# Help, just picked up a mouse and she looks AWFUL! *UPDATE!!!



## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

I just picked up a splashed pair from a breeder tonight. The buck is nice. Big and friendly with nice bright eyes. But the female was very small and acting wiggy. She was doing cartwheels over and over and then when I got home and had a chance to look at her.. I was very upset. She is squinty eyed and sunk in around the waist. She is now listless and will probably not survive the night. She is SUPER tiny and baddly formed, it was hard to see in the dark of the parking lot and when she was doing cartwheels, but her back is hunched as you can see in the photo. I am quarantining these mice of course...but I am pretty upset and worried about what was wrong with this mouse. I am hoping it's just nerological damage and not something contagious. I wish I had noticed how ill she looked before taking her. If she survives I certainly don't plan to breed. Anyone have any ideas about what this could be? From doing cartwheels (litereally going over and over in a backwards circle grabbing the top of the bin she was in) to barely holding up her head in an hour. Anything I can do to help her survive?
Here is her picture from right after I got home. She is still the same, leaning now on the side of her cage and breathing heavily.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

Have you told casey?

Not sure what could be going on there...


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## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

Stina said:


> Have you told ***********?
> 
> Not sure what could be going on there...


Tried...I am getting no responce. I would like to try and save her if I can so I was hoping for advice that might help since I can't reach the breeder.
I am btw not blaming anyone, I just wish to save the mouse. I just hate to lose her. I am sure its a fluke and not her fault.

*editted name so no one feels blamed.


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

First, get her warm, hold her up against you if she will let you, otherwise, warm up a sock full of rice and let her sit next to it.

Do you have pedialyte? If not, google a home made substitute and dropper that to her, warm, as often as she will take it. Gatorade works also, in a pinch. But make sure it's warm, you don't want anything cold in an animal that ill.

Keep her calm and quiet, and talk to her softly if she seems like she enjoys that- often they are comforted by it. If she will eat, a very tiny bit of scrambled egg or warm oatmeal is perfect- you may have to offer it to her a tiny piece at a time. Getting her to drink is more important.

I wish you the best of luck, dear.

She may have hurt herself flipping around, or she could have a respiratory thing.

And one last thing- can mice have dark chocolate? If so, a very, very, very tiny piece will help her to breathe easier. We use it in rats all the time.


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

Oh, and no bright lights. Ill animals don't like that, I often keep them in total darkness. (especially with an animal in shock)

You may still loose her. However, if she has a chance, heat and hydration will save her.

(I also want to point out, this is pretty much the rescue remedy for ANY sick animal. Heat, quiet, pedialyte, and love if they will take it, comfort if they won't, in whatever form they want. There isn't a single thing better than that to save lives and I have saved many with it.)


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## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

She looks slightly better this morning. Wobbly and still hunched, but drinking and moving about. 
I did speak to the breeder and she assured me that the mouse was not like this before. I am assuming shock is the problem.


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

If she was flipping around and around it sounds like she already had neurological problems when you picked her up, maybe an inner ear infection. If you have baytril then it might be wise to start her on that ASAP along with the rehydration as people have mentioned, with easy to eat tempting foods. She does look very ill and may not recover, but it sounds like you're willing to try your best to give her a chance.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Inner ear problem for sure, and all the advice is good advice. When you get new meeces they need time to adjust, and changes in temp can bring on this sort of thin all by themselves. Moving them is hard on their tiny little consitutions. Let them rest and be content to provide food, water, and a calm, dim, warmish environment. Avoid turning lights on and off, any loud noise, any sudden movement around them.

I use liquid Benadryl, kind that's made for kids, for this sort of thing and it usually helps somewhat. I put it on a piece of dried bread, or mix is with a little bit of bread crumbs, and also add a generous amount to the water bottle. A generic equivalent works well, and is pretty darn cheap, like a couple of bucks.

For meeces that are used to my ways sometimes I paint their muzzles with it, with ensures it being cleaned off and swallowed. I'm a big fan of What Works. Good luck!


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## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

Well the good news is the little splashed female IS in fact looking MUCH better. She has perked up and is eatting and drinking again. All of your suggestions were wonderful. I was able to help her and she is behaving normally. I will continue the quarantine and treatment and hope for the best. 








Look at those bright eyes. Much more alert and not acting odd. Nothing is more important than being sure the mouse was okay. I am sorry it became drama...it was supposed to be about the mouse herself.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

My instinct is that she was in shock more likely then having any sort of actual infection or inner ear problem since she seems to be recovering so quickly. The fact that she was doing "somersaults" AND using the lid of the cage during them (not just flipping over), suggests terror more to me then actual illness. What could have caused that level of fear I don't know...but I would guess fear putting her into shock is most likely what happened (assuming she continues to recover normally).


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

It does sound like shock. I wouldn't suggest taking that doe anywhere anytime soon. Sounds like she's more of a homebody than your average mouse.

She's adorable though and I am so glad she is doing better!


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

I'm very glad that this was handled with professionalism over here. Thank you all for being helpful, and mature.
I sold Tara this mouse, and it looked fine just hours before. Several people saw the mouse, in fine health.
Thank you for talking with me, I'm glad she's doing well, shock or a chill or just major stress from the trip, or something, sounds like a culprit since she went down so fast, and recovered so fast.

The flipping is what I assumed to be OCD, Stina and others. The mouse started doing the 'flips' one day, and just kept doing them afterwards. Her sisters and brothers all climb the bars of the cage, but she just did those flips, and would do them one after another after another, kind of like running on a wheel. She didn't do them fast, or dart around or anything. She would jump up onto the bars, walk a few bars upside down, then drop, then repeat. Strange mouse, I advised putting her in a taller cage, with a wheel, to remedy it if they wanted to. 

I think I've apologized as much as any person can, and I hope that despite this situation, and several personal attacks from the peanut gallery, everyone can get along.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

These things happen, it's just the way it is with mice. They can seem absolutely fine and go to pieces in no time, it's rarely anyone's fault. Glad she's doing better


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## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

Rhasputin said:


> I'm very glad that this was handled with professionalism over here. Thank you all for being helpful, and mature.


Like I said, I never ment to start drama and I certainly would have editted the post on ML if I could have. However as you know the edit button dissapears in like 30 seconds! LOL!


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

That's what this Forum is for; mousies are very delicate creatures, and have odd responses to stress, just as individual as any other creature. You have done a great job getting her settled down, and let's hope she continues to improve. She looks worlds better, but you never know from one day to the next so don't hesitate to keep us updated. She looks so bright eyed in the new pic!


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