# Help with weight?



## Andrew (Aug 28, 2013)

I rescued a couple of old boys from a pet shop a few months ago. They'd apparently been there around six months, and although well-cared for I think the amount of space they had to live in along with possibly a lack of exercise equipment and far too many treats led to them ballooning in size whilst there. Now I'm finding it difficult to get their weight down. In three months, they've only gained more. They have zero interest in any exercise equipment, and if I get them out for a run around they're so lazy they just sit it the one spot. With no extra treats and just their basic food, I still can't make any progress with them. Jerry got sick a while ago and is now blind in one eye, which has killed any kind of motivation to get up out of bed each day that he did have while his brother Rusty is around triple the size of a healthy mouse his age, he is literally enormous and barely moves from his bed except to occasionally get some food.

Any ideas or tips of anything I could be doing that may be effective? The way it's going, I fear they're just eating themselves to death. Is it wise removing food altogether most of the time?


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

some are genetically prone to obesity and diabetes can be an effect(blindness?).Are they red/orange/yellow/ginger? If they are it's almost impossible to keep the weight off.You can only do your best with food and cage requirements .It's not really possible to diet mice.Most of the very overweight mice I have do live a normal life span.


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## Andrew (Aug 28, 2013)

SarahC said:


> some are genetically prone to obesity and diabetes can be an effect(blindness?).Are they red/orange/yellow/ginger? If they are it's almost impossible to keep the weight off.You can only do your best with food and cage requirements .It's not really possible to diet mice.Most of the very overweight mice I have do live a normal life span.


They are ginger yes, I didn't know that was an issue. I have had overweight mice before, one of my other boys will eat until his tummy bursts, but not to the extreme sizes of these two, so I naturally worried. It's encouraging that they've had normal lifespans with you though, so I hope for the best for these two. I just couldn't leave them sitting in the pet shop when they looked so beautiful and had been there for so long!

Jerry went blind a while ago yes. His left eye swelled rapidly and although I treated it, it quickly ruptured. He must have been in so much pain, but he seems ok now. The eye's healing nicely and there doesn't seem to be any after effects, but it has slowed him down and he's as little interest in doing anything now as his brother. On the positive side, they've got each other. Never known boys to be such good friends


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Don't diet them, leave them with access to food all the time. As Sarah says, it's a genetic thing. They can't diet, they would starve to death and still die fat!

When I was much younger I had a pet sable doe, she was absolutely enormous, like a big potato with a little mouse head and tail, but still outlived her pied black sister. She was also more slow and cuddly than the pied black and, really, made a much better pet


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I have a doe that resembles a tennis ball with legs.One of my dogs suffered a ruptured eyeball.Interestingly when the damage is so severe the nerves are destroyed rather quickly and the pain is less than a more superficial injury.


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