A frightened and stressed new joey that won’t open its mouth to take a bottle should never
have its mouth forced open, always work from the side of the mouth and squeeze a little milk
at a time in the gap where there are no teeth until the joey decides to open its mouth.
Patience is the key. For new arrivals leaving them to warm through in a heated pouch for
as long as possible is the way to go, by this time they will usually have calmed down and
become a little less afraid of their new world. Dehydrated animals will need fluids as soon
as possible, for these animals, fluids given under the skin on arrival are essential. If there
are no other options, contact your vet, I haven’t met any vet yet who will refuse to give fluids
to dehydrated animals. Fluids given under the skin takes 2 or 3 minutes then the new arrival
can be placed into a warm bed and left for a number of hours. So much better than trying to
force foreign objects and liquid into the mouth. Call any time if you have questions or need
help.