Caring for little Stuart - cute baby mouse

Warning: for inexperienced animal people the failure rate for trying to handraise a baby mouse is around 75%. It is very painful loosing a baby mouse because you get to love them so much. Think carefully about it before you try.

Only handraise an orphan or a doomed baby, one who is destined for snake food, since handraising is hard on baby mice. With a doomed baby you are at least giving it a chance at life.

What you need: $100-$200 to care for the baby and the adult mouse, commitment to see a project to the end no matter how tired you get, good motor control so you can hold a tiny wriggling baby steady without crushing it, ability to research, understand and follow instructions, a sense of responsibility towards the little mouse so that when it is no longer a cute baby you will still love and take good care of it, this little one will love you as much as any dog or cat would, if you loose interest you will break its heart.

Caring for a few day old baby mouse is not easy. There is a lot of work, patience and skill involved not to mention lack of sleep from the nightly feedings. It is worth it though, the little mouse will grow up into the most amazing pet, as loyal and affectionate as a tiny dog.

WARNING: do not attempt to raise a pinky unless you are a very experienced animal person or it is a true orphan and there is no other choice. It is better to start with a fuzzy, a little mouse between 8 and 10 days old who has fur but whose eyes have not opened yet. You are much more likely to be successful.

Music by Carl Peterson, 'Drunken Sailor'
(I have permission to use this song for this video from the musician, Carl Peterson)

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• mouse
• mice
• baby
• pinky
• infant
• care
• animal
• pup
• cute
• adorable
• gentle
• bottle
• feeding
• hand
• raising
• imprinting
• rearing
• orphan
• mousling
• funny
• sweet