Some Usual Mouse Ailmens

1. Ailments
2. Disorders
3. Parasites
4. Tooth Problems
5. Skin Problems
6. Sendai Virus

Respiratory mycoplasmosis

Usual symptoms are coughing, sneezing, lethargy and in chronic cases clear weakening of general condition. When a mouse gets mycoplasmosis, its breath rattles. You should separate the sick mouse from the others so it won't give the other mice its disease. You should keep close eye on the mouse for a while. If it has only caught cold, it will get well. Antibiotics may relieve the symptoms, but the mycoplasmosis cannot be cured. Mouse that has mycoplasmosis but doesn't show symptoms can infect other mice. You should not use a sick mouse for breeding, as it may infect its young.

Eye infections

Sometimes a mouse's eye gets infected and you can see mucous secretion. The eye infection may be caused by dirty cage, the eye may have been stuck by hay, or some anti-parasite shampoo may have got into the eye during a wash. You can wipe the eye carefully using 'eye-solution' designed for dogs or cats, available in good pet shops. If you do not have eye solution at home, boil up some water, let it cool down and use it. If the eye infection doesn't heal, contact your vet.

Tumours

For some reason tumours are more usual in does than in bucks. When a tumour is detected, it often grows very quickly. You shouldn't confuse a tumour with an abscess, which is sometimes seen in mice. An abscess doesn't grow quickly and it usually doesn't bother the mouse. It is better to euthanise a mouse with tumour, as the mouse suffers. Do not breed mice from strains where there are lots of tumours (especially at young age), because the tendency of getting tumours is hereditary.

Kinked tail

Kinked tail is a genetically hereditary defect in the tail. If you have a mouse with a kinked tail and you decide to breed from it, there will be more mice with kinked tail born. In shows, kinked tail is considered a fault. If your mouse has kinked tail due to an accident, it does not matter in breeding. Only those defects a mouse is born with, are hereditary.

Most common accidents

Mouse's tail can get hurt if the mouse is lifted from the tip of the tail. Lifting a mouse from the base of the tail doesn't hurt the mouse. While putting a mouse inside a small transportation/show box, watch out that the tail doesn't get stuck between the box and the lid. The tail could be permanently damaged. You should never lift a small baby mouse by its tail; it can get broken.

Small baby mouse (usually under 4 weeks of age) can get so scared when picked up that it jumps off of your hand. It doesn't understand that it is high above the ground. You should hold a mouse above the cage, low enough that it will not hurt itself if it decides to jump. Older mice who are used to be handled do not jump down.

At wintertime you have to take care that your mouse doesn't catch cold when you transport it. A mouse is much more sensitive to cold than, say, a rat. When a mouse feel chilly, its coat stands on its end and the tail feels cold. If a mouse gets too cold, it may even die. You should put a lot of bedding into a transportation box with shredded Kleenex on top of the bedding. This way the mouse can get under the paper, if it feels chilly

On to part two - Behavioral problems.

Source: Finnish Show & Pet Mice. Text: Maiju Collan, Carita Gunnar, Minna Piippo, Mikaela Stenström.