Mouse died with swollen belly

Question
Hi Natasha...8months ago i bought two female white mice. Both of them were highly active, happy playful and completely healthy. Unfortunately one of my mouse has died as i was out of town for 12 days. Generally i keep them open in my room but as i was not going to be there, i left them in the cage. My mom gave them the food n cleaned the cage twice a day. On 8th day my mom cald me n told me that one of them is swollen badly around stomach and not moving or eating and breathing very slowly. I immediately took an appointment with the vet and asked my frnd to take her the very nxt morning. Unfortunately she died in the mornng itself. The other one dint eat anything at all throughout the day. I amback n now shes doing fine. Though i hate seeing her lonely. I want to know what would have hapend to my dead mouse. All happend within a span of 2days. Now can i get a new mouse to keep her company? shes almost 9months old now! And did my mouse had infection from her urine as they were in cage for 10 days or bacause of extreme cold. I live in north india and temperature here is 8 celsius. Please let me know what can i do for my mouse who is all alone now. i can never forgive myself though.she was never ill but as soon as i left she was gone.

Answer
Hi Megha,

I am so sorry about your mouse... she may have had a blocked intestine or a tumor. Extreme cold is terrible for mice; please keep them warm. Urine buildup in a small tank for ten days is bad for their respiratory systems but would not cause that.

If you feel you can keep the place at a good mouse temperature, get 2-3 new babies for her right away.

It is not your fault. You did nothing wrong.

squeaks,

Natasha