Mice: Fur loss, ringworm, cannibalism, urine buildup, playing, too many mice!

Question
QUESTION: I have read many of your postings and wrote down information to try. A bit over a year ago I had bought 4 mice. And 1 more was gifted to us a month later. All female, but the dominant one ate the newest one a month later. Poor little guy my oldest daughter was so devastated. I new that that could happen prior to, my brother had a ton of mice when I was younger. Throughout this last year they lost hair in circle patches, which I had put Neosporine on. Along with my youngest daughters accidentally pinching there tails in the doors putting them back in the cage resulting in bruised tails that healed. To no avail they all died off except one. Kaylan, our pride and joy. She the same lossed a few patches and got sores which the ointment helped with. But she got a sore on her belly near her hind leg that the ointment has helped some but still has a tendency to want to keep reopening. When it did heal up initially the skin healed tight so it made her gate a little off because she loosed some flexibility. She walks sometimes with a hop and she is so slow and little energy. Shell run in her wheel on rare occasions in which she used to love. I will try the Tetracycline and hope for improvement. We bought 3 new mice that have now produced to 15 and 3 more girls yet to have babies! I got a fish tank to put some in. I know have 4 cages for them all trying to separate girls from boys. 3 of the boys are to small yet for the main cage cause they still squeeze through the bars.I'm not intentionally breeding them, but had a mix up of a girl instead of the boy so we have babies. My question to you is this: My children play with the mice many times throughout any given day. They love to kiss the mice besides playing. Is it safe for them to be kissing them. I know of diseases mainly from fleas which we don't have but, I was just wondering. The cages and all all cleaned well but, again you have the feces and urine. And I have noticed that the urine is stronger in the winter time than in the summer, if you've come a crossed this why might that be? Thanks for listening, we have so many good wacky and strange stories with them all. My oldest used to dress the first 5 mice we had up in clothes and make them dance or fly even built them lego houses, shes a nut. LOL! I love listening to mouse stories so I hope you don't mind my lengthy story/question.

ANSWER: Hi,

Now that I wrote you a book in response, and my computer crashed the moment I tried to send it, I'm going to try again. >sigh<

1. When it seems a mouse has killed and eaten another mouse it usually is not the case. When a mouse dies of any cause, the other mice may eat the body both to keep it from rotting near the nest and to keep from attracting predators. So whether the mouse dies of something else or died of a bite-related or stress-related cause, the other mouse did not kill it in order to eat it.

2.  Circular patches of fur loss can mean ringworm. Ringworm is not a worm; it is a fungus like athlete's foot. This is actually the only time you could get an infection (well, a condition) from a pet mouse! All of the animals and humans in the house might get or have it. On humans it also takes a ring form on the skin. It would really be a good idea to take that mouse and the others who have lived with her or shown symptoms, to the vet. The vet can check for ringworm with a black light, and give you treatment. If it isn't ringworm it may be mites, which the vet can check for and treat easily (you still will need to disinfect everybody and all cages and accessories); or something else. There are so many reasons for a mouse to lose fur. Make sure the vet knows it happened to other mice too, so they know it isn't an allergy.

3.  Going to the vet is a good idea for the lame mouse who is less energetic. She might be sick or have an infection. Especially since her cage mates died, and you don't know what of. And she can get all of the new mice sick too.

4. You really need to separate the sexes quickly. Mice can mate as early as 4 1/2 weeks old. Unseparated mice can literally become 1,000 mice in a year! You will need to find homes for as many males as possible, since adult bucks will usually fight, often to the death. Most males have to live alone. You can put all the females together if the cage is big enough. I recommend 20 gallons for 2-6 mice, 30 gallons for 7-12 mice and larger for more mice.

5. There is no illness that PET mice can give you (except, as above, if they have ringworm). However, you can make them sick. Although mice can't catch a human's cold, often a cold will turn into something else, and mice can get bacterial infections (like strep, but also others) from you. I lost a cage of 5 mice that way, so I know this by terrible experience. So always wash your hands both before and after handling the mice or other pets. And do not hold the mice or breathe on them or kiss them when you are sick. Other than that, kiss away!

6. Mouse urine can't make you sick, but too much urine can make THEM sick. Mouse urine has a high ammonia content and it builds up vapors that can cause respiratory distress, which can lead to illness needing antibiotics. Be sure to clean cages, especially aquariums, BEFORE they smell.

7. Two ideas that I have for why the urine seems worse in the winter: It may be more concentrated because they are getting less water because of the low humidity; or perhaps you just smell it more because the windows are closed!

8. It's fun to play with mice, but only if the MOUSE is having a good time. If it squeaks, stop what you are doing. If it nips, same thing. If it tries hard to escape, stop what you are doing. If it freezes still, hold it quietly in your hand until it is less scared, and don't repeat what made it scared. Only if the mouse remains friendly and moves easily is it a good idea to play.

Continue to have fun with the critters!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha
<:3  )-~





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you, another mouse just had her litter of 7 leaving the original  momma  to have hers. Yes as soon as my 4 weeks is up there are going to the store. A few too many for me. Yesterday the mouse that just had her litter was chewing on a live baby mouse. Chewed one side of its skin off ans some of the tissue underneath, ultimately eventually dying. Is it normal to eat an alive baby to. I know they do the dead, but I did not know the live ones too. When that baby was noticed we counted them and another baby was MIA to. Not knowing if the same fate had happened to that one as well. She is fine with her babies thus far so it seems, but she just finished having them minutes before I typed to you.

Answer
Hi,

That's a pity. Yes, mother mice do sometimes cannibalize. A mouse will kill and eat (or not kill but eat : (( ) a baby or babies if she thinks they are sick or defective or too weak to survive; or if she is stressed and is afraid it is not a safe place to raise babies; if she thinks there are too many; or if she is a first time mother and gets confused. She should be in a quiet room without bright lights or noise. She should only be handled when she leaves the nest; do not pick her up while she is nursing. Hold her for a short time, 5 minutes or so. The babies should not be handled until they are 7 days old. At that time, when she is out of the nest, take her out of the cage first, and then, after rubbing some of the cage litter on your hands so they smell good to her, handle the babies very carefully for a very short time.

Hopefully if you do this she will not kill any more babies.

squeaks,

Natasha

<:3  )--~

>update<

PS I have decided it would be cool to be Facebook friends with some of my questioners. If you would like to friend me, I am the only Natasha Millikan on Facebook. And you will get to see my mice... and more so, my rats, including mouse-sized rats! Be sure to attach a message or I might not accept. But if you have questions do continue to use this site, so that other people can benefit from the answers.

Preview:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150091824234803