do mice get lethargic when it's hot?

by teomodo Tue 08 Jun 2021, 9:33 pm

hello! I've been noticing that two of my mice have been laying around awake on their stomachs recently-- not all the time, and sometimes when I check back later they've fallen asleep. They also pop right up to attention if I get close to the cage when they're lying there, so they're responding to stimuli. It's been HOT and although I've been doing what I can with icepacks and frozen peas and ice cubes in their water, it stays hot and stuffy in our apartment (we can't get an AC). My question is if this is normal behavior for a hot mouse or cause for concern. I just lost one of my girls on Sunday, so I'm being extra careful with the three I have now.
Also, any tips on keeping my girls cool when it's 90+ degrees out?

by M O U S E Wed 09 Jun 2021, 12:48 pm

I can't answer your first question with absolute certainty. However, my girls, namely Fiadh, are acting very similar. The thing with Fiadh is that she's a year and a half old, has numerous arising issues (hair loss, dandruff, lethargy...), and is hot. So, I don't know if her lethargy is from her age, issues, or heat. She is acting exactly like you described your girls acting though. How old are they? I would also suggest doing a health check. Listen for clicks, look for scabs, bumps, and any other abnormalities.

If there is nothing wrong with them, it could very well be the heat. People get tired when they are too hot, so why not mice? And if you are hot, they are much warmer than you feel since their bodies are so small.

The apartment I live in can get hot and stuffy too. What I have been doing to keep my girls cool is freezing an empty glass jar to put in their cage, giving them a bowl with an ice cube in it, and putting a bit of water in a dish and freezing it.

You can also turn on a fan (not directly blowing on the cage), freeze some tissues or something to nest with for a while, give them a shallow water dish, spritz some misty cold water just to cool the atmosphere a bit, putting a cool pad (dish or ceramic cup mat), or putting them in the shade if they are by a window.

Hope this helps Smile

by disastervibe Fri 25 Jun 2021, 8:53 pm

The larger of my mice, Dandelion, also is acting exactly like this. I'm doing everything I can think of, but she's still lying out and panting when it's at it's hottest. I do think it's most likely the heat because I've looked her over and listened to her breathing repeatedly, plus she acts more normal in the evening once it's cooled down.

I'm very concerned :/ I don't want her to end up with heat stroke. My next step is going to be to lightly dampen and freeze hand towels and then put them over the top of the cage during the day time, and to add a dish with ice water + pedialyte in addition to their water bottles. Frozen jars and cooling tiles just don't last long enough. Some refrigerated peanut butter seems to be helping her perk up, so I'm going to start offering them various refrigerated snacks every day (fruits and veggies). I've tried frozen fruit, but that seems to be TOO cold and they shy away from it after touching it.

by teomodo Mon 28 Jun 2021, 10:52 am

disastervibe wrote:The larger of my mice, Dandelion, also is acting exactly like this. I'm doing everything I can think of, but she's still lying out and panting when it's at it's hottest. I do think it's most likely the heat because I've looked her over and listened to her breathing repeatedly, plus she acts more normal in the evening once it's cooled down.

I'm very concerned :/ I don't want her to end up with heat stroke. My next step is going to be to lightly dampen and freeze hand towels and then put them over the top of the cage during the day time, and to add a dish with ice water + pedialyte in addition to their water bottles. Frozen jars and cooling tiles just don't last long enough. Some refrigerated peanut butter seems to be helping her perk up, so I'm going to start offering them various refrigerated snacks every day (fruits and veggies). I've tried frozen fruit, but that seems to be TOO cold and they shy away from it after touching it.

What kind of fruit are you giving them? I find peas are small enough to that they don't stay too cold for too long. My mice do the same thing when a big hunk of ice comes out with the peas.

by disastervibe Mon 28 Jun 2021, 11:20 pm

teomodo wrote:
disastervibe wrote:The larger of my mice, Dandelion, also is acting exactly like this. I'm doing everything I can think of, but she's still lying out and panting when it's at it's hottest. I do think it's most likely the heat because I've looked her over and listened to her breathing repeatedly, plus she acts more normal in the evening once it's cooled down.

I'm very concerned :/ I don't want her to end up with heat stroke. My next step is going to be to lightly dampen and freeze hand towels and then put them over the top of the cage during the day time, and to add a dish with ice water + pedialyte in addition to their water bottles. Frozen jars and cooling tiles just don't last long enough. Some refrigerated peanut butter seems to be helping her perk up, so I'm going to start offering them various refrigerated snacks every day (fruits and veggies). I've tried frozen fruit, but that seems to be TOO cold and they shy away from it after touching it.

What kind of fruit are you giving them? I find peas are small enough to that they don't stay too cold for too long. My mice do the same thing when a big hunk of ice comes out with the peas.

I've given them frozen blueberries and pieces of frozen strawberries. I do still have the same problem of it not staying frozen for very long, but that would be the case with anything small. You can also chop up some baby carrots and freeze those.

I called the vet and I haven't been able to get through to the one person on staff who sees mice Sad

He was supposed to call me, but hasn't, and he's only in Sundays and Mondays. I do have an appointment to see him July 5th, but that's so far off that it's stressing me out. I'll let you guys know though what he says in case it might be helpful to anyone else.

One other thing, her appetite seems to be decreasing. I have some KMR on hand if it comes down to it, but hopefully I can get her to eat more later in the evening when it's cooler.

by disastervibe Thu 01 Jul 2021, 2:49 pm

I was able to see the vet early, and after examining her and comparing her to her sister who has been perfectly fine (no panting, no lethargy), he says it's either a respiratory infection or congenital heart failure. She's on antibiotics now in case it's an infection.

She's been losing weight as well from not eating, so if your mice have been eating fine and all of them have been acting the same (as opposed to just one or some of them, like in my case), it may just be the heat.

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