# cancer



## hlforumhl (Oct 2, 2011)

I know that cancer runs in certain mousey lines, but can it also be due to the conditions a mouse is kept in? For example, if a mouse is kept in a dirty cage that is not cleaned very often, will that cause a mouse to develop cancer? Or is there an element of both...where a mouse needs to have the genetic disposition to get cancer, AND needs to have lousy conditions? Or is there some of each type present in cirtain mice and certain situations?


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I think it runs in lines and can be exacerbated by specific dietary factors. The English breeders claim to have eliminated strains that get cancer. Here in the US, unless you have imported English stock from somewhere, you are more likely to see cancer, especially in does. Dietary factors include corn, peanuts, sunflower seeds. I noted, after several years of mousekeeping, that my meeces weren't too wild about eating corn, so I stopped getting it. Within the nest year, I noticed a big decrease in the incidence of mammary tumors, so I eliminated the dry pet food that contained multiple corn ingredients. In the next year I saw no tumors whatsoever in my mousery.

A high fat diet contributes, but corn, sunflowers and peanuts have multiple factors involved in making me exclude them from my mousies diet. Corn and peanuts can be contaminated with aflatoxins from mold, which can cause a lot of health problems.

In addition, does who are not bred may be more likely to develop tumors.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I doubt it's been eliminated entirely over here.Breeding lots and keeping/breeding those that never have it is the best route.Some of the lumps that look like cancer aren't.When culling a mouse with a lump by head trauma it's not uncommon for the lump to burst and reveal puss rather than a solid mass.I can't think that dirt would play much of a part.Like moustress says,inherited,diet and with mammary tumours possibly a virus are causes.


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## hlforumhl (Oct 2, 2011)

thanks for the info. I'll have to take a closer look at my mice's diets


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