Baby mouse -- chance of survival?

[koda]

So I thought I'd pick up a mouse from the pet store. I've had them in the past. When I got home and looked in the box, though, it was a little fuzzy-- one of the feeder ones. Its eyes were shut tight and it was shaking a lot.

I've been feeding it kitten formula milk out of an eyedropper with a small curved tip. It didn't really like this at first, but now it puts its paws on it and its mouth around the tip to drink the milk. I'm not sure exactly how much to feed it, but I've been doing so every two hours except when I'm asleep-- I'm always worried that it will need food during the night but I sleep very heavily and physically cannot wake up every two hours to feed it.

After I feed it I have been trying to rub its tummy with a cotton ball. It has pooped a few times, but usually rubbing its tummy seems to do nothing.

One thing that really worried me is that all its fur started falling out. Just little patches at first, and then all over so that it only had a few scarce little patches of hair left. It looks like it might be starting to regrow a little, but maybe not-- I could just be imagining it.

Its eyes are still usually shut, but sometimes they will open for a little while and then he will keep them shut again afterwards. He is still shaky when he walks most of the time.

I've read online that raising a baby mouse like this has about a 25% chance of survival? I'm on my third night with him now, and when I talked to the pet store lady she was very surprised that he was still alive, but said he will probably still die.

When I am awake and not at work I usually keep him in my hand. He curls up and rolls around and seems to like it in my hand. When I put him back in his box he has stuff to cover up with but usually doesn't use it-- he will usually just sit on top of it and shake. It is fairly warm in my bedroom, though, but when I take him out he usually feels a little cold.

I was just curious if anyone had any insight on what his chances of survival might be, and how long I'll need to have him before I can rest easy that he's "made it". I don't know how old he is but he is very small.

Thanks....

[Georgia163]

Aww, it seem that you are doing all you can. I would say with your care it'll pull through. Maybe try a hotwater bottle wrapped in a towel, that works well to keep them warm.
Keep us posted, i hope he pulls through.

[Georgia163]

*seems

[mulder]

one tip i'll share, though you're doing everything else right (great job!!) is with baby mice, you need to rub their genitals not their tummy. when they're done eating you might see a "milk band" on their tummy. thats when you can see their full milk tummy through their skin. to stimulate waste removal put warm water on a cottonball then rub the genitals, it simulates the moms tongue licking them. keep up the good work!!

[Skratikans]

feed as often as possible..every 2hrs...and always keep them warm..it's really all you can do..i feed mine with a dropper..very hard work....but you will have much more success with ones that have fur vs pinkies...I have once successfully raised a pinkie rat, and she is now my two year old Constantine

[koda]

Fourth day seems to be going well... he seems a little less shaky and seems to have a bit more energy.

I am curious, should I be giving him water? Through the eyedropper? Or just the kitten milk? And when is it safe to give him solid food? :o

[mulder]

water i think is covered when you feed the milk. the solid food won't come for another few weeks i think

[koda]

Baby mouse is still going, but lately he's been having a bit of diarrhea. I'm not sure how to adjust his diet to accomodate, because all I've been giving him is the kitten formula... one time I gave him a bit of bread soaked in the kitten formula, and he ate a bit, but it was a very very small amount.

[TruelyRatCrazy]

Ok you seem to be doing quite well but there are a few things that need to be said.
I have been raising pinky and fuzzy wild field mice for a bit now that are given to me by a friend who runs an animal rehab center but she simply has no time for them. Im not calling myself an expert because im not but I do know a few things.
1. Are you keeping a heating pad on him/her? That could be why the little guy is shaking. The babies need their mother's warmth to survive and a heat pad put half on and half off the cage (or whatever you have him in). Put the heating pad under the cage at LOW. If the cage still doesn't warm up you may have to set it at medium but check it very often so you dont over heat baby.
2. Put small stuffed animal in with the baby, this will make him feel more secure. Always make sure it isn't to big where he could suffocate himself or get strangled if the plushie has hair.
3. ALWAYS feed the babie at night. Set your alarm clock and try anything to get yourself awake at least every 2 hours! You need to do this and try the best you can or baby will die.
4. Dont ever feed the baby too fast. Only get a drop and let him suckle it. Be very carful not to get to much in his mouth at once or baby could get aspirated which means the some of the milk spils over into his lungs and most babies dont pull through that and even if they do they will have problems when the age.

Please follow these carful and your baby could pull through and grow back some of that hair! =)

[koda]

Thanks a lot for the insight, I really appreciate it.

I'm on day 6 with the mouse now, and his eyes have been open for the last couple days. He is indeed regrowing his hair. =) (I say 'he', but I don't actually know if it's male or female). So I assume the mouse is probably about two weeks old?

I have a couple new questions now, though.

The mouse seems to have lost interest completely in milk from the eyedropper. When I put him by it he'll investigate, but after a little taste he doesn't want anything to do with it. So I assume that means that he's weaning... I bought some mouse food but it's way too big and hard for him to eat, so that's pretty much useless right now.

What I've been doing is taking a bit of white bread and pouring a little bit of the kitten formula milk ontop of it so that the bread becomes soggy. When I put this in front of him he seems to nibble and eat at it. He likes it, and it's the only thing I can think of that he will eat... but he doesn't seem to eat very much at a time.

Should I still be feeding him every two hours?

Do I need to give him water now? I bought a bigger house for him... I was previously keeping him in one of the medium sized clear plastic 'critter keeper' things, and now he's in the large one. I bought a water bottle and put it in, but he can't really reach it and he doesn't know how to use it. Is it important that he figures this out right away? Or does he not really need to be drinking water yet? I tried to give him some water on my fingertip and he wasn't too interested.

About how long will I need to feed him this soggy bread (or a better alternative) until he's ready to eat solid solid food?

Is there anything else I need to know about this stage in his development?

Thanks so much.

[TruelyRatCrazy]

Well if his eyes have only been open a few days, you should still be feeding him milk as the mother would be. If he doesn't seem interested, well if at first you dont suceed try and try again. =)
The milk and bread seems to be working for you though so if you absolutly con't get him to suckle from the eye dropper, try to get him to drink as much from the bread as you can (without over feeding him).
I currently have a female mouse and her babie and it seems they are at about the same stage your little guy is at so that might help. They are still getting milk from their mommy, Pineapple though.
Also, are you arming up the milk? That might be why he isn't interested. Dont warm it up in the microwave though as it can get to hot, hold it under hot water and drip it on your skin as if you were warming a baby human's bottle. If you feel cold, warm it up more. If you feel hot, cool it down again. If you dont feel anything at all when you drip it on your skin, its perfect! =D

[Brittney]

Another thing you can try is to soak like the mouse pellets in water and see if he will eat any of it