Mouse is dehydrated

Question
I rescued 3 male mice from a mouse race. They were terrified and someone was asking for them to feed to their snake. They lived about a week together just fine. Then one became aggressive. He nibbled off bits of the tops of one of their ears and made tiny holes in his side when we realized what was happening. I read up on it and saw that males not from the same litter usually do not live well together. He was constantly going after the others and we paid a little closer attention to what was really happening. Because of his dominant nature, we separated him from the other 2 and bought another cage. The other 2 being males, slept cuddled up and got along great. I kept researching mice on line with my questions and have learned a great deal. One thing was how males let off a funk. My local pet store said because of the size of the cage that maybe they needed to be cleaned twice a week instead of 1 as the bedding stated. Still no luck. Then I realized this was their marking. Because of the strong odor, I opted to move them to the basement area. I cleaned their cages, checked their water and gave them food. I did not go back down to refill anything the next evening when I got off work late. The following morning I checked on them and the water was still full and one was dead in his food bowl and the other in the corner. I moved things around and no movement. I had rolled my finger on the bottle and had ensured water was coming out, but I guess they couldn't get it. I felt terrible all day and was going to bury them with my daughters that evening. When we went to transfer them out of the cage to our little box, we noticed that one was moving. I started reading all of the stories and what the signs mean. He started taking water, but is seriously lethargic. You can see the sunk in part of his back as the stories indicate for dehydration and he keeps his eyes squinted due to the stress or pain. I want him to live so bad and be back to normal. I am not sure of his age, but I would say 2-3+ months. I am going to the pet store as soon as it opens for the formula. Is it more than likely that my mouse will not survive from this? I noticed his fur has tiny flakes on it also. :( Thanks for your help!

Answer
Dear Susan,

He should get to the vet as an emergency. The vet can hydrate him by inserting a hypodermic needle under his skin with water in it.

What he needs to drink is an electrolyte solution such as Pedialyte. In an emergency, Gatorade will do. You may need to offer it in an eyedropper or syringe.

The next most important thing is to keep him warm. The best thing for a sick mouse is simply to hold him, if someone has the time. It both keeps it warm and can give it the will to live. I have saved numerous mouse lives this way. If that is impossible, put a heating pad under part of the nest with a towel between the cage and the heating pad. There must be room for him to move away in case it gets too warm.

It's hard to say what his chances are. I have never had that happen. I keep two water bottles in every cage for just that reason. Some mice do pull through pretty challenging situations. But mice are very delicate. In nature's terms, each mouse is disposable as long as they have lots of babies.

Especially now that you will have only one mouse per cage, you can't leave them alone that long. They need an hour of people time a day (they can just sit on your shoulder as you watch TV). Keep the cages side by side so they can chat, which they do in a register we can't hear.

I do hope he is OK.

squeaks,

Natasha