# Twelve day old babies orphaned



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Noma looked really out of it when I fed her this evening; I checked fifteen minute later, and she hadn't eaten anything. To make a sad story short, she died in my hands. Her litter is 12 days old now. I know their eyes will be opening soon, like today or tomorrow, and they should be able to eat on their own at that time.

I'm going to try to find a doe to keep them company; I've never tried fostering babies who were this old. My plan is to feed them cooked oatmeal with some sort of milk replacement.

This is only the third time I've lost a doe who had a really young litter. I could use any ideas or thoughts you may have for me. The babies look fine....I haven't tried to feed them yet, but I'm keeping them on my nightstand overnight. Things I'd like to know:

1 How often should they be fed
2 How much should they eat
3 When can I expect them to start eating on their own

I'm going to run back up to the mousery for a bit and check out candidates to become their auntie. I'll check back as often as I can for any words of advice.

Thanks for being there.


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## Megzilla (Oct 12, 2009)

1- they should be fed every 2-3 hours
2- .formula milk for hand raised kittens. Give them as much as they'll eat (I forgot how much it is- it varies because of their age)
3- They start kinda eating on their own at 2-3 weeks. You can begin to feed them milk soaked in stale dry bread

Just remember to keep them warm and to 'lick' their bottoms/tummys afterwards 
I hope they keep well x


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

They are already about 13 to 14 days old. They were born the night of the 26th and their eyes are starting to open, and I have them situated on an electric throw blanket in my bedroom. The blanket has so few heating elements in it that it is quite safe and very unlikely to over heat. They have two young does in with them who were snuggled around them when I woke up just about five minutes ago. Noma had been nursing when I first came into the mousery last night, and they are plenty noisy this morning. I can tell they want to nurse, and I will be out the door (as soon as I've absorbed enough caffeine) to get some supplies. I think they may be old enough to take some food on their own so I'll be getting some kind of milk replacer and cream of rice to start them on.

Thanks for getting back to me, Meg. I was on a tear last night trying to find a heating pad for them. Finally I gave up and gave them my heated throw blanket.


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## thickgiraffe (Nov 3, 2010)

i really hope you get them continuing well. good luck


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Such love!

They are close to 13 1/2 days old, and their eyes are starting to open. I made a small amount of oatmeal with mashed banana and took it to the bedroom. The babies were sleeping with two young does keeping them warm, and at least one of them is tending to the rears. That young doe is pregnant, and it would be nice if she'd start lactating if she hasn't already, as the babies were trying to nurse. The young does got a lot of the oatmeal and 'nanas too. There were newborns in the tank she came from last night. three does were pregnant, and two of them are with the babies now.

I knew regular dairy wasn't the best thing for mousies, but now I know why! Thanks, Kage! I'm so glad I have some support from knowledgeable individuals like you!

I warmed them in my hand on my chest and stroked them with a q-tip, and tried to feed them from my fingertip. they started writhing and skweeking like mad and the next thing I knew they were shlurping and shmacking and, and and....oh, how can I say!! I'm a mousie mommy now. they snuggled on my chest where my PJ top was open a bit, and fell asleep. I'm all aglow with the wonder of it. they are back with Ish and Kabibble, the two does. I'll be leaving in a few for errands, chiefly of which is finding milk replacer and rice cereal.

The babies were covered in bits of breakfast, as were my hands and my chest and PJ's, and the young does were working them over at last check. I think they are all going to do just fine. :love1


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

It seems you are doing a tremendous job and hard work for you too make sure you get your sleep properly too.I did a wrong thing before I moved a mum with her 6 fawn pups into a large tank there eyes are due to open shes started too block up the entrance of the nursey and garding it so hopefully theyll be ok Ill check regular though.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Thanks for your kind concern, geordiesmice. I like to see my babies, so I never use hides unless I have an especially skittish doe. I tend not to breed the ones with 'personality' issues.

My kids are 25 and 26 now, and having survived their infancy, etc., etc., I am used to having to function on what most people consider a moderate lack of sleep. I always have believed that in any area of life, one must take care of the living things or one will have very little for which to live.

I now own a medium size can of dry kitty milk replacer/starter that should last at least as long as the expiration date; probably longer since I tend to keep stuff like that in the fridge. Checked on them a bit ago and one of the does appears to be nursing them. They'll get their rice and milk as soon as I've had a chance to get some coffee and grub myself.


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm glad they are doing okay moustress - you've certainly given them every chance possible and it sounds like they are going to be okay.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Thanks, zanytoon. I appreciate the vote of confidence.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

They looked a little dehydrated last night, so today I offer just the milk for the first feeding of the day. Their tails look a bit too skinny, so I'm wondering if maybe there's a health problem unrelated to their being orphaned. They're till plenty wiggly and noisy, though, so we'll see how it goes.

