any rodent lovers?

ilovemysnake · 04-09-14, 09:57 PM

I know alot of you guys breed mice. so thats why im asking you.

my mom went to work today and one of the guys at her work found a mouse.
she decided to bring it home.

so now we have a mouse.
I know nothing about mice.. expect my snakes seem to really enjoy them.

well (s)hes small, covered in gray fur. about the size of a quarter + nickel together.
one eyes open, the other looks glued shut.

I have him/her in one of those plastic animal enclosures until i can get the 5 gallon out of storage.
shredded newspaper and ripped up cotton balls. toilet paper tube with cotton balls in it.
food bowl with wild harvest mice food, and a water bowl.

If anyone has any advice it would be appreciated. im not really sure how old (s)he is.

Teal · 04-09-14, 10:05 PM

Keep it fairly warm.. young rodents tend to go back to their litters/mothers to keep warm until they're old enough to really fend for themselves. If one eye is still shut, there are two probable reasons - 1) The baby is still young and both eyes haven't opened yet, or 2) It is infected.

Can you post pictures? That will help determine age. If the baby's eyes are just opening, it would still be nursing off its mother and if you want to keep it alive you need to give it milk (I can give you more details on that if that ends up being the case (

. If its eye is infected, you can take a warm moist q-tip and gently wipe the eye.

ilovemysnake · 04-09-14, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teal

Keep it fairly warm.. young rodents tend to go back to their litters/mothers to keep warm until they're old enough to really fend for themselves. If one eye is still shut, there are two probable reasons - 1) The baby is still young and both eyes haven't opened yet, or 2) It is infected.

Can you post pictures? That will help determine age. If the baby's eyes are just opening, it would still be nursing off its mother and if you want to keep it alive you need to give it milk (I can give you more details on that if that ends up being the case (

. If its eye is infected, you can take a warm moist q-tip and gently wipe the eye.

Teal, I can take a photo and upload to my snakes facebook.
my laptop doesnt allow me to upload photos to the forum.

ilovemysnake · 04-09-14, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teal

Keep it fairly warm.. young rodents tend to go back to their litters/mothers to keep warm until they're old enough to really fend for themselves. If one eye is still shut, there are two probable reasons - 1) The baby is still young and both eyes haven't opened yet, or 2) It is infected.

Can you post pictures? That will help determine age. If the baby's eyes are just opening, it would still be nursing off its mother and if you want to keep it alive you need to give it milk (I can give you more details on that if that ends up being the case (

. If its eye is infected, you can take a warm moist q-tip and gently wipe the eye.

i have uploaded the photo.

Teal · 04-09-14, 11:41 PM

She's definitely young. Keep her nice and warm - I put young ones near to an oscillating heater so it's not on them constantly but they don't get cold. Have you seen her eat? If not, you can get a can of kitten formula and a small pair brush and see if she will suckle. But if she is still on milk, she needs to eat every 2-3 hours.

ilovemysnake · 04-09-14, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teal

She's definitely young. Keep her nice and warm - I put young ones near to an oscillating heater so it's not on them constantly but they don't get cold. Have you seen her eat? If not, you can get a can of kitten formula and a small pair brush and see if she will suckle. But if she is still on milk, she needs to eat every 2-3 hours.

whats a pair brush?

Sharlynn93 · 04-10-14, 02:10 AM

I think it was supposed to be paint brush...

Primal Rage · 04-10-14, 04:44 AM

Not big into mice but... I LOVE flying squirrels!! Here is a pic of a pair that used to own ME.

formica · 04-10-14, 09:18 AM

glass and plastic enclosures will very quickly turn into septic tanks full of ammonia, it needs a properly ventilated cage for rodents, or it will die a nasty death

Teal · 04-10-14, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovemysnake

whats a pair brush?

Ahh sorry, was supposed to be paint brush... I'm replying from my phone and it has interesting theories about autocorrect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

glass and plastic enclosures will very quickly turn into septic tanks full of ammonia, it needs a properly ventilated cage for rodents, or it will die a nasty death

At this age, it needs to be in an enclosure that will keep it warm. Moving a solitary young mouse into a drafty enclosure too soon will cause a chill and death... which I unfortunately learned the hard way ):

ilovemysnake · 04-10-14, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teal

Ahh sorry, was supposed to be paint brush... I'm replying from my phone and it has interesting theories about autocorrect.

At this age, it needs to be in an enclosure that will keep it warm. Moving a solitary young mouse into a drafty enclosure too soon will cause a chill and death... which I unfortunately learned the hard way ):

I Fed him at 12:30 with the paint brush, rubbed his tummy to get his digestive tract going. I'll feed him again at 2:30.

His one eye is still closed, looks crusty no matter how much i tried to clean it up.

Looks like i'm going to have a one eyed little mouse!

Teal · 04-10-14, 02:24 PM

Hmm... Give it a few days. Maybe it will clear up?

**Tsubaki** · 04-11-14, 07:12 AM

Mice are highly social creatures and should not be kept alone, after being hand fed they don't survive in nature anymore. It's nice that you want to save this mouse, just want to prevent it from suffering in solitude. Would you see yourself getting a friend/girlfriend for this little guy/girl?

ilovemysnake · 04-11-14, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

Mice are highly social creatures and should not be kept alone, after being hand fed they don't survive in nature anymore. It's nice that you want to save this mouse, just want to prevent it from suffering in solitude. Would you see yourself getting a friend/girlfriend for this little guy/girl?

Depends on the sex. I know two bucks shouldnt be together. And I dont want babies. I dont have enough snakes for all the babies to go around.

Also hes house mouse. I dont know of the mice in pet stores will get along with him

Will0W783 · 04-11-14, 01:29 PM

Honestly, you should be contacting a wildlife rescue in your area. These places exist for the purpose of taking in injured or abandoned wildlife that people find. A wild mouse is NOT a good pet; they can carry many diseases and parasites and, as this one is a baby, it is very fragile and should be in the hands of professionals who know what care to give it.

Here is a link to the PA Wildlife Rehabilitators website. It will help you find a rehab center in your area:
Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators