Advice on young wild mice please.

[Uncle_Filthster]

You could always gas them, freeze them and send them to me for my snake. Snake food is damn expensive!

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Filthster

You could always gas them, freeze them and send them to me for my snake. Snake food is damn expensive!

nice - alternatively you could just kill the snake and eat it , it tastes like chicken apparently

[paulinemiller10]

I would keep them untill they are big enough to fend for themselves, and then let them go somewhere safe, and throw some peanuts, bird seed and any scraps to keep them going while they make homes for themselves, I have woodmice at the bottom of my garden, I leave seeds and nuts, and I have been doing this for a few years now, and I still don t have many, they are finding it hard to survive. Pauline.

[SueR]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Filthster

You could always gas them, freeze them and send them to me for my snake. Snake food is damn expensive!

Got a better idea!Icould gas you,release your snake,steal your house and fill it with homeless mice!!!

[Uncle_Filthster]

You're welcome to but it would cost you a flight to America seeing as he's a corn snake

I would have no qualms about scranning snake, get a nice belt from it at the end of the day too, need to build him up on mice first though

Some people have no sense of humour

[Lynda Vet Nurse]

Last week, I was given a nest of fieldmice that had lost their mother. I would estimate they wold have been about 10 days old, as their eyes were still tight shut. I have been handfeeding them watered down kitten milk through a pipette, every two hours, on average, with one feed through the night. All four babies have now opened their eyes, and are charging about the cage, and are all eating solid food. I will have to sex them soon, as they can breed from 3 weeks old. As a vet nurse, I have had experience in handrearing, but it's not rocket science. All you need is a little patience, and a lot of time!
I hope your ones got on ok? What did you do with them? They would have virtually no chance of surviving alone in the wild if the eyes were not open, and the ears starting to stick out. This happens around 15 days, and they start to see and hear much more clearly. If they were as passive as you stated, it is likely they did not see or hear too well.
I'm happy to give anyone any advice on either wild or domestic animals, if needed.

[jaybeebee]

I have found what i think is a baby vole(its only about 3cm long, but its eyes are open and its furry) and taken it home as it looked like it was hurt. Since i've fed it a bit (with hamster food) its perked up considerably.

Should i release it or wait till its bigger? Also until i release it what should i feed it and give it for bedding? Its got a pile of grass and some hamster food at the moment!

[Lynda Vet Nurse]

Originally Posted by jaybeebee

I have found what i think is a baby vole(its only about 3cm long, but its eyes are open and its furry) and taken it home as it looked like it was hurt. Since i've fed it a bit (with hamster food) its perked up considerably.

Should i release it or wait till its bigger? Also until i release it what should i feed it and give it for bedding? Its got a pile of grass and some hamster food at the moment!

That would depend on what makes you think it was hurt? Quite possibly, it could be in shock. I would normally keep it in a plastic airholed box, with a warm hot water bottle underneath the box. Alternatively, you could keep it beside a radiator for the night. If the eyes are open, and the ears are protruding slightly from the head, it would likely survive outside. Find somewhere cat free if possible, and release in the early morning. Its a good idea to provide cover, if you could release it near a shed it could hide under, that would be ideal.
Hamster food is a great idea though, well done! Try a piece of apple, to give some moisture. If you feel unsure about releasing so early, you could try some kitten milk, diluted with the same amount of warm water in an eyedropper, and offer this to the beastie. Often, it only takes once for them to learn they get milk from the dropper.
Ordinary kitchen roll torn into strips is great for bedding, and will absorb moisture.

[LUCE]

My dad was sorting out our compost heap yesterday and he found a little baby brown mouse. He thought it was hurt so he brought it inside and we are keeping it in a small plastic container. The mouse has a a newspaper bed, a little bit of water in a bottle cap and various types of soft food because we dont know what baby mice eat or if he has strong enough teeth!

I was wondering if someone could give me some advice as to what he might like?
I'm not even sure if he should still be having milk, how can i tell?
Hes about half the size of a golf ball, hes fluffy and his eyes are openish.. his ears arn't really sticking out.
We are going to raise him, with as little human contact as possible and release him back into the wild when hes abit older.

Thankyou!

[LUCE]

Anyone????