# Help! Suddenly very ill mouse!



## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 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 bad. I would estimate she is around 6 to 8 weeks old, because they are all very small compared to my two adult mice. 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 (Jul 24, 2012)

Should I sepearate her from the others? I don't want any of my other mice getting ill if this one is contagious.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 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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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I'm so sorry. I wish that I could help and hope that someone comes along with some good advice. What a cute little girl.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with Mice illnesses.

Could be stomach issues? Maybe her guts got clogged. Do you think maybe she ate any bedding in large amounts? That's what it sounds like. I would keep an eye on her, make sure she has plenty of water and see if maybe it passes, the diarrhea could be a good sign in this case.

Curious, is she more yellow then in the picture? There is a type of mouse called a Lethal yellow. it's on the Agouti locus, as Ay. when it's Homogenized Or paired with the agouti gene (so Ay/a is safe, Ay/Ay and Ay/A is lethal) it's similar to Megacolon though they typically aren't born or die at birth. Though from the picture she looks like a normal agouti which is why I'm asking.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I don't think she'd eat any of the bedding. I use aspen bedding and the chips are rather large. 

The color in the picture is the color that she is. I'm pretty positive she's an agouti. She does have a sister (I believe she's her sister) who is yellow and white. I know nothing of mouse genetics so I'm not sure if that would make a difference in her.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Ok, it still sounds an awful lot like an Impaction (Eating too much non-digestible stuff, normally bedding). I would keep an eye on her, and try to make sure she has plenty of water.

Does she eat dry corn? Once again, just curious, Dry corn is known to in all animals to cause issues like this.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

She does eat a little bit of corn. There is some in the seed mix that I feed them. I feed them half seed mix and half of the homemade mix that I feed to my rats. I give them vegetables and fruits several times a week.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

She didn't make it through the night.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I'm pretty sure that she had megacolon. The symptoms sound like that's what it was.

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 stripe. 

I didn't know the mouse that died very well, but she was so beautiful. She was very skittish and afraid, but I really hope she had a good week living with me. Rest in peace little one.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

Aww sorry for your loss... You did your best.... Rip Lil mouse


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## Sammich (Dec 15, 2012)

R.I.P little baby. 

What an awful experience for you. D: *hug*


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