Mouse health in general
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How long do your mice live for in general?
Mouse health in general
by MouseBBs Fri 29 Dec 2023, 2:11 am
Hi everyone!
I would like to hear some experiences from others on raising pet mice and overall mouse health. I've had 9 female mice over the course of 3 years. I do not buy from the pet store, I only buy from reputable mouse breeders that breed for good health and socialize them from young. I have tried 2 different mouse breeders so far.
None of my mice have ever lived past 1.5 years old. 7 out of 9 mice have died from some illness, so it seems that mice are very prone to health issues. Is this the norm for the rest of you?
I've had mice die from tumors, heart condition, and neurological disease, usually at the one year mark. I know this as I have always brought every unwell mouse to the vet. So far it seems rare for me to have a mouse live out a full life and die of old age.
Please share your experiences, I'm curious if it's just me or if mice in general don't live out full lives.
Thank you!
I would like to hear some experiences from others on raising pet mice and overall mouse health. I've had 9 female mice over the course of 3 years. I do not buy from the pet store, I only buy from reputable mouse breeders that breed for good health and socialize them from young. I have tried 2 different mouse breeders so far.
None of my mice have ever lived past 1.5 years old. 7 out of 9 mice have died from some illness, so it seems that mice are very prone to health issues. Is this the norm for the rest of you?
I've had mice die from tumors, heart condition, and neurological disease, usually at the one year mark. I know this as I have always brought every unwell mouse to the vet. So far it seems rare for me to have a mouse live out a full life and die of old age.
Please share your experiences, I'm curious if it's just me or if mice in general don't live out full lives.
Thank you!
MouseBBs- New Member
- Join date : 2021-10-10
Posts : 3
Re: Mouse health in general
by catnapt Wed 03 Jan 2024, 8:19 pm
hi I wish I could help you but I am new to mouse keeping myself
I did just foster some mice and 3 of them died within 3 weeks of each other, even though 1 of those that passed away had been adopted and was not living with me. They are all brothers from a large litter that came into rescue. Some of them had the brindle obesity gene, and the first one to pass was believed to have a cardiac issue.
The two that passed away while in my care, one had resp illness and treating it didn't help, the other I think died of a broken heart, as he was very very very close to the brother that passed away. I never saw anything wrong with him.
I got my first mouse last Feb and he is 13 mos old, I got two of his nieces recently (they were born in Oct I think so are in their 3rd month) and I have 3 girls from the local shelter- they are likely at least 18 mos old, based on how long they were in the shelter when I got them. They had been abandoned in an apt. No clue if they are related but they all have small ruby eyes so I think they may be sisters.
I have spoken with long time mice lovers/keepers and they have told me that 18 mos is about average, with some rare ones getting to 2 yrs or even older, and a fair number only making it to 1 yr
They then clarified that the outliers, the rare ones that make it to 2 yrs or more, skew the curve and that it is actually more common to lose a mouse between 12 and 18 mos.
They also said that getting mice from a breeder did not insure a longer life and that often pet store or feeder mice were healthier or had hardier genes.
it seems impossible to predict with these little ones
it is sad that their lives are so short.
I did just foster some mice and 3 of them died within 3 weeks of each other, even though 1 of those that passed away had been adopted and was not living with me. They are all brothers from a large litter that came into rescue. Some of them had the brindle obesity gene, and the first one to pass was believed to have a cardiac issue.
The two that passed away while in my care, one had resp illness and treating it didn't help, the other I think died of a broken heart, as he was very very very close to the brother that passed away. I never saw anything wrong with him.
I got my first mouse last Feb and he is 13 mos old, I got two of his nieces recently (they were born in Oct I think so are in their 3rd month) and I have 3 girls from the local shelter- they are likely at least 18 mos old, based on how long they were in the shelter when I got them. They had been abandoned in an apt. No clue if they are related but they all have small ruby eyes so I think they may be sisters.
I have spoken with long time mice lovers/keepers and they have told me that 18 mos is about average, with some rare ones getting to 2 yrs or even older, and a fair number only making it to 1 yr
They then clarified that the outliers, the rare ones that make it to 2 yrs or more, skew the curve and that it is actually more common to lose a mouse between 12 and 18 mos.
They also said that getting mice from a breeder did not insure a longer life and that often pet store or feeder mice were healthier or had hardier genes.
it seems impossible to predict with these little ones
it is sad that their lives are so short.
catnapt- New Member
- Join date : 2022-11-06
Posts : 17
MouseBBs likes this post
Similar topics» mouse health
» Separating Mouse with Health Issues
» Does the health of a mouse decline fast?
» General care facts??
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» Separating Mouse with Health Issues
» Does the health of a mouse decline fast?
» General care facts??
» General mice questions
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