The numerous reproduction of the vole is one of the reasons why it is so feared as a plague: voles can have offspring up to eight times a year - each time with up to four vole babies. Here's everything you need to know about offspring and how to raise a baby vole if you find one.
Only a few days old vole babies still have their eyes closed
Appearance of baby vole
Baby voles are only a few centimeters tall and are born naked. The coat grows only a few days after birth; however, it can take up to two weeks for the mice to open their eyes. Depending on the vole species, the fur is colored brownish-grey to reddish-brown; the abdomen is lighter colored.
Young vole found
Once you find a baby vole, you should only handle and raise it yourself if you are sure the mother vole will not come back. If you touch the young vole and put it back in the nest, the mother may not accept it because it now smells like humans. A found vole should be removed from parasites: To do this, wipe the young vole thoroughly or brush the fur gently.
Raise baby vole
Hand-feeding baby voles is not easy, as they need food frequently: they should be fed every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. Feed baby mice cat or goat breeding milk using a laboratory pipette. You can get these at pet stores. As an emergency solution, you can mix fennel tea with glucose and a pinch of salt. But you should then get the milk mentioned as soon as possible.
After feeding, you should massage the little mouse's stomach with a cotton swab for a few minutes to stimulate digestion.
tips
Provide the necessary warmth for your little vole with a hot water bottle.
background
The reproduction of voles
In March/April and September/October, voles want to mate. It takes only three weeks from fertilization to the birth of the vole babies. Female voles give birth to two to four young, which are sexually mature themselves after only two months. Although voles are solitary animals, overpopulation can quickly occur.youtube