cant wait for them to get big so i can create a mouse paradise for them:) People keep telling us were crazy, but I really don't care, I love animals more than people most of the time.

Answer
Hi there! I hope your baby mice are doing well.

I would gradually switch them ot Esbilac

here is a site for you - it may help:
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm

I am not sure why one died - there could be many reasons. It may have aspirated. They are so tiny & it is very easy to aspirate them.

Please let me know if you would like some additional info after checking out the site. I hope it helps you! good luck!

(Thanks to all the websites I have directed people to!!)

Wild Animals

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Tara

Expertise

I can get an answer to most questions. If I don't know, I try to find out;) Feel free to ask additional questions if you need to. I can better answer questions about North American species - but will try to find answers to other questions.

Experience


Experience in the area:
Vet Tech

licensed wildlife rehabilitator

My website:
www.cjcrittercareneducation.org

Join My YahooGroup: (new)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JnTsWildlifeFrenz

Organizations:
NWRA, CWRA, PAWR, NYSWRC

Education/Credentials:
Associates in Applied Science, going for a Bachelors this fall & attend wildlife seminars each year.


PLEASE READ:

AFTER SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS, I AM NOT GOING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR AWHILE SORRY. I GIVE YOU ALL THE BEST ANSWERS I CAN, OR WHAT **I** FEEL IS RELEVANT - IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY ANSWER, DON'T ASK ME. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RATE ME OR ANYTHING THAT IS AN OPTION. HOWEVER, TO GIVE ME LOW NUMBERS BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET THE ANSWER YOU WANT IS JUST MEAN. I DO THIS FREE & FOR YOU. MAYBE YOU SHOULD BE MORE APPRECIATIVE. YOU CAN ALWAYS GO ASK A VET OR FIND A REHABBER IN YOUR AREA AND NOT ASK ME! I love studying & learning about animals. I had to add to my profile, even though I love to help you & try to find you answers, please don't criticize because you don't get the answer you want. I do the best I can & I do a lot of research on some of my answers. I do the research online that anyone can do & it some time will take me a considerable amount of time. I have noticed many people don't read the replies!! Please at least READ your reply if you are going to ask a question. I would like you to rate the answer too, but of course, you don't have to.

In addition, I have answered a few questions now repeatedly, please look at past answers. There is also another person here that answers bunny questions. She has great info & is EXTREMELY knowledgeable.

I am a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Part of my job is to try & help educate people. It is also to try & encourage people to do the right thing to help animals - this is hard for people to understand. If you find TRUE injured/abandoned wildlife, the best thing to do is to take them to a wildlife rehabilitator or call one. It is easier for you to call a rehabber in your area, because they are familiar with your area, etc. They will be able to talk to you & see what steps need to be taken. We do not tell you to leave the baby alone to make you sad. We make the best decision from what we are told for the best chance for the baby.

WITH that said, I know it is not always possible, and I will give advice. I am sorry if you do not like the advice I gave/give you. I just want you to know that I need to refer you to a rehabber & I will, because that is what is best for the animal. Imagine how much it breaks my heart because someone brings me a wild bunny their cat caught? To have die for me an hour or so later? I try to save others that heartbreak by trying to get them to a rehabber. Some rehabbers get "lucky" and can save some bunnies/birds/etc that have been attacked by cats, dogs or other animals.

I would really love for each of you to visit my website.

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