Can Baby Mice Survive Without Their Mom? (Here’s What You Can Do)
Want to know – Can baby mice survive without their mom if they’ve been abandoned for some reason and left to fend for themselves?
Baby mice are very vulnerable when left to fend for themselves. It depends just how young they are, but chances are they will not survive without their mom’s – but there are some things you can do to help.
If the mice have just been born they will need some care within hours to stay alive, so you need to act quickly.
If their eyes are open and they have fur they are likely 11 or so weeks and older. At this stage, they are easier to look after but still need your assistance.
There are a few main things you will need to do to help orphaned mice survive. These are; providing warm and safe shelter, feeding them, and stimulating them to pass urine and poop.
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Helping Orphaned Mice with No Mom
If you’ve come across some abandoned mice, the first thing you need to do is scoop them up safely and carefully check them for any obvious injuries, laboured breathing, and so on.
If you have any concerns or don’t think you can take care of them, take them to a vet or pet rescue centre.
It’s not worth getting stressed or struggling. It’s not an easy task caring for baby mice, but it’s incredibly rewarding if you’re up for it.
There are a number of reasons why we need to help orphaned or baby mice:
- Sometimes a female will have a litter too large, and it’s necessary to separate one or more of the mice to ensure they live.
- Some females can become aggressive towards their young or reject them. Again, you’ll need to intervene if either of these is happening.
- You may find mice abandoned for some reason. I’ve heard of people finding mice on their doorstep, in a box or bag in their shed, somewhere in their homes, and so on.
Stimulating Baby Mice to Pee and Poop
If a mother was looking after the baby mice they would lick their private areas to stimulate them to pee and poop.
By using a damp cloth, cotton pad, or similar you can replicate this sensation. Do this when you first find the mice, and after every feed.
It’s easier to show you than explain in words. This video should help:
Feeding Baby Mice
Ideally, they will have fed on their mother’s milk for at least the first 48 hours. This milk is called Colostrum, and it’s rich in nutrients and antibodies that babies need in those first hours to build up their immune system.
It’s best to check with your pet store or an exotic pet specialist to see what they recommend depending on the age of the mice.
They will likely recommend some formula, or a kitten/puppy milk replacement. You’re going to need a small syringe to feed babies, some patience, and to feed them fairly often throughout the day.
How Often Do Baby Mice Need to Be Fed?
You should be keeping a close eye on the mice and acting as per their needs or under the guidance of a vet.
As a general rule of thumb, however, here is a table outlining how often you can expect to feed baby mice.
| Age | Feeds Per Day | Frequency of Feed |
|---|---|---|
| <1 Week | 7-8 | Every 1-2 hours and once overnight |
| 1-2 Weeks | 5-6 | Every 3-4 hours and once overnight |
| 2-3 Weeks | 3-4 | Every 4-5 hours |
| 4-5 Weeks | 2-3 | You can introduce crushed mice food blocks |
| 6-7 Weeks | 1 | Crushed mice food blocks and start introducing other foods |
Giving Baby Mice a Nice Nest
All you need is a heating pad and some materials. An old t-shirt or blanket is perfect for making a nest they can snuggle up in.
A heat pad is very important to help keep the mice warm. Just set it to low and keep it under some of the bedding so it doesn’t come into contact with their skin directly.
Keep all the mice together, make sure they can’t escape or crawl away from the nest, keep an eye on them as often as possible and I’m sure they’ll be fine.
That’s all the basics you’ll need to know about helping orphaned mice survive and stay healthy.
As long as you have the time, patience, and plenty of love to give, I’m sure you’ll do just fine if you’re caring for oprhaned mice as their new mom!
About The Author
Phil
I have kept pet mice for a number of years and always had a fascination with these interesting, fun little creatures. I'm always looking for new and interesting mice related information and will always help other mice owners where possible.
Hello phill
My name is emily i found some mice in a cabinet of my home one has their eyes open and the pther 2 dont they have lots of fer they are grey with white feet and bellys . Their was 4 now their are 3 one died in its sleep im not aure why or how we barried it in back yard by our belovid chihuahua we lost last year . Any insite to help me raise these babys and keep them alive feeding and anything would help thank you!!
I caught a field mouse last week in a live trap in my home. Well she was Prego. Gave birth to four babies. Came home today n she was dead. I now have four babies about a week old. I am hoping I can keep them alive
I’m sure that they will be able to survive if you temporarily feed them either evaporated milk or goat milk until you can purchase puppy milk replacement 🙂 I also recommend a heating pad, or anything that can keep them as warm as 70 degrees warm.
Hey, I’m not Phil but I’m here to help! Are you feeding them puppy milk replacement, evaporated milk, or finally goat milk? They need one of these three to survive. At the stage when they all have their eyes open they can begin to eat soft human food or specific animal food such as cat food in small pellets etc. Are you putting them on a heating pad to keep them warm? That would be best, even though that’s more so for the younger stages.
I just found 5 baby mice and there eyes arent open yet and I wanna make sure they dont die but I cant get anything that I dont already have at home due to the quarantine. What do I do?
Hey there! You can always order some special puppy replacement milk online. Whatever you do, make sure that you’re not giving them two percent milk. I had four baby mice two days ago that died of lack of nutrition and I feel terrible. If you do give them warmed up milk then they will gradually start to get weaker and weaker and eventually their organs will shut down and they will die. If they are older than about a week than they will be easier to take care of. Mine were only about 1-3 days old.
