Why did my mouse die?

Question
Hi,

This happened a while ago but It has been bothering me.
I was wondering if you have any ideas what could have happened.
I will give all info I can think of.

I bought a 2 month old mouse.
He was friendly, active, ate well, drank well and peed everywhere (even on the bars of his cage).
He was fed a mouse mix food and his cage bedding was pine shavings (changed once a week, whole cage was cleaned because of the peeing).

When he was about 6 months old we moved (about a 2.5 hour drive).
When we got to the new house I noticed he was scratching his head (around the ears) a lot.
He seemed to be drinking well but not eating much.
I looked for a vet that would see a mouse but it took me a while to find one and about 3 days after the move I found him dead, the fur on his head was scratched off and the skin was very red.

Jessica

Answer
Dear Jessica,

First-- important!-- mice must not have cedar or pine litters. They contain oils which irritate their respiratory passages and lead easily to disease. You can get aspen litter, or other manufactured litters such as Carefresh. Drs Foster & Smith sell huge bags of aspen for not very much.

Male mice do pee all over. They are marking their territory. Some people just can't stand the smell. If you don't like it, get a few female mice. Unless the cage gets dirty, they smell nice. They are best kept in threes, so that when one dies there is not a bereft and lonely mouse left, prone to illness and mites.


As to your question..

I am sure there are possibilities I cannot think of.

The first thing that pops into my head, assuming the issue was from the relocation, is a terrible allergy to something in the new place-- perhaps a new rug, or paint, or furniture polish.

If it is unrelated to the move, then the scratching was due either to a skin disease or mites. In either case such a sudden death is unusual, but anything that hurts the mouse, hurts its immune system and leaves it open to any other infection. A mouse can die within 12 hours of contracting some illnesses.

A likely possibility is that the scratching led to a wound which became infected; the infection spread inside and caused blood poisoning, which killed the mouse.

I can't tell you for sure. But these are likely scenarios.

I am sorry about the loss of your mouse.

squeaks,

Natasha