I awoke this morning to the small lonely cry of my new furry child. My vole had gained a bit of strength in the night. It can now move around upright, but I had noticed it hadn't eaten. After some thoughtful consideration, I came to the conclusion it may be a baby. I have never handfed a vole before. I've never raised one from such a young age. But I knew I must try. I grabbed a very small, thin straw, and heated up some milk. Even though the straw was small, it was still too large for the small creatures mouth. So I set drops of milk in front of its mouth with the hopes it would suckle them up. The milk very slowly disappeared, but I don't know if just absorbed into the fur or was actually eaten. I'm hoping deeply that it was eaten. I have also taken the little thing and cradled it into my hand. It became very happy and curled into the warmth. It even took a few minutes to clean its fur. And then I placed it back into its small haphazard habitat. I keep it next to me, and in an hour or two I shall try to feed it again.
