So I'm getting attached to it

I got a live furry for Zim's next feeding (next Friday) and I'm currently keeping it in a tupperware container (holds four cups of water) with holes punched in the top. I shredded some paper towel for bedding and have placed some feed in there for it. The guy said the fuzzy would start feeding on the seeds soon anyway. Is there anything I can do for the little guy. He shivers a lot (even though its in the 70's in this room.) and somehow got his whole container wet (and I replaced it with fresh bedding and food. He's somewhat friendly and doesn't mind being held. At first he was jumpy and scared but now he lets me hold him. I'm kind of scared of getting bit since I got bit by a hamster as a child (it was tramatic at the time)

Well anyway, I'm kind of getting attached to him and I might want to keep him (lie to my grandmother and said that the snake refused it as a meal and since the mouse was starting to get too big for him, I would keep him for when the snake could eat adult mice, and then without her knowing, keep him/her as a pet.)

So what can I do to help this guy make it. Is there any special formula I could bottle feed him?

If the whole inside of the container was wet or showed visible condensation then there is not proper ventilation. Its either the water (if any is provided) or the mouse's own urine trying to evaporate. Its a good combination for causing a cold and or respiratory issues.

If he was weaned to early and can't sustain on solid foods the shaking could be the result of the body breaking down. If you don't see it eating or drinking than its quite possible its going through a slow painful death. You could freeze it for later use before its completely wasted and dies due to lack of nutrients.

I also don't agree with your comments about not being truthful with your guardian/home owner. There are enough bad examples of people with animals, don't be the start of one those stories. But I guess that's not really my business. Good luck with the mouse!

My grandmother is just terrified of mice. I would tell her, eventually, that I was keeping the mouse. She knows that I get attached easy. I have seen him nibbling but not actually eating. The wetness was probably from the water dish I put in there. There is no water dish in there now and I have been attempting to give him water by a dropper.

Would it be ok to feed him on cows milk or even KMR? (Kitten Milk Replacement)

I'll punch more holes in the top to better circulate the air.

He stops shaking when I pick him up. He might just be cold. It is cooler in the bathroom (where i keep him away from the cats. If he were in a cage, I wouldn't have to worry, but a tupperware container is oh so easy for them to get into.)

Mix some lab blocks with KMR, warm up it up slightly and see if he'll eat. You can even give him a bit of pedialyte if you have it.

A small heat pad under a very small portion of the tub will help keep the ambient temps up. Does he have his eyes open yet?

Yes, his eyes are open. The man at the petstore said he was borderline hopper. They were just beginning to wean and thats why he said it was possible to keep him alive on feed instead of mothers milk. Someone recommended soaking bread in warm milk, but I have also heard that baked products are bad for rodents. There is no way for me to go out to the store tonight for lab blocks (not even sure Petsmart carries them). Is there anything I can do now with food I might have already that I can feed him?

Have any pasta you can cook? Maybe some mooshed up warmed peas(no outer shell)? baby food? Lactose free meal replacement(something like ensure but no lactose).

Try to stay away from anything with lactose in it unless it's a tiny bit of yogurt. If you have the KMR at home, that would work great

I did have some Rice milk, but I ran out yesterday. We have tons of pasta. I have some whole wheat pasta, would that work? We don't have any pedialite. I have soy yogurt.

I've brought him out of the bathroom since my room is warmer. I'm actually quite warm even in a t-shirt. He's not shivering as much and is cleaning himself. I'm punching more holes in the top.

A few pictures of him just before my camera died.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/Lunch001.jpg
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/Lunch002.jpg

He is chewing on the paper towel. In an attempt to get him to drink, I have put some drops of water on parts of the paper towel, hoping he'll suck on them. He's chewing on something right now. I think its a seed, since he is using his paws to hold it. I half-cooked some pasta (three shells) and placed them in the container. He's nibbled but for the most part, leaves them alone. I have another shell soaking in case he needs something softer. He's definatly making an attempt to eat the seed. He has to chew on it for a bit, but he's making progress with it.

If your snake will take frozen thawed, then why not just but some appropriately sized mice and freeze them for later use?

He wil take frozen thawed but the store was out and its the nearest store for feeders. Please don't try to convince me to freeze this guy because I've really grown attached.

I need advice on keeping him alive and he's only a fuzzy/borderline hopper. His eyes are open and he has been chewing on seeds, but I need to know how to get him to drink some water and possibly some food ideas.

Does no one have any advice? I am going to Petsmart today to pick up some KMR.

I really want this guy to live.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Mix some lab blocks with KMR, warm up it up slightly and see if he'll eat. You can even give him a bit of pedialyte if you have it.

A small heat pad under a very small portion of the tub will help keep the ambient temps up. Does he have his eyes open yet?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Have any pasta you can cook? Maybe some mooshed up warmed peas(no outer shell)? baby food? Lactose free meal replacement(something like ensure but no lactose).

Try to stay away from anything with lactose in it unless it's a tiny bit of yogurt. If you have the KMR at home, that would work great

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becky has given you some great advice. have you done a search on the internet at all? tried to find some answers for yourself? if you really want to save this little guy, i would think that is what you would have done the first day. there are many sites out there to assist mice pet owners with saving their pups...

a dropper or syringe with some water in it... will get water into it's mouth. :sunny:

I have been trying to find sites with information on how to keep him alive, but I have found nothing. Trust me, if I had found information, I would not be asking. I only got him yesterday and have been doing everything I can to get him to eat and drink. I'm trying the KMR today. I have tried the dropper and he won't drink from it. I think he's scared of it since its so big.

