Suitcase Surprise

The night before we left for Savannah, last Thursday, we pulled out the big suitcase to pack. I pulled out the two other suitcases that are stored in it and discovered a ball of insulation. When Matthew pulled on the insulation to make sure we didn't have any critters in there, this is what we found:

Suitcase Surprise from Patricia Angle on Vimeo.

On further inspection, here is what was inside:

Mice and Mommy from Patricia Angle on Vimeo.

We put them all in a big cardboard box with their insulation, some of Ushi's bedding, and food for the mom. She jumped out (about two feet!) as soon as we put her in the box and ran away. We left the box outside overnight with a little door cut in the side for her to return, but she didn't. We tried both Thursday night and Friday morning to nurse them with a tiny paintbrush - first with warm milk but then with water when we learned that cow's milk is not good for them. They got a tiny bit of hydration, but not much. The biggest of the four was a very good crawler and could move himself around, the runt hardly moved at all, and the other two were somewhere in between.

The veterinarian we took them to Friday morning isn't allowed to disclose their status, but the plan was to give them oxygen (in an oxygen chamber) and fluids, send them to a foster home (to nurse with an adult?), then give them wildlife rehabilitation at the Chattahoochee Nature Center.