Brand New Magic Mouse Does Not Show Up in Bluetooth Settings on iPad 12.9 Pro — CANNOT PAIR IT!!

I just purchased a brand new Magic Mouse and followed all the instructions for connecting it to my iPad 12.9 Pro (5th generation), but the mouse never shows up in Bluetooth settings under “other devices” so I have not been able to pair it or USE IT AT ALL. Yes, I have followed all advice on the internet for getting it to work, to no avail. So, let me walk you through everything I’ve attempted:

1) ATTEMPTS AT CONNECTING IT TO MY IPAD:

• I first connected it to my iPad using the lightning>USBC cable they provided (and yes, the switch is turned to “On” on the Magic Mouse)

• In Settings>General, I can see “Trackpad & Mouse” appear, but when I click on “Bluetooth,” the Magic Mouse never appears as a device I can connect to

• I made sure my iPad was up-to-date (iOS 17.1) — that didn’t work

• I restarted my iPad (multiple times) — that didn’t work

• I tried a different lightning>USBC cable — that didn’t work

• I even left the Magic Mouse connected to power for an hour or so just in case it was dead when it arrived — and THAT didn’t work, either

2) HP LAPTOP TEST

• I then tried connecting it to my HP laptop to see if it was something wrong with connecting it to my iPad specifically, and something similar happened (but it STILL DIDN’T WORK):

• I saw the Magic Mouse appear in Settings>Bluetooth under “Input”

• However, once I unplugged the cable from my laptop, the Magic Mouse disappeared from the devices

• And same as with my iPad, it never appeared as a device I could connect to via Bluetooth

I have followed all instructions via Apple Community Support, multiple websites, YouTube, and NOTHING. HAS. SOLVED. THE. ISSUE.

• Did I just get a faulty Magic Mouse? WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING, APPLE?!

This is ridiculous and subpar for what we expect to receive/what we PAY FOR when purchasing Apple products — the thought of having to return the Magic Mouse and wait for a replacement to arrive does not make me happy at all.

ANY AND ALL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE ONES I’VE TRIED ALL AFTERNOON WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED — otherwise I’d like for Apple to respond to this directly in order to resolve the issue themselves.