# neverending sneezing - please advise



## tinyfish (Apr 19, 2009)

Hi!

I was given some baby broken marked mice a while back. I felt had been weaned a bit early so I gave them a variety of nice food including soft things so they wouldn't be too stressed by their early move and they seemed to be doing fine, but after about a week they started sneezing.

I immediately read up on mouse sneezing and was preparing myself for the worst as it said mouse RIs can become nasty and fatal very quickly, but they never deteriorated, they seem happy and active otherwise, but are still sneezing more than a month on. I have kept them separate from my original mice (none of which have ever sneezed in over two years that I've kept mice), so chances are they were already carrying the bug when I got them (unless my mice were carrying it without showing symptoms, and I transferred it into the babies' cage on my person).

I have since put one of my mice with them as an experiment and it does not seem to be sneezing a couple of weeks on. Could it be that broken marked ones are particularly prone to whatever sneezy disease this is? Should I do something or can I ignore the sneezing, as it is not getting worse and they seem happy in themselves? (it is definitely not the bedding, I don't use pine shavings).

My own mice have not been breeding well the past six months or so, but are otherwise all in good health and not very old. I was reading about Mycoplasma causing reproductive problems in rodents, could it be that my lot suffer from the reproductive infection and it got transferred to the new babies which are now showing symptoms of the respiratory form?

I am grateful for any and all experiences! Until the beginning of this year I had been very lucky and not had any health problems in my colony except the odd mammary tumour and suddenly now I am having potentially two mysterious illnesses at once.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

This may seem like a silly basic question, but what kind of bedding do you use? Pine shavings aren't the only ones that bother some mice. Some people here have reported mouse allergies to Carefresh (a recycled paper bedding), for example.


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## tinyfish (Apr 19, 2009)

I use shredded paper for bedding and tissue paper for nesting, so should be non-allergenic and non-dusty.


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## AnnB (Jan 14, 2011)

I tend not to worry about a mouse with an occasional sneeze but I do watch carefully for other symptoms of RI developing, and as my mice are pets I always get them down to the vets for a course of baytril if their breathing becomes laboured. It is possible that a respiratory infection could be passed to your other mice.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

If they have been sick for a while it's possible that the lungs are scarred and they will always rasp and rattle. It's truely hard to tell the difference between a sick mouse and a scarred mouse...maybe the vet can help?


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## tinyfish (Apr 19, 2009)

Hi!

That's the thing, no sign whatsoever of rasping or rattling, ONLY sneezing, no goo or anything either, literally just like when I have my pollen allergy, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. :?


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

That does sound like allergies....hmmmmmm


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## AnnB (Jan 14, 2011)

Do you use hairspray or other sprays in the same room?


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## tinyfish (Apr 19, 2009)

no, they are outside, well away from any chemicals

also, all broken markeds still sneezing (but otherwise very happy and lively), TWO of my old solid colours now housed with them still completely fine, no sneezing!

VERY confusing! Has no one here seen anything like this before?


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## tinyfish (Apr 19, 2009)

Quick update - it IS infectious, my first solid colour 'guinea pig' mouse is now also sneezing, incubation period approx 14 days



Anyone? Is it Mycoplasma? Are they all going to die?


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## AnnB (Jan 14, 2011)

It sounds quite possible that it's a mycoplasma infection. I would advise that you watch carefully for signs other than the sneezing (clicking noises, laboured breathing) because they can go downhill quickly. I would isolate them from healthy mice and consider seeing a vet if the symptoms do get worse.


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