How should you properly care for newborn mice? - briefly
Provide a nest with soft, dry bedding kept at 30‑32 °C, avoid disturbing the dam, and supply a sterilized lactating diet while checking temperature and humidity twice daily and promptly replacing soiled bedding. Ensure the mother has ad libitum high‑energy chow and clean water, and monitor the pups for consistent weight gain and normal activity.
How should you properly care for newborn mice? - in detail
Caring for neonatal rodents requires strict attention to temperature, nutrition, hygiene, and monitoring.
Maintain a stable thermal environment. Newborns cannot regulate body heat; a warming chamber set at 30 °C for the first week, gradually decreasing to 27 °C by day 14, prevents hypothermia. Use a heated pad covered with a thin layer of bedding to avoid direct contact burns.
Provide appropriate nutrition. The mother’s milk is the sole source of sustenance for the first 10–12 days. If the dam is absent or unable to nurse, replace with a sterile, nutritionally balanced milk replacer formulated for rodent pups. Feed with a calibrated micropipette, delivering 0.1 ml per pup every 2 hours during the dark phase. Warm the solution to 37 °C before each feeding to mimic natural conditions.
Ensure hygienic conditions. Change bedding daily with fresh, low‑dust material such as autoclaved corncob or paper chips. Disinfect the enclosure with a mild, non‑residual solution (e.g., 0.5 % chlorine bleach) after each bedding change. Handle pups with gloved hands to reduce pathogen transmission.
Monitor health indicators. Record weight daily; a gain of 0.2–0.3 g per day signals adequate nutrition. Observe for signs of dehydration (sunken eyes, skin tenting) or respiratory distress (rapid breathing, audible wheezing). Promptly isolate any pup displaying abnormal symptoms and consult a veterinarian experienced with laboratory rodents.
Facilitate maternal bonding when possible. Return pups to the dam after each feeding session, allowing her to resume grooming and thermoregulation. If the mother rejects the litter, continue artificial rearing with the protocol described above.
By controlling ambient temperature, delivering precise milk replacer doses, maintaining a clean environment, and tracking growth metrics, caretakers can optimize survival and development of newborn mice.