# Mice loseing weight



## DomLangowski (Oct 2, 2008)

Just wondering whats the best thing to give a mouse thats loseing weight fast? I havent got any that are but have had some in the past and we gave them bread soaked in blue cows milk and it really turned them aroung quite quickly.

Just wondering what anyone else uses?


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

I would say that a mouse that is losing weight is ill in some way. I'd look for the cause of the illness before I worried about how to fatten them up, as you'd have to remove the cause before you could improve their bodily condition.


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## daisy (Oct 4, 2008)

in that case i wonder if you can help, just got back from peterbourough to find my chinchilla doe has become suddenly thin in her abdomen and fur looking a bit seperated, she is passing regular looking poos so no diarreah, i have sucessfully syrigned her some water and also some lactol, any ideas? i was just about to put her in with a buck when i noticed, so its come on pretty fast, shes also breathing quite quickly. otherwise she seems ok in herself and is sitting next to my laptop cleaning the lactol off her whiskars.


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## daisy (Oct 4, 2008)

here are some pics of her, any ideas?


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## DomLangowski (Oct 2, 2008)

That's exactly what ours went like, a few days after they died... would love to know what this is...


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Whenever I see that I'd say it is usually in conjunction with a respiratory problem, so that would be my first guess at the issue behind it. Unfortunately when they get to that stage they would be culled if they were mine, as they are too far gone and will almost surely die if left.


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## daisy (Oct 4, 2008)

thats what i thought (about the culling) i'm just annoyed as shes my only chin doe  similarly enough i lost my only dove tan today who had similar symptoms.

neither the dove tan, or the chin are showing audible signs of respiratory infection. its so frustrating


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## Dawson Mice (Oct 3, 2008)

The little pet line doe I had went like that but she had funny eyes too like she couldnt focus, again no respiritory issues just skinny and I had to cull her as probiotics made no difference at all


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## Mark (Oct 3, 2008)

My mouse lost loads of wieght after she lost and ate her litter.


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## Dragonfly-Stud (Oct 5, 2008)

There is a virus that may have some bearing called Sendai Virus you can look it up on the finnmouse web site
Other than that...pass.


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## Paula (Jan 18, 2009)

daisy said:


> in that case i wonder if you can help, just got back from peterbourough to find my chinchilla doe has become suddenly thin in her abdomen and fur looking a bit seperated, she is passing regular looking poos so no diarreah, i have sucessfully syrigned her some water and also some lactol, any ideas? i was just about to put her in with a buck when i noticed, so its come on pretty fast, shes also breathing quite quickly. otherwise she seems ok in herself and is sitting next to my laptop cleaning the lactol off her whiskars.


Hello

I Know you posted this some time ago but my Chinchilla is doing exactly the same thing as yours, Breathing fast, Not noisey.
Im treating her with Baytril and she is now starting to eat and drink again.

Did yours recover :? 
Im at a bit of a loss, she doesnt seem to be suffering so Im hoping she will pull through, Did any of your others have it???
Do you think its a chinchilla thing???

I hope you dont mind me emailing you

I even started thinking is it mites that are draining here and i just I cant see them?

I was just about to breed her also. She is in quarentine at the moment ..... Fingers, Eyes, Toes crossed she will pull through 

Many thanks

Paula


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## daisy (Oct 4, 2008)

hiya,

first thing, i wouldnt advise to breed from her at all - even if she recovers, as she has prooved ill health, dissapointing but its just not worth it.

my chin doe did not pull thorugh and actually died before i got a chance to cull her which is what i had decided to do, i have seen this within my chinchilla lines and anything sub bred from my chinchilla lines, i wouldnt say it is a chinchilla thing more a strain thing, that has gotten into a particular strain, and perhaps our chinchillas came from the same strain as theres not that many different strains around i believe?

im not sure tho, these things sometimes just happen and the only thing you can do to make sure it doesnt happen again is to quarenteen, (cull if a breeder who does so) and definately NOT breed from them.

i'm wondering if it is sex linked as i have seen about 90% of this happening in does over bucks, which is unusual as sex linked illness is usually seen in males. so im wondering if its something that males carry and females exhibit, which makes it rather annoying if your male seems fine but you breed it into females.... perhaps its as males typically have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome where as females have have two X chromosomes. so perhaps its linked to the X chromosome and only shown when it double occurs? 
just a thought

either way, im giving up with this particular strain and concentrating on a variety that have prooved healhier to breed, its difficult to do so as my chin buck is the healthiest most strapping lad, but when bred with various healthy feamles who go on to proove their own health but the chin litters of these become un-healhty, i can't have that.

another thing to note, is altho this thin-hunched-lumpy-diareah thing has occured when at weaning age for a few babies, others are fit and healhty until 12 weeks (typically breeding age) when i have seen their healhty go rapidly down hill

any other experienced thoughts on this would be welcome, this is quite a ramble!!