We had two good feeding sessions last night; some are feeding with more vigor than others, so I'm prepared to lose a couple of them. They got a nice old polar fleece hat to live in last night; the 'aunties' seem to really love it!


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Kabibble has ka-blooeyed! She has a pile of about eight pinkies, a bit on the small side, but then she is a little on the small side. Her sister Ish may have delivered as well, though I'm not sure of that. She's built a bit weird.

The Orphans of Noma are feeding very aggressively now; they got crushed kibble mixed with squashed cereal and kitty milk tonight. One of them want something from in between my fingers and decided to try to eat it's way through my fingie to the food it really wanted. Owchie! Strong baby! The eyes are starting to open, confirming what I had thought at the time of their birth; they were born 2 or 3 days premature. They scramble around all over my hands and the ski hat they are living in, trying to get to somewhere else for who knows what.

I saw little bittie poops in their tank area today, which is a very good sign indeed. they no longer seem to need or want to have their belly rubbed and their bits stroked. Just as well. It's been an interesting couple of days. I[m so glad I have only had to handle taking care of them for a few days at this level, as it is a lot to deal with. I have mostly loved every minute of it.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Ish and Kabibble have both had their litters; one had six, the other three. They seem to be moving back and forth from their babies to the orphans and back. The new nest with the new litters is on the tank floor, the babies aer pretty much staying in their hat. The eyes on the orphans are open now and they scramble every which way when I put food in. then I stroke them and gently push toward the food, and stroke them, and peek to see if they are eating or sleeping. Mostly they eat, and are old enough to grab a piece of food, sit up and chomp like crazy. I'm going to keep them with me for a couple more nights, then I'll leave them in the mousery. they are now taking damp crushed kibble with milk replacer and cereal. they also like breadcrumbs, but then, what mousie doesn't?


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## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

Awwwwww. :love1

You want, if you can get it, Lactol. Its a powdered puppy or kitten milk replacer. IDK for sure but I think a lot of other people use the same. I use it even for just the preggers/nursing does. They love it. My two Mummies come scrabbling out to lick it up as soon as I've sprinkled it in. Plus it lasts much longer because its powdered - just mix it with water for feeding.

You can also get nursing syringes for tiny kittens that work for mice. I have some because I like to hand feed my runts . Littlest made a fantastic pet for a friend of mine and outlived all of her litter mates, so that says something! I think is it the Kaylee? brand make a nursing kit. I bought mine on ebay. They have like a little banana teat on them. . You have to be careful though, because its possible to aspirate a baby with one of those things.

Still congratulations mousie Mummy. Bring on the photos .


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I have been too tired to take pix; and besides the only times I thought of it the orphans were all sticky with oatmeal and very pretty to look at. For that matter I was all sticky with oatmeal. My clothes as well. More important to clean up than take pix. then, tired. Sandwich and pillow time for moustress.

The two little mamas have been having fun parceling out the care to their combined litters and the little furry finks. they are going just nuts now whenever I stick my hand in their area, because they think I'm going to continue feeding them. And I will, but not by hand all the time. They want to climb out of the ski hat and all over me, which is fun, I guess. they'll just have to be satisfied with crawling all over their foster moms and their siblings. It's a mousies life!


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Last night I let all the mamas and babies stay in the mousery. Ishka has the orphans, Bibble has the pinkies. Yes, I know the names changed a bit. i thought Ishka was maybe biting the new borns or the orphans, then I took a good look at ther and noticed a couple of her nipples were bleeding. She is letting those 'big' babies suckle without having the chance to toughen her nips up like they would with the birth of newborns.

She's a mousey hero!

And I woke up early today, after a very short night sleep, and went up there to the mousery with my first cup of coffee. I'm bonded....and loving it!


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## countrygall721 (Oct 26, 2010)

I think these babies will do just fine with such a tender loving caring mommy like you


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Here's an update on my little orphans. They all made it! Even the little runt is looking a lot better. They are, of course, eating everything in sight by now. I've been gathering them up in my hands at the beginning and end of my stint in the mousery each night for a group cuddle, and they are starting to be scramble about, so it's quite a sight! One of them will run to one elbow, another up the front, another in the other direction. They come right into my hand even when there's not food in it. I've been crumbling a few lumps of kibble and feeding them in my hand; it's amazing how much noise seven little sets of teeth can make!

They are about four and a half weeks weeks old now, so I'll be separating them into two cages tonight or tomorrow night, and I'll get new pix at that time.


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