# RI or just talking?



## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

When I got my mice, one of them had RI, i am pretty sure, it was making clicking noises when it was breathing and appeared sick.

Now I have experienced some of my other mice saying some other noises. Like "chip chip" or "mep mep", not very loud. I isolated one today, because I am afraid of any noises, as I have heard that they shouldnt be talking, but what do you say?

Can they just talk? And can noises mean something other than RI? I dont have much mice experience yet, and I just want to ask so I dont end up culling all because of a mistake.

The mice saying the noise do not appear sick in any other way.


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## wildrose (Apr 27, 2011)

I would wait it out if your only option is culling. Quarantine them from the others and keep an eye out. You'll be able to tell if it turns into something. Watch out for sneezing, clicking when they breathe and ruffled fur. Mice are usually quiet though.

If they are sick, and you want to avoid going to the vet, you can use tetracycline for fish to treat them. The meds come in capsules. The powder inside said capsules dissolve in water bottles well. It's not safe for pregnant mice though, and I'm not 100 percent sure on dosage. Maybe someone else will have an idea. I haven't had to use this method for a while.


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## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

So whenever I hear a noise from them, even though it is not very loud or clicking, I should assume something is wrong?

I will try to look for tetraclycine, and hope I can find it here, it problably has another name here in Denmark. I will also try to ask the vet how much baytril might cost me.


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## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

Any animal that is making snuffling or sneezing noises needs removing straight away... how you remove that mouse is up to you my dear. Cull or quarantine and treat... but the quaratine needs to be full, a totally different airspace, so if you keep you mice in your house, they need moving as far out of your house as possible, to a garage or shed. If you keep them in a garage or shed, move them into your house.


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## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

ok, thank you!

They are in the same room and I dont have the opportunity right now to take them anywhere else. I have contacted the vet but havent got an answer yet, I hope they will respond soon so I can react from that.

I have a mother who is sick, her pups are a little less than 3 weeks. The kids seem fine, but I assume they cant make it without their mother yet?

I now know what went wrong.. I got some mice from someone, and the were sick. I isolated them, but in the same room... I feel really foolish, I should never have taken them home! This is learning the hard way I guess


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## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

Isolation, is not isolation, unless it is in a totally seperate airspace, they may be in different cages, but they still breathe the same air.

Don't be too upset, everyone makes mistakes. But removing affected mice is so important, take it from me, I lost my entire stud from what started out as a few sneezes and snuffles!


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## wildrose (Apr 27, 2011)

Anne said:


> I have a mother who is sick, her pups are a little less than 3 weeks. The kids seem fine, but I assume they cant make it without their mother yet?


Well, you can separate them at four weeks of age so you're almost there! But if mom is already sick it's likely her babies are too. Don't quote me on this but I think the virus can pass through her milk to the babies. But if they sleep together and are in the same cage 24/7 its very likely they are even if it doesn't.


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## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

I have now culled away the mice that was clearly sick, except for the mother, as she is not so bad of and I would be loosing 10 pups with her and also that entire bloodline. I have put the sick mouse cages in the other end of the room. Unfortunately that is the best I can do right now, but I will work on fixing a shed in our garden up so I have a place to isolate if this happens again. I am getting some mice this sautrday, they will be living inside the house untill the others are well or gone (hopefully not...). I dont want to take any of the other mice inside, as I dont want to risk them infecting my ferrets.

I have also got some antibiotics, and I will start treatment right away, then I guess I cant do anything but keep my fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for the advice, it really means the world!


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## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

Update:

Every time I think that we are over it, a mouse starts making noises again...!

I isolated a doe in the weekend in out bathroom in the house and started treatment. She said a lot of noises, but the same evening there was noting to hear and hasnt been since. how long should she stay in isolation from I heard the last noise from her?

In my living room I have 3 mice who hasnt been in contact with the others at all, and they wont be untill I know there is no harm in putting them in the same room with the rest, The main group seemed fine, but then today I heard some slight noises from my only 2 does left from my own litters... argh, well, they went to isolation in a garden shed with another doe who is sneezing.

So now I have mice in 4 different places.

Will this never end?? I remove any mouse that has the sligtes sign of RI by culling or isolating.

When this hopefully comes to an end at some point, how long should I wait untill I can consider them healthy and move the ones in the living room down to the others?


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

I had a siamese mouse that was making noises like a clicking noise and I culled it streight away incase something spread it would of been no good breeding from her like that,you might keep getting this problem Anne.I nipped it in the bud and don't haveany problems now this was about 3 month ago I culled the Doe.


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## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

That was exactly what happened with my first sick mouse, and none of the others got it. I got this when I took 4 petmice in, and they said noises. I honestly was just to new/stupid to realise that even if the noise is not a clicking noise, something is still wrong. i just culled a buck 5 minutes ago, that made slight noises, and I think I will have to cull away one in the isolation tomorrow, as she does not seem to be getting better, and she has already been on medication, and still is getting worse (she got better at first, but then she got sick again). This really sucks, to put it frankly. I have been very observant since i posted this topic the first time, and removed any mouse that has been saying the sligtest noise immediately, and still it keeps coming back.

I am just hoping for the best now, culling or isolating sick individuals and crossing my fingers that at some point it will stop and that I still will have some left when that time comes.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

I hope it all goes well for you soon Anne it is indeed not nice to see animals poorly unlike us they cant tell you when their feeling ill.


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## Anne (Mar 21, 2011)

No, it is terrible  I really hope to have good news soon.


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