# Suddenly very ill mouse



## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

One week ago today I purchased four young mice from a pet store. Today one of them has changed drastically overnight. Yesterday she looked fine. Today she looks very much like a rat does that has megacolon. Do mice get megacolon? She is very young. I would estimate around 6 to 8 weeks old. She has half closed eyes, her fur is unkempt and her stomach is suddenly extremely round while her upper half is scrawny. She acts like she can hardly move. Before she was extremely skittish and I could hardly catch her. Now she doesn't even budge when I pick her up and she wobbles along my hand and arm.

Here are pictures of her right now. (Sorry for the poor quality)









This picture shows how you can now see the bones in her tail.



























This is two pictures of her two days ago. 


















I called the pet store that I got her from, since I just found her like this now and was right at closing time for the store. Their return policy is 7 days; today was the 7th day. But they said I could bring her in tomorrow and do a trade. However, I realized that I no longer have the receipt because my fiance spilled coffee on it and threw it away.

Is there anything I can do for her?


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

I just went to check on her again and she got diarrhea on me, so I lifted up her tail and her bump is covered in diarrhea. I separated her from the group now.


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

Hello AwaitingAbyss.
Isn't there chance to visit a vet?
Your mouse really looks like having great pain.I wouldn't let her suffer from that.
Bringing her back to the petstore would be never a opinion for me because I think they didn't care a lot of a mouse and mostly there isn't a vet either.
So they would let her die in pain.But thats your choice.

Good luck for your mouse.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

Currently she isn't even looking like she'll be making it through the night. Even if I were to make an appointment with the only vet that sees small animals here, I wouldn't be able to get an appointment for a few more weeks.


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## DaisyTailsMousery (Nov 8, 2012)

If it looks like she's that bad, I would suggest humanely putting her to sleep, if you know how. I think it would be nicer to her to go quickly and not suffer, especially if there is a chance she is in pain.


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

I'm really sorry for that.
It has to be terrible for you that you can do nothing.I know that.
Try to take her warm and comfortable,e.g.infrared light,soft bedding an offer her some smooth food like porridge.Probably she would eat something.
But it looks really bad,I think the only little chance would be an antibiotic therapy.


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## DeepBlueC (Feb 9, 2012)

She has a very similar condition to my mouse, which died a week ago. It started shaking, and it would just walk straight onto my hand for a cuddle, it loved to be kept warm. Dont think there is much else you can do for it unfortunately.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Awaiting_Abyss said:


> Today she looks very much like a rat does that has megacolon. Do mice get megacolon?


Yes they do


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

She didn't make it through the night.


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## DaisyTailsMousery (Nov 8, 2012)

I am sorry for your loss


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm pretty sure that she had megacolon. The symptoms all match up. :/

I took her body back to the pet store just now and they didn't give me any issues with trading her in even though I didn't have the receipt and it was one day past their return policy. They remembered me getting them last week (and I had been going in there asking when they'd get fancy mice in for six weeks before that) and I explained that I called last night but it was at closing time.

The mouse that I got in exchange is very friendly and calm. She's black and white spotted with a blaze.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

megacolon is supposedly more of a problem in pied mice although personally I've only ever had matching symptoms in self blacks.


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

I feel really sorry for your loss.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

I think I read an article about megacolon being 10% more likely in spotted/pied/etc (s/s) mice, and something about a certain spotting gene set (like s/s, with a number modifier?) being even worse (forgive me for not paying that much mind, it didn't sound like something fanciers would be dealing with anyway, more of a lab thing). I'm sorry you, and she, had to go through that. Hopefully it would unlikely to happen again. It's more likely, as reported, from the offspring of spotted animals in their babies with more white than the others in the litter. ('high white'?)

I don't know how accurate this information is, but I have in my notes that people have reported being able to sometimes treat this with a drug that acts as a laxative, or moist food, and such things. I also have noted down that it can be bred out. Yet again, not certain of accuracy. (Not breeding mice who's parents displayed this problem, even if treated effectively).

From what I've read about the condition, it happens usually within the first few months of life. Not sure if your pet store would be interested in how to prevent it. Depends if they are the ones doing the breeding, as I'd think it would cause them problems that could be prevented (not to mention preventing the suffering of affected mice); or they are a big chain who ships the mice in.

Take care,
Zanne


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

The pet store orders all of their animals from a supplier except their feeder mice. They breed their feeder mice, but order their fancy mice.


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## Miceandmore64 (Jul 16, 2013)

I am so sorry


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