Michael asks…
how to care for newborn baby mice?
Okay, well today I was cleaning a horses stall when I accidentally destroyed a mouses nest. One was dead but the other 4 were alive. I felt terrible for wrecking their home so I decided to try and save them. I know there is a good chance that they won’t make it but I still want to try. I’ve been feeding them kitten milk and I’m keeping them in a box lined with old clothes and have a portable heater set up next to it.
Now, these mice and very very small. They are pink, no fur, and their eyes aren’t open yet. What else should I be doing? How often should I feed them? Do I need to help them go to the bathroom? I know with newborn kittens you need to rub their butt with a warm washcloth to help stimulate their bowels. Should I be doing that? Any advice on how to care for them is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
i’ve already touched them, so the mother wont accept them. And I don’t care if I’m causing more problems in my life. I’m an animal lover and I’m going to try and save these mice if I can. I know the chances of them surviving are slim but as long as they keep fighting I’ll keep caring for them.
well as a matter of fact they’re doing quite well. I called animal control and asked them what to do. they gave me lots of good advice. they are eating on their own and going to the bathroom, both of which are good signs. I’m keeping them warm and feeding them every 2 hours. I couldn’t of left them be because I destroyed their nest. And I was cleaning a horse stall that had to be cleaned, so they had to be moved or the horse would of stepped on them. why are you so negative? I’m trying to do a good thing
The Expert answers:
You will need an orphan kit to start your hand feeding of the pups. Following is a suggested list:
K.M.R. – Kitten Milk Replacement Formula – can be found in pet stores powdered form is best – it is important to dilute the powdered form by twice the recommended amount of water
Syringe – make sure it is the proper size for the formula to go through-non-needle insulin syringes work well
Bedding – paper towels, unscented toilet paper or Kleenex or clean towel with no loose threads (threads could cut off circulation if they got caught around parts of the pup)
Heating pad – put it on the lowest setting – place it under the home – make sure a towel is placed between the pad and the house – check frequently to make sure it does not get too warm – the proper temperature for a nest is 80 degrees – once the pups get to be two and one half weeks, they can maintain their own body temperature better as long as the room is not cold
Q-tips – these will help the pups go to the bathroom – pups cannot do this by themselves, so it is crucial that you help them remove the wastes from the body
Scale – used to determine weight so proper amount of food is given
Feeding instructions – newborns until the eyes open at about two weeks old have to be fed every one to two hours – once the eyes are open, you can feed the pups every three to four hours – a pup should be fed .05 cc per gram of the body weight per feeding – never force feed – be careful not to get the formula in the nose or lungs, as she can easily drown/suffocate – feed from the side of the mouth, and be very patient – it may take awhile for the pup to get used to the syringe – once the eyes are open, you can start to wean her and introduce solid foods such as K.M.R. (one part K.M.R. To two parts water) mixed with white rice or bread – start a water bottle at this point, too – make sure it is low enough for the pup to reach – a shallow bottle top, such as from a human water bottle, can also be used if the mouse water bottle seems too difficult at first for her to use – never use a full size water bowl, as she can drown – between three and one half and four weeks, the pup should be completely weaned
Bathroom – it is extremely important to help the pups go to the bathroom, as they cannot do it by themselves-they will become bloated, blocked up, and die – after the pup is done eating, gently massage her belly with the q-tip – rub very softly until she goes – you can also try dribbling warm water over the genital area, or lightly wipe the area with a warm, moist q-tip or cotton ball – if she does not immediately relieve herself, take a break and try again later but make sure she finally goes
Once the pups eyes are open at around two weeks old you can begin weaning them and cut the feeding to every 3 to 4 hours. Start to introduce solid foods now, and a water bottle. Use a Snapple type lid that is very shallow if the bottle proves too high. For complete details on hand-raising these pups, please see the following:
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/orphanedmice.cfm#handraising
Kudos to you for wanting to save these mice. The world needs more people like you.
(I did read your question thoroughly, by the way, so know you have been able to get them to go potty, which is great. I left the information in my answer on some of the methods to use to help them go on the off chance that someone else reads this in the same situation, and whose pups need help with the task.)
John asks…
What age clothes should i buy up to, to prepare for baby girl?
Im 22 weeks and was just wondering what range of sizes of clothes to buy before my baby girl is born?
Obviously she will need newborn and 0-3months sizes, but is it worth getting much 3-6 months or bigger so i am prepared and dont have to pay out as much when she gets bigger?
Any advice plz as im clueless its my 1st babby.
If it helps i have so far bought:
* 3 vests – newborn
* 3 vests – 0-3 months
* 8 bodysuits 0-3 months
* 2 outfits 0-3 months
* socks – newborn 2 packs and 0-3months 2 packs
* set of 3 tops longsleeved 3-6 months
* pjamas – 3-6 months
* 1 pair of stretchy jeans – 0-3 months
Also, what is most urgent to buy next please as im on a budget and trying to spread out the cost! xx
Sorry huni i havnt given you thumbs down i dont even know how you do that i think its other people who have nothing better to do? x
Thanls for everyones help. x
Lindsay im due really near you, on july 10th!! x
The Expert answers:
They grow fast. A little of each, and if they are a little big it won’t matter as much before she starts crawling anyway.
Nancy asks…
Making newborn gift set, what should I put in it?
Hey all!
My dear cousin is having her baby shower on Sunday. This will be her third child, but first boy. I recently had a little boy and I’ve given her all of his baby clothes.