Do you have goat milk? Or even regular milk to make evaporated milk? That would be best to give the babies instead of regular milk for it will make them sick and cause them to die slowly. I also recommend putting them on a heating pad with the temperature up to 75 to 80° warm. Chances are they’ll have a hard time adapting to the goat milk or evaporated milk recipe, so it’s best if you could pick up some puppy milk replacement. And even so, that lacks the essential nutrients that their mother’s milk can offer 🙂 I’m praying for you and your fur babies ?
Hello. Thanks for all your info. Can you help set my mind at ease about disease in wild mice? I have 3 orphans, eyes closed but with full fur. I’ve been caring for them as there are lots of resources online for how to do so, but there are also a lot of warnings about wild mice carrying disease. We’ve been washing our hands well and being careful with handling feces…is there anything else I should do?
I found this really small mouse, it’s a field mouse I think, it’s eyes aren’t open but it does have some fur, I believe it’s female but I may be incorrect, I’m trying to figure out it’s age but I’m a little confused as different websites are saying different ages, some saying 11 weeks and some saying 13 days, this is quite the age gap and I’m confused by it, id like to give this little mouse at least a small chance at survival since I can’t find it’s parents in the house
I just found 2.got them on similac soy formula
They are eating ..I have a heating pad under a small box that has an old fuzzy slipper..
I just found a newborn mouse alone in gravel parking lot..no fur at all..eyes not open. Trying to feed with small syringe but can’t tell if it’s taking any in…how do I know? It’s so fragile I’m scared I’ll hurt it !
I believe you need to stimulate the tummy by gently rubbing the. This will help the liquid go down & the mouse go to the bathroom .Are there any surrogate mice mothers around? I learned about stimulation when I had to do this to hamsters in a pet store. Call an erotic vet.
I found two orphaned mice three days ago and so far so good. I estimate they were 12 to 14 days old. I have a heating pad under their cage and have been feeding them puppy formula using the paint brush method which they like. They did not like the tiny syringe method. The pet store only had a can of ready-to-feed formula so I put the liquid formula in an ice cube tray and thaw one cube per day to keep it fresh Since once the can is open it’s only good for 24 to 72 hours. They lap or suck the formula off the paint brush about 10 times and then they are done and can’t be encouraged to eat anymore. After feeding I use a Q-tip moistened with warm water to massage their underside to encourage them to pee and poop but I’’ve only seen a little bit if yellow pee a couple times. I feed them every four hours during the day and don’t get up at night – So I’m feeding them four times every 24 hours which seems to be working. Any suggestions welcome!
I found a baby mouse yesterday may 20, 2020. It does not have any fur and eyes are closed. I’m guessing it’s only a couple days old. I’m wanting to talk y and keep it alive but not for sure if it will make it. I’m just needing some advice on what I should do. Please help me.!
I was in the same boat, but mine were only about 1-3 days old. What I recommend doing is making sure that they have a heating pad to lay on that keep them 80° warm. I also do recommend feeding them puppy replacement and there are different forms of that you can buy at the dollar store/pet store is recommended. I attempted to give my own four baby mice whole milk knowing that it wouldn’t be good for them but it was during quarantine I had no other option. We couldn’t keep them so they were euthanized in a humanely safe way. But I noticed that they started getting weaker and weaker as the days grew of feeding them whole milk.
Hi I got 6 rat babies but I dont know what to feed I cant buy anything because my parents are against keeping them with me . I just have cow milk plz tell how can I feed them . They are 1to4 days old . Please tell.
I wanted to share what I feed baby mice with others that may not know what to get. You can order it on Amazon, Blue Seal Feeds and Tractor Supply also carry it in their stores. It’s called Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer and it’s about $20. Make sure you never serve a baby mouse cold formula as they cannot regulate their body temperatures and you can order eyedropper syringes through Amazon too. I find the smaller the syringe the easier it is. Always be careful when feeding to keep milk from going near their nostrils because they can inhale the liquid and get pneumonia and unfortunately without medical attention and antibiotics most stricken with illness will die. If your mouse dies and you do everything you could have for it, don’t blame yourself. Sometimes there is a reason that mom abandons them, such as illness. If you need supplies like a cage, heating pad, etc but have no money, take to Facebook and explain what you are doing and ask for help getting the items and most times this will help you come up with what you need. Taking care of baby mice is very difficult but they deserve a shot at life just like any of us do so if you are caring for a mouse, thank you for your kindness and trying to help the mouse survive that might not if left to fend for itself.
I found a mouse.. it looks to be about a day old.. his eyes are covered.. and i could see thru his skin.. hes very physical and moves alot.. i went out and bought puppy milk and a small cage with bedding.. want to keep him till he’s able to go on his own.. but doesn’t seem to want to eat.. ive tried a peck on his little chin and a tiny drop near his face and nothing.. what can i do to make him comfy to eat.
Please help just found a newborn mouse in my kitchen sink, I thought food was plugging up my drain when I pulled it out it was a newborn mouse it scared me and I dropped it back in the water, realized what it was and what I done. I pulled it back out grabbed a dry wash rag started drying it off and softly pushed on it back while it laid on its belly to make sure it could breath, it was breathing and moving a little . What do I need to do? I don’t think the mom abandoned it but I’m not sure. It’s got to be minutes old cause I cleaned out the sinks before going to fold dish towels and rags wasn’t gone maybe 5-10 minutes. It has no fur and eyes aren’t open, they just look like little black dots with really thin skin on top of them.