Super overweight mouse

by oliviagrace29 Fri 09 Apr 2021, 6:01 pm

Hi!

I've had two female mice for about six months now, and one of them has recently gained a lot of weight. I've cut down on the amount of food I give them (I feed them Oxbow Garden Selects Young rat and mouse food), and I got an extra saucer to make sure she had more time on the wheel, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. I would take her out to run around but she's absolutely terrified of being handled and don't want her to panic.

Is there anything I should be doing different? She seems happy but I don't want her to be unhealthy.

Thanks in advance!

by Roosterwhale Fri 09 Apr 2021, 6:10 pm

Would you mind describing where her extra weight is distributed?
If she's very round in her middle only (I'm having a hard time describing the shape, but I guess somewhat like a frog?) then she might be pregnant. I've had more than one "female" mouse from a pet store turn out to be a male, before I got better at telling the difference, so it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if your other girl turned out to be a boy, especially since you said the weight gain was significant and quick.

by River Fri 09 Apr 2021, 7:47 pm

A picture would help! Smile

Diets don't really work for mice. Their metabolisms are very, very fast, so it's unlikely to be related and they need access to food at all times. Making sure the fat content in the food is low and there are less treats is about as far as a diet can really go, but it keeps most mice healthy.

There are also some mouse colors (brindles and yellows, mostly) that were made in labs and have a gene linked to obesity. This you kind of just have to embrace, as no amount of dieting will change it. They're kind of just like that. Laughing

by oliviagrace29 Sat 10 Apr 2021, 8:01 am

Yeah she's pretty round right now... I never thought that she could be pregnant! She's been been living together with the other mouse for months now and there haven't been any babies though. I'll keep an eye on her.

Thanks so much for the info River! She sort of looks like a brindle actually. That might makes sense since the other mouse hasn't gained weight at all. I'll check out the fat content in her food to make sure it's okay.

Not sure how to add pictures here but I hope this works. She's like a perfect circle haha!

by SarahAdams Sat 10 Apr 2021, 7:29 pm

Agree it's probably genetic. I have 3 boys who live in separate bins. I feed them all the same. Two of them are sleek and trim and the third is like a furry golfball. No use cutting down his portions, so he is what he is.