Oldest Mouse Is Fine, Companions Keep Passing Away - Please Help
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Oldest Mouse Is Fine, Companions Keep Passing Away - Please Help
by LadyA Tue 11 Dec 2018, 8:29 pm
I have one mouse at the moment - Mona, a red eyed white female that I bottle fed and raised from the time she was about 6 or 7 days old. Right now she is 6 months and healthy.
When she was about 6 weeks old, I got her a companion, quarantined, then introduced. Her friend was a dark brown female named Annie. Annie did great, just never really grew. After 2 months, she died. I was out of town and my grandmother found her, so I don't know what happened the few days before.
After a couple of weeks to make sure Mona was ok, I got her another companion, dark brown and white, named Tia. Again, quarantined, introduced, best of friends, and she died after 2 months. She never lost weight, got lethargic, didn't appear dehydrated, no walking issues, no wet tail, eyes were bright, and she seemed fine that morning, but was gone by the evening. When I checked her over, there were no bite wounds, and didn't seem to be any broken bones. Her diet never changed, she wasn't dropped and didn't like to climb, so I highly doubt she fell. I use paper bedding, not pine or cedar. The food is a natural plant based food, not Timothy pellets (Mona never liked them), with treats of fresh fruits/veggies that are listed as safe for mice.
Could Mona be a carrier of a disease that makes other mice sick, but not her? Or are darker mice less hardy? In the past, I have worked at a pet store around mice/small rodents for 4 years, but this is the first time I have kept them personally. I hate that Mona is alone, but am not sure if either of us could lose another family member like this again. Any help is greatly appreciated.
When she was about 6 weeks old, I got her a companion, quarantined, then introduced. Her friend was a dark brown female named Annie. Annie did great, just never really grew. After 2 months, she died. I was out of town and my grandmother found her, so I don't know what happened the few days before.
After a couple of weeks to make sure Mona was ok, I got her another companion, dark brown and white, named Tia. Again, quarantined, introduced, best of friends, and she died after 2 months. She never lost weight, got lethargic, didn't appear dehydrated, no walking issues, no wet tail, eyes were bright, and she seemed fine that morning, but was gone by the evening. When I checked her over, there were no bite wounds, and didn't seem to be any broken bones. Her diet never changed, she wasn't dropped and didn't like to climb, so I highly doubt she fell. I use paper bedding, not pine or cedar. The food is a natural plant based food, not Timothy pellets (Mona never liked them), with treats of fresh fruits/veggies that are listed as safe for mice.
Could Mona be a carrier of a disease that makes other mice sick, but not her? Or are darker mice less hardy? In the past, I have worked at a pet store around mice/small rodents for 4 years, but this is the first time I have kept them personally. I hate that Mona is alone, but am not sure if either of us could lose another family member like this again. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Last edited by LadyA on Tue 11 Dec 2018, 10:19 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Additional Information)
LadyA- New Member
- Join date : 2018-12-11
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Re: Oldest Mouse Is Fine, Companions Keep Passing Away - Please Help
by CallaLily Thu 13 Dec 2018, 9:40 am
Did you get both of them from the same place? It could be the mice they have are from really poor lines or were already sick? Or maybe too young? I would look into getting mice from another source.
CallaLily- Hero Member
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Re: Oldest Mouse Is Fine, Companions Keep Passing Away - Please Help
by LadyA Thu 13 Dec 2018, 4:00 pm
CallaLily wrote:Did you get both of them from the same place? It could be the mice they have are from really poor lines or were already sick? Or maybe too young? I would look into getting mice from another source.
Thank you. They did come from different places, but both were young, probably 4 weeks old. I may look into getting an older one that is fully grown.
LadyA- New Member
- Join date : 2018-12-11
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Re: Oldest Mouse Is Fine, Companions Keep Passing Away - Please Help
by CallaLily Thu 13 Dec 2018, 4:40 pm
4 weeks is old enough to be away from mom, so shouldn’t be to blame. (unless they were removed from mom before then at the place you got them, in which case they’d have a poor start).
If these mice were purchased from nearby pet stores, it’s still possible they came from the same source and therefore same poor lines/upbringing. If that’s the case, you could try looking to see if there’s a reputable breeder near you for mice from a healthier line.
Another thing you may consider trying is to keep the next mouse/mice in quarantine longer. See if they make it past that 2 month mark away from the first mouse.
If these mice were purchased from nearby pet stores, it’s still possible they came from the same source and therefore same poor lines/upbringing. If that’s the case, you could try looking to see if there’s a reputable breeder near you for mice from a healthier line.
Another thing you may consider trying is to keep the next mouse/mice in quarantine longer. See if they make it past that 2 month mark away from the first mouse.
CallaLily- Hero Member
- Join date : 2016-04-03
Posts : 3937
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