# Mouse at Work



## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

We have a female mouse at work. Originally she was sold to a couple who wanted a pet for their daughter, but they quickly realized they were allergic and brought the mouse back to the store. After being here for a bit, we noticed a small bit of fur loss on her back. My manager said "It must be mites" and she was taken to the vet. I don't think they vet knows what they are doing but they put her on ivermectin (the oral kind) but after being on it for several weeks, she did not improve. Once the meds were gone, they just left her in the back. I've been arguing for her to go back to the vet now for several weeks and just yesterday she finally got to go back. At this point, she looks terrible. I have the day off today so I'm not sure what the vet said but I took some pics a while back of how she looks. She is almost always hunched over, she is still missing fur, she won't gain a gram (stays between 17-18g), and recently has developed a swollen anus. I feel so bad for her but I must say she is the sweetest mouse I've ever met.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

That sounds like multiple problems.
but possibly an lergy to her food.

If a diet change can't fix it, then I would suggest you put her down.
Try feeding her just plain oats and ride for a few days, and see if she gets better. :|


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## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

Unfortunately you know where I work and they are very strict about what we can and can't do. Changing her diet is probably out of the question but I will speak with my manager about trying it.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Yes, please do. :| 
I mean, if nothing else, I can GIVE YOU some food for her. I don't want the manager to say that they can't take care of her because they can't change her diet.


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## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

He's that kind of manager though. (The store manager, not my department manager) He'll spend $500 (of the store's money anyway) on keeping a hamster alive that should have been PTS months ago, but anything that "goes against policy" is a no-no. I will talk with my department manager about the diet switch asap and see what we can do for her.

If it is an allergy to her food (They get block and a seed mix. I can find out brands on Saturday when I go into work.), is there a brand of food she will be able to eat, or will she have to have a homemade blend?

Also, thanks for your help!


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Could`nt someone (maybe yourself?) adopt her and take her home? She sounds miserable being on her own in a shop? It does look like the start of a skin allergy, but this could also be due to anxiety, mites, litter she`s kept on, environment and as has been suggested, diet. Although I would have thought if she`s een eating the same diet for long enough, this problem would have surfaced long before this if it was an allergy to a foodstuff?

It seems a shame to have her on her own aswell. Female mice really need company, so if she could be bought or adopted, her life could change if she had a few female buddies!  She looks lovely. She`s slightly longer haired aswell. Pretty wee mousie!

Hope you can convince your boss to let her go. Mice do best on a good seed/grain mix and a RAT mix if you have any. Millet seed (for birds) and plain porridge oats mixed in go down well. Break up any large extruded biscuits for her as she`s quite small. Does she have cage enrichment like a good sized wheel and plenty of hiding places?


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

None of my mice have wheels there all in breeding colonies,mice are happier with company .I leave the bucks in with the does and young.Too me the prospects of this mouse does not look so good, I know you feel sorry for the Animal but you work for the firm its up to the management of the store too make sure the stock are properly looked after if not someone will report the shop in the end . Its not good to get attached when working in a pet store but I guess it must be hard not too.You see if I worked there I wouldnt could keep quiet they would be told.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

The store she works in, is a huge chain, and is known for bad form when it comes to caring for small pets. :|


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

Its a shame isnt it just because its small its one of Gods creatures.


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## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

She is kept alone unfortunately because she is a "sick animal" and has to be isolated from other small animals just in case what she has can be transmitted. She is fed a lab block food (the brand escapes me but I believe it is Nutraphase) and Nutraphase seed mix. She eats the seed mix like crazy and nibbles on the blocks.

She went to the vet while I was off work but due to an issue at work last night I couldn't get a straight answer out of my department manager about what the vet said. He did manage to tell me the vet gave her a shot of something. While she still has the thin fur, her swollen bottom looks much better. Not completely back to normal, but better. She does not have a wheel. "Sick" animals are not allowed to have wheels. She does have chew blocks (which she doesn't really use) and a hut to hide in. Though she spends most of her time sleeping in her food dish. She really is a sweetie. Oh some background info on her. Originally she came into the store and if I'm not mistaken, the same day she as put on the sales floor a couple purchased her for their daughter. Turns out they were allergic and returned her. (<--this I didn't know until the following morning) When I came in the morning after they had returned her, I found her in the cardboard box they are sent home in. She had no food or water (an employee had left her in the back like this and because she did so, is no longer employed with us) and was dehydrated. She was put in the sick room and kept under observation. After a week or two that is when we noticed the thinning of the fur. It was really slight. You could barely see it and after being on ivermectin (the oral kind) she was put on the floor and deemed healthy. Then her fur thinning got worse and now we are here with these symptoms.

I am going to talk to him about possibly adopting her so that I can help her at home. I have a female she can be housed with. IF I am able to adopt her, what should I do for her once she is home?


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

I don`t see any advantage of the store holding onto her if they can`t sell her anyway? It does`nt make economical or compassionate sense for them to do so. They would just be keeping her in isolation, growing older when she could be housed with a companion. Has she been scratching at all? Not just a normal itch, but scratching a lot? If not, then she won`t have any parasite issues. The hair loss can also be down to age, diet, stress (of being alone and anxious) and not caused by mites or allergy.

Offer to purchase her even? Maybe then they would let her go with you? That`s if they won`t give her to you free that is. Maybe a few dollars will change their minds.


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