# Hand raising??



## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

Ok so im going to try and hand raise a baby mouse. Cause i want that trust and that bond. Ive been doing research for about a month and watched every vid possible and read every website that has a topic about it. I need to cull a litter down cause my mum had 10 wigglers. And i said you know what in stead of culling them ima try and raise them lol. I know not many ppeople recomend it but i think its worth it. and i think ima hand raise 2 of them so they have company (2 females). I have gotten allmost all the equiptment neccersary. Ive gotten Kitten forumula (powder kind last longer) 2 soft brisle tiny paint brush's, pedialyte if they get dehydrated or bloat, Q-tips, And what i dont have is a heating pad. which im getting this wensday. At that time ima collect the babies and they will be 6 days old. Trust me i did my research probs over a weeks worth of reading lol. Im tottaly ready to care for a baby and make it my baby lol.

Tell me what you think of my idea ( If its a good/bad idea and i will be doing major updates when the time comes.
thanks every one


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## Shadowrunner (Sep 26, 2011)

I think you understand the risks.
But I don't think you have any reference to what kind of task you are trying to take on.
You think you do, but you'll see once you try it. 
It's not even the lack of sleep or the crazy schedule that's the worst, it's when you get attached and you begin to hope that they'll make it and they don't.

The biggest problem you are going to face is the constant care, being able to wake up every two hours to feed them at night
every night. Making sure the temps in the baby box stay safe, because believe me while cold babies are hard to deal with, roasted babies aren't as easily saved.
Then you have the issue of making sure everyone gets what they need. Sometimes babies won't use the brush because they don't know how after learning to nurse naturally but if you do leave them on mom for a few days, they will at least have the immunity.
pulling at six days is a little late to hope for a huge amount of growth in the ones left with mom.

But I can see you are willing and determined to do it so I wish you luck and sanity. 
Just please, always keep in mind that while bonding is important to you, to keep your heart at a distance until they are growing on pretty well.
It hurts beyond belief to have them die on you and it's likely you'll lose one or two.


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

I tottaly understand where you are coming from. As for baby size the mum makes very big pinkies lol im not trying to make it sound like it not but the mother does have nice size babies for there age. While prego i fed her fresh fruits string beans cheese and oats and i mixed the fresh fruits with kitten forumula she loved it. And she doesnt look scrawny like some mothers do after giving birth she is actually fatter now then she was before she got prego!! And i read on alot of websites that they say if you have a choice when you select a baby it is best at 6-8 days old. And if they dont take to the brush i have an eye dropper and a syringe. And also im not going to get too attached to the baby untill im in to the clear. And when im not going to select names untill their personality comes out.


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## Shadowrunner (Sep 26, 2011)

Sounds like good practice to me then. It's really hit and miss sometimes so the only constant is knowing you'll be surprised.
xD

Let me know how they do.


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

I will thanks very much


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

I definitely wouldn't recommend it personally...I've tried to hand raise wild mice starting at around 2 weeks of age and still lost 2 of 3 (the first had her eyes opened and survived...the other 2 didn't yet). It is extraordinarily difficult and they will never grow up to be as healthy as their parent raised siblings. Another idea to try, that might work out better, is keeping a few more than normal with mom, and supplement them hand feedings.



> pulling at six days is a little late to hope for a huge amount of growth in the ones left with mom.


I don't entirely agree with this....pulling at 6 days will definitely make a significant difference in the remaining bubs. Ideally though, a couple should be pulled at a time starting at a few days of age (though in huge litters a couple should be pulled right away)...not more than 2 or 3 per day, as the slower they are pulled, the less of an effect you'll have on milk production (i.e. milk production will likely be sustained at the highest level)


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

Thanks for your imput on the situation. And you know whats weird i never see the mom feeding the babies but their allways warm and full? I just thought that was weird lol. Ive never not seen a mother feed her babies but all are healthy and bellies are full i just thought id say that lol


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## Shadowrunner (Sep 26, 2011)

Well what I meant was a -huge- amount of growth, of course they do benefit.
I think it depends on your lines and on your varieties too.
The PEWs are always huge for me no matter how many are left on and the blues/blacks only get that big with four or less babies on.

I've had success raising them by hand from about a week old, they grew up just fine.
*shrug*
But mine were always orphan fancies, never wilds.
I've raised wild rats but that was a long time ago.


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

Then should i fetch the babies out of the nest at 7 days old ??? I understand every thing you are saying but then i get confused when you said that you have raised orphan fancy mice but never wild?? Im sure you now i plan on raising fancy mice lol. Just clearing things up a bit lol sorry .


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

Honestly (and no offense at all), this sounds like the craziest idea I have heard in a very long time.
Personally, I would never do it unless I was forced to. I also think it would be much more humane to euthanize them than risk having them starve/freeze to death. Because, let's face it, that's what will happen if it goes wrong. 
But you seem very determined, so I wish you the best of luck and, mostly, I hope you don't get too upset if they both die.


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## GibblyGiblets (Oct 2, 2011)

I'll wish you the best of luck, you have a kind heart lol, but as others have said it will be VERY hard.

I've tried my hand in past to hand raising baby mice, to no success.

I have hand raised a baby rat, which was hard enough, I got three (that were given to me when their mother died) and ended up with one survivor, granted they were 10 days old when momma died, so they had a good start, but still(not to mention the survivor sucked from the bottle for near 8 weeks -3- even after she was well weaned). it was hard, but rewarding at the same time, similar to raising kittens, only..smaller..and more rodent like o3o

this particular rat lived for 3 years.

keeping them warm will be the hardest thing, next to getting them to go to the bathroom, because they are so tiny, in terms of feeding kitten nursing bottles works for rats, but I'm not even sure what you'd use to feed baby mice o3o


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

im gooing to try my hardest and best to keep them alive even if it means loosing tons of sleep. I feel that i can do this because im not going to forget to feed or take short cuts, and the heating pad stays on 24/7 and it has a high and low so i dont think i will have any problems with that. I asure myself and other that i am not going to get attached to them untill im in the clear. Im kinda excited lol to get this started.


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

CRAP!!!! I dont know if i can do it now cause every heating pad that i have purchased has a auto off which either goes off in 2 hours or 1 hour : :lame Ive used a heat lamp before and is worked great but i dont know if i should use it sheeesh.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

A heat lamp would probably dry them out too much. Get a reptile heating pad...the smallest you can find.


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## wowwy (Jun 8, 2012)

so I diecided not to hand raise because they would just not take to the formula and i did not want them to die cause they have gorgeus colors. I love them lol there colors are amazing.


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