I cannot show up empty handed so I have decided to make her a gift basket. I know she needs essentials like bottles, pacifiers, etc.
So far I’ve thought about the following:
1. bottles
2. pacifiers
3. blanket
4. baby book
5. teddy bear
Anything else I should include or omit?
Thanks in advance!
The Expert answers:
Heyaa I Was Thinking Maybe:
– Powder
– Lotions
– Baby Oil
– Diapers
– Rattles
– Baby Socks or Baby Booties
– Photo Frame
– Baby Scrap Book
– Baby Cutlery Set
– Some Baby Food (Fruityy Stuff Maybe)
– Baby Hat
– A Cute Little Music Box
– Changing Bag
Hope I Helped 🙂 x
Carol asks…
The day is almost here, my niece is going to have her baby soon is there anything I forgot?
since my niece is still a child herself, she’s 14 and I am her legal gardian i’ve taken it upon myself to make sure she has everything she needs for the baby. (i’ve made her take responsibility too, but there are many things she hasn’t even thought about, like breastfeeding, and diapers… I now scary about the be a mom and doesn’t “have time” to think about all that)
So I did an inventory of everything she has for the baby tell me if we forgot something:
Crib with 7 sets of sheets, bumber, and secure sleeper
20 cases of “7th generation baby” biodegradable diapers (in newborn and stage 1 sizes)
diaper genie
manual breast pump
2 diaper bags
13 glass pre-boiled bottles with nipples
2 cases of Vermont Organics DHA Soy Based Organic Infant Formula (6 cans in each case, if she decides not to breastfed)
1 to go pack of Huggies baby wipes with aloe
2 large boxes of generic baby wipes
6 baby wipe refills
5 carsets, 1 unbrella stroller, 1 big stroller, and 1 portable crib (car seats for my car, dad’s car, my wife’s car, my mom’s car, and 1 extra)
a mountain of baby clothing including socks and pajamas
1 baby bean bag sleeper thing (don’t know how to describe it)
a toy box 1/2 full of baby toys
emergancy baby kit with bandaids, butt-thermometer, ear-thermometer, and binkie thermometer, oh and some baby tylonal and other stuff too.
A baby bathtub
baby soaps and rags,
cloth diapers
and
squeeky socks
The Expert answers:
Something that comes to mind is…does she have everything for the birth and delivery too? Just a side note 🙂
if she plans to breastfeed, www.kellymom.com is GREAT
a swing….an infant carrier- like Ergo, or a sling.
A night light
….butt cream for the baby
bottles for the pump, with lids
just make sure she has everything for the delivery ( gatorade, socks, about a 4-6 weeks stash of feminine pads for at home, etc.)
Thomas asks…
Minimalist Mamas…what is TRULY necessary for a newborn?
We will be living in a 5th-wheel because my husband moves around constantly because of his job so we are trying to avoid getting things we can really go without.
Things I know we WILL need:
Carseat (we are getting a Britax Marathon, I have no desire to lug her around everywhere in her carseat so I’d rather just get one that stays in the car and use a sling the rest of the time)
Sling and Mei Tai, since I’m going to wear her most of the time
Cloth Diapers
Diaper Bag, portable roll up Changing Pad
Baby Clothes
Things I’m considering NOT getting:
Stroller…we’ll probably wait on that until she’s walking and just get an umbrella stroller since I plan to wear her until then. The ones appropriate for an infant are way too big to store in a trailer.
Crib…we plan to cosleep (with all the proper safety precautions) and there’s no room for one anyway.
Bottles…I’m planning to exclusively breastfeed. If I decide to pump I can always go get a pump & store set later.
Baby Monitor…it’s a trailer. Nowhere I can’t hear her.
What can you add to my list? What other things would you consider absolutely necessary and what items are often considered “standard” but can reasonably be done without?
Please note that we are more concerned with space than cost.
We also are not interested in introducing pacifiers…we can always run to Wal-Mart and get one if we change our minds, but I’d rather not add one more thing we’ll just have to wean her off of later.
Ooh, forgot about the Boppy. Good reminder. I am planning on getting a boppy to prop her head up when she’s on the floor playing and to help with tummy time, plus a My Brest Friend nursing pillow since I’ve heard they work better than the boppy for nursing.
Also planning on getting one of those gyms with the activity mat because they fold/roll up pretty compactly. Not sure about the swing though…that’s a pretty big space hog. I might wait on that and decide after she’s born.
Keep in mind everything we have to “set up” is going to basically block the hallway as long as it’s up, and even though they fold up a pack & play takes up way too much room for our situation since our storage space is so limited.
The good thing is that we’ll be in Texas where we can have a lot of outside time most of the year since it’s warm.
We’re using BumGenius 3.0 cloth dipes so covers are not needed, but thanks for the reminder on the wet bag and clothesline.
The Expert answers:
Your list sounds perfect to me! We had waaaay too much junk with my daughter – whenever number two gets here, we’ll have pretty much what’s on your list, and nothing more. Other than a few toys, the only other thing I can recommend is getting several types of slings/carriers, so that you have different options as baby gets bigger and so that if you don’t like one, you have another one to try. For the cloth diapers, you might also want to get a wetbag and a clothesline (if you don’t already have one for your other laundry).
Good luck and congrats on the new baby!
ETA: You’ll love your bumGenius! That’s what my little one has on in my avatar!
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