# Sick mouse! What should I do?



## Daenerys (Dec 13, 2010)

I have a male mouse that used to be quite chubby, but I moved him to a different tank earlier this week (his girlfriend finally had her babies) and he has rapidly gone downhill since. I noticed he was behaving a bit oddly the day after I transferred him, he hadn't been eating like he was and he would huddle up in a corner instead of going into his hide. Then today I noticed he had some gunk around his eyes and nose. When I picked him up I could feel his spine! I didn't notice this drastic weight loss before because he has really thick fur. I gave him some water and he has been drinking like crazy (he had a bottle in his tank but he didn't use it I guess?) and I ground up some Total cereal (I give it to my rats, its high in vitamins and minerals) and mixed it into the water and give it to him on a spoon so he can get some food in him. I also warmed up some water and put it in a plastic bottle and have him sitting next to it (not pressed up against him, its just radiating some warmth). Any other tips?!?! Thanks so much!!


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

Be sure to check his teeth. The last mouse I had that lost weight rapidly had bottom teeth that were overgrown and not allowing her to eat properly. The discharge indicates an infection. How does his breathing sound, is his lungs clear or can you hear wheezing or see any sneezing? Baytril, an anti-biotic is what a vet would prescribe for your mouse more then likely.


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

Check the water bottle with your finger too, make sure it's not too hard to get water to come out.


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## Daenerys (Dec 13, 2010)

I don't hear any noises when he breathes. A respiratory problem is what I first thought of as it seems rats and mice are quite susceptible to that. I tried looking at his teeth but he isn't weak at all and squirmed like crazy. Nothing is sticking out of his mouth, though. Unfortunately I can't get him any medicine as me and my fiance both have less than $10 to our name right now and when he gets paid (I don't have a job) we have other expenses that we need to take care of first. =/


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Testing...testing....

Sorry about the above testing but I replied to your post TWICE and lost both replies due to some kind of technical error. :evil:

Anyway...I`ll try again! If he`s always been with this female or another female, he could be showing seperation anxiety, but the weight loss and appearing to be not right could be a kidney problem. Take away any animal protein from his diet. If you feed a dog kibble for example, remove that as these tend to be quite high in protein. Just feed him grain/seed based foods and some small bits of wholemeal bread?toast (not white). Add in foods to his normal grain mix like:

Dry oats
Dry pasta (break this up for him) 
Puffed rice (low sugar so check the packet) 
Millet/canary seed

His diet should be:

High carbohydrate
Moderate protein
Low sugar

Older males can suffer from kidney issues, so lowering the protein drastically should help. His urine should be a nice, light yellow colour or clear. If it`s very dark in colour or looks as if it has blood in it, I would say it is his kidneys. Your vet could prescribe baytril or other antibiotic for suspected infection, but those would`nt do anything for a kidney degeneration. That is controlled by diet.

How is he now?


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## Daenerys (Dec 13, 2010)

Alright I will switch his diet to what I feed my rats, its all plant based so it should be lower in protein...

He looks a lot better this morning already. Last night his eyes were practically glued shut with gunk so I wiped his eyes with a wet paper towel and they opened up. This morning they are still open, they haven't gotten all gross again. They still don't look entirely healthy though. He really liked his hot water bottle, he made a little mousie den underneath it. He is also walking better. Last night when he'd walk around he'd waver, like he was a tad disoriented or something. He walks much more steady this morning. And his fur looks better, like he groomed himself.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

Alot of people use Aspen its a good bedding they say but I have a pair of Multi Mamate mice whos eyes closed tight shut .The vet said it was an alergict reaction to the Aspen, it was awfull too see the animals running around blind they were very distressed. I gently prised there eyes open with luke warm water and a cotton bud the bedding was imediately changed and it never happened again .The Aspen I purchased from a reputable reptile concern so it was a igh quality Aspen but it affected the pair of mice.


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## Daenerys (Dec 13, 2010)

He has been on aspen his entire life, though, so I doubt that is the problem.


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Glad to hear he`s doing a bit better today. Is he an older male Daenerys? If his walk (his gait) is awkward or he looks to be walking on tiptoes, this is usully a sign that something is`nt right. If his tail is held out flat and straight, that`s good, but if he hunches when walking and look to be holding his tail beneath him, this can also indicate something is wrong. His weight loss could be due to age, illness or genetics. But just keep gently wiping his eyes with plain, warm water (wipe from front to back) very gently and make sure he`s eating well and able to pass urine.


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## Daenerys (Dec 13, 2010)

He is still doing good! No more sickly moose! Still skinny but he has actually touched his food now, and quite enthusiastically too


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

That`s great! You could add in some Flax/Linseed to his mix as this is good for joints and for adding a little weight. Keep his overall protein level low (not too much dog kibble) and keep his diet varied. Oily seeds like millet are good. Oats are also good for regulating diabetes, so make sure he gets good dry oats mixed into his diet. Male mice can get bored and ill if they are not with other mice, but obviously, he can`t live with another male and he`s just fathered a baby! So he deserves a nice rest I would say. Hope he keeps well.


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm glad to hear that he is doing so much Daenerys  Sounds like changing the food has been worthwhile.


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## Daenerys (Dec 13, 2010)

It has! After checking on him today I can say he looks 85% better. All signs of sickness are gone but he still has to work on gaining weight. He isn't QUITE as bony as before, but still very thin.


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

That is good news.  Keep the protein low (at least the animal based proteins) and consentrate on giving him as much variety of grains and seeds as you can. Even just puting in a plain bonio type dog biscuit for him to nibble on would be better than adding actual dog kibble. Just break it for him so that the smothe ends are easier for him to nibble. A chicken based organic one would be good as long as it`s not brightly coloured. Plain/non-dyed is best.


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