I'm sorry if I seem like I keep asking you guys the same questions, but I have had baby animals die on me before and I don't want this to happen to him.

here's a wonderful group i used to be a moderator there. you are not allowed to discuss anything snake related here... so please just say you got this little guy from a petstore cause it was so cute and now you need help.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/v...smiceparadise/

wonderful people at this group https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../4/7/heart.gif

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

I have been trying to find sites with information on how to keep him alive, but I have found nothing. Trust me, if I had found information, I would not be asking. I only got him yesterday and have been doing everything I can to get him to eat and drink. I'm trying the KMR today. I have tried the dropper and he won't drink from it. I think he's scared of it since its so big.

I'm sorry if I seem like I keep asking you guys the same questions, but I have had baby animals die on me before and I don't want this to happen to him.

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how old is the mouse? sometimes when they are really young, it's hard to keep them alive without their mama's milk and nurturing. but if anyone can give you great information... it's this group. keep us informed! :sunny:

Thankyou. I joined and hopefully my membership will be approved soon. I'm sorry for all my questions. I just worry all the time.

no... you need to ask questions! this is good. don't apologize!!!

The mouse is borderline hopper, at least thats what the guy at the store said. The little mouse's eyes are open and he walks around on his own. He is fully furred. He chews on small seeds, but I'm not sure how much of that he's actually eating.

There are pictures (blurry ones though) on the first page of this thread. I'm not sure you can tell his age just by looking at him, but the pictures are there if you want to look.

he does look very young. i would not give him any seeds at all. just some cooked pasta, cooked rice... some applesauce, babyfood... bread soaked in lactose free milk (rice milk would be great)

soft moist stuff so he gets fluids and nutrition at the same time.

and definitely get a heating pad under him.

I'll get one of those mini heating pads at Petsmart if they have them. If they don't will a heating pad made for a human work?

I've tried the cooked pasta and he takes no interest in them. We have some applesauce. I'll give that a try. I'm about to leave for the petstore now. I'll get some KMR since that is lactose free and I'll soak some bread in it. I'll also get a smaller syringe and try to get him to drink some water.

Thanks for all your help. :)

IMO he's not old enough to digest seeds or anything hard.

another good thing... a little bit of bread moisten with olive oil. not drenched... and just a little bit. remember his tummy is very small. (later after he's been eating the bread soaked in rice milk for a week first)

and i would make him a nest... so he's covered and warm. shred some toilet paper and make him a little bed. soft and cozy and put something over top... like one of those holders for 4 cups of coffee... the tray... cut off one of the four and use it as a hide... or anything else you have to make the same.

a human heating pad will work fine. just keep a 1/4 of his enclosure on the heating pad so he can get away from the heat if needed.

I moved him into a large kritter keeper so he has space to move around. I added some fluffy bedding for him to burrow in. I also took a lab block and soaked it in some water mixed with vitamin drops. I'll be setting up a heating pad to keep him warm. Thanks to everyone for your help. I'll keep you updated.

He might have nibbled on the soaked lab block. I'm not sure. Its very soggy still and has a few lines in it, but that might just be where it split as it was soaking up water. He might have taken a drop of water. I have a dropper and I place a drop near his nose and he runs away from it. I put a drop on his forehead and he whipped it off toward his mouth. Is there any way I can get him to drink some water?

i would hold him in your hands and put the dropper into his mouth... dropping one drop at a time.

have you been approved at valerie's mice paradise yet?

Yes, but my post about the little mouse has not been posted up yet. I joined a mouse forum called The Fun Mouse Forum, and someone is helping me there. I got the little babe to eat some strawberry flavored organic soy yogurt. He/she loved it! I'll be going back to the mouse in a few min. to see if it will eat any more. I have no heating pad to speak of and the only ones the petstore sells are for glass terrariums.

Update: I got him to drink two drops of water from the dropper. I tricked him/her to drink it by taking the watery layer on top of the soy yogurt (I have not mixed it and the water and yogurt naturally seperate) and since it tasted like the yogurt, he drank it no problem. I then rinsed out the dropper and got some water with vitamin drops in it and he drank two drops then realized it was only water and stopped drinking. But 2 drops is better than nothing. :carrot:

you can pick up a human heating pad from many different sources.

regardless, it's nice to hear it's eating. i would keep a water dish in there at all times... cause water is very important to their health.

may i ask though...

why would you pick up a live feeder a week before you need it? especially an unweaned critter? i'm not trying to be mean... but it seems cruel to the mouse to remove it from it's mother's milk and expect it to thrive for a week till it's fed off... as that was your original intention before you decided to keep it as a pet.

curious,
aleesha

I figured I was going to be very busy next week since I start school, have to help my mom around the house getting ready for my sister coming back, ect. (Now I'm not going to be very busy, since I was given 5 days off of work.) I asked if it was possible to keep a fuzzy/hopper alive for a week and he said yes (I didn't know, so I took his word for it.) He provided me with seed and I brought him/her home. I know now not to do this, so don't worry, I've learned my lesson. I really only feed Zim f/t but they were out, and the other petstore gets pre-packaged frozen fuzzies and I like to know where my feeders are coming from, so I use a petstore that is 20 min away.

ah. thanks for enlightening me :)

Yea, if this guy makes it to adulthood, I'm going to go get him/her a little friend. I think it might be a she, but I'm not sure. When I get batteries for my camera tomorrow, I'll take some pics.

Update: The mouse is eating well on soy yogurt and has come to enjoy the warmth of being held. Tonight, during one of the feedings, he/she had just finished up the fourth drop of yogurt and I was holding the mouse in my hand. My hand was surrounding the mouse on all sides but up, like a little cup and the mouse licked the remaining yogurt from its mouth and settled down and relaxed into my hand. It might be my imagination, but I think the little creature quite liked it and when I put the mouse back in the cage I actually had to coax it off my fingers. It was cute.

As of 9:58am, the little mouse, Monkey, has passed away.

Thanks for all your help. :)