How to Care for Baby Pet Mice

If their mother is unable or unwilling to look after them, it might be your job to take care of your baby pet mice. The newborn animals have limited mobility and their eyes are still closed, so they will depend on you to provide food, warmth and shelter. Though looking after baby mice might feel like a daunting task, if you give them what they need, watching them grow could be a highly rewarding experience.

Things You'll Need

  • Kitten formula
  • Syringe
  • Shoe box with holes in the lid
  • Bedding
  • Fish tank or cage (for older babies)
  • Soft rags, paper towels or unscented tissue without added balm
  • Heating pad
  • Towel
  • Cotton wool buds
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the towel over the heating pad on a low setting. Put the shoe box or fish tank on the towel to keep the mice warm. Shred the chosen bedding, and ensure it is clean before putting it in the box.

    • 2

      Place the babies in the box gently, on top of the bedding. Their bodies will be very fragile so it's important to treat them with care. Whenever you need to pick them up for feeding or helping them with their eliminations, do so very lightly and scoop them up with your hand from underneath if possible to avoid holding them too tightly.

    • 3

      Mix the kitten formula. Dilute twice the amount recommended for kittens as baby mice are much smaller and won't be able to digest the formula.

    • 4

      Using the syringe, place a couple drops of formula at a time into the babies mouths. Be careful not to get formula in their noses, as this could suffocate them. Feed them every 1-2 hours until they open their eyes, at which point you can decrease the feeding frequency to every 3-4 hours.

    • 5

      Massage each baby's stomach gently using a cotton wool bud. Baby mice cannot eliminate waste on their own, and this step will help them with their bowel movements.