# Orphaned baby mice



## JennBell (Sep 16, 2010)

My cousin just called b/c her and her boyfriend found 2 baby mice. She said they are furry and still have closed eyes, just curious if I could try putting them with my momma rat and her litter and see if she will be a surrogate for them?


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

i did the exact same thing when i had hampsters and found 1 little mousy baby. my dad rubbed a tiny bit of vicks vapor rub on the moms nose and by the time the smell wore off the momma couldnt even tell there was a mouse in her litter. the baby hampsters scents rubbed off on the baby mouse disgusing it as one of them


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Rats are a little different, The risk is to high that mama rat will kill the baby mice :/
Try going to a pet store and asking if they have any Pregnant mice that could be a surrogate mom.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

I believe it depends on the mom.... my doe Lucy will foster anything, she has even tried to nurse a bub after it passed. I wouldn't give them to a pet store though, esp if they are possibly wild - pet stores aren't going to care about placing them with someone who can handle them. You could try see if your mom is interested in them, or hand feed them.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I did not mean to leave them at the store, I meant to ask if they have a nursing mom for sale to take home.
Also putting Vapor rub on any rodents nose is probably a really bad idea.
They have such sensitive lungs :/


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Oh okay I get you, wouldn't they charge you for her and all the babies though? 

Yeah I agree Vicks rub is not safe for rats. If you want to try a scent thing like that use Vanilla extract and put in on the babies rump, moms shoulders and on her babies rumps... not directly on their noses.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

also the reason i didnt meantion pet store are these reason.

1. sell them as feeder pups
2. try to sell you a nursing mom and her WHOLE litter (i had that happen... they tried to sell them each at $2.50 and mom at $3.00)
3. turn you down completely


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## JennBell (Sep 16, 2010)

I told her to just try to leave them alone for right now and see if the mom comes back. I really don't want to risk exposing any of my ratties to wild mice. Esp since I have the new litter right now and since I still have all my rats except 2 quarantined still and I don't really have the space or spare cage for more. I already have my 2 standard females in my room, My two dumbo hairless boys in my kitchen, and my pair of dumbos in their separate tanks in my living room. My dumbo boy has another two weeks before I'm going to introduce him to the hairless boys and I'll be waiting until after my litter is weaned before introducing all my females and then eventually the new boys to the males. I'll be putting the 3 boys in a ferret cage and all my girls in my 3 story rat cage (4 1/2 x 3 x 18in) According to the cage calculator it can hold around 10 so I'm hoping that with the 3 females I have and any of the babies I keep I'll have plenty of room.


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## lilangel (Mar 26, 2009)

Elizabethm said:


> http://www.ratfanclub.org/resp.html
> 
> i chose this section from this website to bold.
> 
> *A product called VetRx or FerretRx can help in some cases. It is aromatherapy that works by stimulating deeper breathing and contains Canada balsam, camphor, oil origanum, and oil Rosemary. The best results seem to come by putting a few drops in the nest box or on the bedding where it will be inhaled 2-3 times a day. Do not rub it on your rat’s nose as this seems to cause discomfort for some rats. When using it, try alternating one week on, one week off. It seems to cause irritation if used continuously. Look for these product in pet shops and feed stores. Another essential oil that can help is eucalyptus, or you can use Vicks Vaporub.*


I would never ever put vicks on any rodent >.< that stuff burns the nose even with humans if inhaled enough. Do not always trust what "Debbie the rat lady" says she even shows how to put to sleep rats at home witch her way is INHUMANE.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

I also thought I should mention that quarantine is pretty pointless unless you do it in a totally different air space and blow your nose, change clothes, shower, clean under nails and wait three hours between visiting each cage. And mice couldn't pass anything onto rats, the majority of things even parasites are species specific. 

But you do have your hands full, if mom doesn't come back soon don't leave the babies for too long. They will get cold and hungry quick. Are there any wildlife rescues in the area?


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## JennBell (Sep 16, 2010)

She texted me this morning and said they were gone so I'm assuming the mom moved them. We don't have a wildlife rescue in our area. I drove 2 hours to get to the nearest exotic rescue where I got my hairless boys. I only wash my hands between handling the my ratties but I'm still glad they were quarantined considering the dumbos both were infested with lice when I got them and my other 4 are fine.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Hopefully it was momma mouse who took them back home


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## JennBell (Sep 16, 2010)

They are mixed in with my babies right now, they are about the 1/3rd of the size and fully furred with eyes closed they had just craweled away the first time I guess. I figured I would give them a chance with my momma and so far she hasn't touched them but my cousin didn't get here with them until right after feeding time so they are just cuddled up with all her babies. I guess we will know by morning.


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## JennBell (Sep 16, 2010)

Well, The first feeding was pretty traumatic to watch. Both baby mice nursed and got nice full bellies and it went fine until it was their turn to be cleaned then they freaked out and bolted from the moms nest prompting her to chase after them and grab them up to clean them. I would say that it looks like she has claimed them as her own. Although it was hard to watch while she was cleaning them b/c it was hard to tell if she was attacking them or not, but I'm sure from her point of view having her newborn babies run away was pretty traumatic for her. Well I hope it goes well those little guys are tiny and this is probably their only hope. They are pretty wild already.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Hopefully they will do well in with your momma. If she let them nurse and feed then thats a good sign. Its amazing how much instinct those bubs had to run away even while their eyes are closed. A baby rat wouldn't do that lol.


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