Saturday, December 4, 2010

Open Your Eyes!

This morning, I found the eyes of two of my baby mice open. The third's eyes are still sealed shut, but they will probably open in the course of today.

That makes them, officially, 15 days old now, of which I've had them 8.

It's a milestone in a couple of ways.

(1) Eyes open day marks the time to add baby rice cereal to the formula. They rejected it the first try, but took it avidly the second time. It's just a pinch. I'll increase it gradually and the cereal will fill them up better, longer, so we can begin to stretch out the feedings. First feeding we'll skip, starting in about 3 days, will be the 2 a.m.!

In another several days, I'll also add the merest hint of peanut butter to the formula.

Among them all, they drink anywhere from .55 to .6 ccs of formula now, every 4 hours; viz., 6 times a day.

(2) Also, once their eyes are open, they can do their jobbies on their own, without my having to jiggleflick them. (That's a word one of my fellow rehabbers made up.) We usually continue to stimulate them another 2 days, however, from an abundance of caution.


HOORAY! Things are about to become much easier. Double HOORAY! They're doing so well, so far!

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