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## Paula (Jan 18, 2009)

Hello

Thank you so much for coming back to me I really appreisiated your reply.
Initially I gave her some Baytril for a couple of days and she has picked up today and is eating lots Ive also given her Dioralyte to rehydrate her.Im not convinced yet that she is out of the woods totally but I will give her the benefit of the doubt over the next few days.

I was really worried it was SV ( That nasty virus thingy ) My other 2 girls who where her flat mates seem to be showing no signs which Im so pleased about, but Im still keeping her well away from the others until I feel she is 100% better.

I have a chinese shar pei so I have hands on experience dealing with all her breed ailments, ears, eyes, skin is a constant battle but she is worth every penny I have given to my vet to buy him a top of the range BMW! :lol:

Do you think its more of a contagious problem or something within a stain of a breed like you said??
I think im so worried that it could wipe out all my mice??

Again many thanks for you help

I hope to speak to you again soon

Kindest regards

Paula


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## daisy (Oct 4, 2008)

within my own stock i have found what i have been dealing with to be contagious, and also carried (contagious without symptoms) but who knows if its the same thing. I can't take that chance with such a large collection, but if you have only a few mice, i'd put them back together as if she is on her own and improoving her health she will be happy with company. if you have more than a few mice and plan to breed, maybe not.... mice live fast die young and sometimes its so hard to know exactly whats wrong with them if something comes up.

good luck tho, it can really be a labour of love.
(love shar pei's)


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## Paula (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi Daisy

Unfortunatly I had to have her put to sleep on Thursday her breathing became very bad I didnt want to see her suffering let alone what It was doing to me. Very sad.... my others seem to fine and I would of thought if it was going to infect them it would of by now. I had her in quarentine away from them for nearly 2 weeks before she died.

Thank you again for replying back to me, Ive really appreicated all your help and advice!!

How long have you been keeping mice for??

Speak to you again soon

Have a nice weeked

Paula


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## DomLangowski (Oct 2, 2008)

Hey sorry to hear about the chin Paula, I did get your email and i will send you a reply when i get a chance.

Im not sure this could be affecting all does as i have does from the same litter as your one Paula as well as related older does which have never shown signs of any illness. I know another few chins from a different litter also had this problem when they went to a different breeder.

I found somewhere that some mice just don't get on when moved from there original birth place and show these signs but im unable to find where i saw this. Anyone know if this is true??

A part of me thinks i should cull all the chins I have but another part is saying no as its not all of them with a problem, im such a lover of the chinchilla variety and would be lost without them.


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## Paula (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi Dom

I hope you and Fae and the kids are well!!

Its probably just bad luck with lil Chin Chin she was so cute and friendly & had the biggest ears in the world!!

As you say it doesnt seem to affect ALL chinchillas otherwise the breed just wouldnt survive at all, so dont feel that all your well ones should be culled that would be a real shame!! I know your a responsible breeder and its only cause you care you feel that way 

Thanks for coming back to me 
Speak to you soon

Paula


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

It's known as new shed syndrome Dom but obviously isn't an actual disease.It's just that mice are carrying something which may never manifest itself into a full blown illness but when passed on the stress brings it out and a problem is created.Rabbits are the worst for this they get the runs and die.Anyway don't cull them all ,breed through it.You need to breed as many litters as possible and be really strict about the ones you keep and hopefully in a few generations it will fizzle out.I've been in the same boat when I first started with brokens but after several generations of selection for health and vitality and not being swayed by sparkling colour,big eyes,ears etc it was stamped out.Don't give up.


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## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

Try asking Angelmouse to foster your chin litters for a week and see which ones get sick and which ones don't before breeding them?


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## daisy (Oct 4, 2008)

sarahs advice is pretty spot on for this, but i'd say it's quite a project, i'm also becoming fairly convinced that this 'virus' or whatever it is, (altho might be different from what i've seen) is sex linked and can be carried without symptoms, and that it is shown when the animal reaches approx 12 weeks, so its a real long project and like sarah said, the only thing to do is breed out the bad bits and keep in the good (nice chinchilla colour) 
good luck to you dom if you do decide to do this, i have a couple of healhty (so far) chin does that are of breeding age that i have outcrossed and seem ok so if you need other stock theres always that.


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