Allergic or sick?

Question
I have a mouse who sneezes often. By often I mean a couple of times an hour but it doesn't fit the signs of an infection. He also has a cage mate. They've been living together for a while now and I figure if it was an infection the cage mate would have it too. I tried everything suggested in your answer for a past sneezing mouse question but nothing seems to work. Is it possible he could be allergic to something I have no control over like plants in the area? I suffer from allergies myself and he seems to feel about the way I do after it rains pretty hard. He gets a bit restless and seems a bit more tired but still eats and drinks and is over all his curious little self. Is it possible he is sick with a cold? There isn't a vet in town that deals with mice so I don't really have an expert to ask. And his cage mate is a female.. previously believed to be a male... who is pregnant going to give birth in a week or so. Do you think it will be okay for him to be around the babies?

  Also, I planned to put them in different cages after she gives birth but I don't want him to feel alone. I don't want to get her pregnant again either. Will it be okay if I allow him to spend time with her and the babies while I watch?

Answer
Hi Jackie,

It could certainly be allergies, but it could also be dusty bedding, or even a respiratory infection that might not respond to tetracycline (other symptoms, such as hunging, lethargy, and a messy coat, do not come on until the problem is very, very severe).  Tetracycline is a general antibiotic and works for most infections, but not all.  While you might not have a nearby vet, you may be able to find help and possibly better medications by asking around at your local animal shelters and rescues, pet shops, and even wildlife rescues.  Chances are someone knows somebody in your area who can give you a hand!  Unfortunately, there is no definitive way for me to determine the cause of his sneezing beyond a doubt from here.

If he is sick, it would take up to three weeks of being exposed to symptoms for any cagemates to display them.  If it's been longer than that and no one else is sneezing, I would still separate them to be on the safe side (especially since she is pregnant and many antibiotics are hazardous to pregnant or nursing mothers, as well as to young pups), but would lean toward other causes.

Allergies can take a long time to figure out, and you would need to change only one factor at a time to figure out what is setting him off, if that is his problem.  The first thing I would look at is the bedding - aspen is a good, non-dusty, largely hypoallergenic choice.  If you're already using that, look to the food.  You will need to separate him before changing his diet, because a pregnant mouse needs every shred of nutrition she can get.  Be careful when changing his food to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs to stay healthy, and allow him a couple of weeks between any change you make to see if it makes the difference.  Removing any corn that might be in the food is a good first step.

As far as visiting with the mother once she has given birth, I would strongly advise against it.  Female mice can become pregnant again immediately after giving birth (the exact same day!) which can be very hard on her body, increase the risk of complications, and be hazardous to a second litter when they are trying to nurse at the same time as the last litter.  Whether you watch them or not - the chances are very high that they will mate, and it only takes once!  I personally would not take the risk while I had another litter to raise.  Additionally, having a male around can be very stressful to some females, which may compromise their ability to appropriately care for their pups.

The good news is, however, that as long as your boy mouse has plenty of playtime with you and enough toys to explore in his environment, he won't get lonely.  Male mice are very focused on breeding, but other than that, prefer to live alone (with you, of course!).  About him and the pups - I can't give you any advice on this part.  Some boy mice make excellent daddies, while others will see the pups as competition and kill them.  Unfortunately, there is no way to find out his temperament around young mice until you try, so I would keep him separate if it were up to me.  In nature male mice aren't around to help raise the pups, so he isn't going to miss them or anything.

Let me know if there is anything else I can help with, and if I wasn't enough help on his sneezing, just write me a followup and I'll confer with the other experts and see if we can figure anything else out!
-Tam