one eyed mouse

Question
QUESTION: hi, i have 5 baby pet mice 3 girl 2 boys, there 20 days old and have noticed one of them only has one eye opened an the other shut, is that ok? could it be infected?

ANSWER: Hi Rebecca,

It could indeed be infected, or it could simply be irritated, stuck, or may have just had a little trouble opening if you haven't seen it open before (in which case it just needs a little more time).  Try slightly moistening a Q-tip with warm water or saline solution and very gently wiping the eye (only for a couple of seconds).  You can do this a couple of times a day to help it out, but don't try to force it open and don't worry if it takes a couple of days to go back to normal.  It could simply be irritated from dusty or dirty bedding, so check the cage just in case.  It should open back up normally within the next few days, especially if you're helping it out with a little saline.  However, if you see any discharge, swelling, redness, or fur loss around the eye you may need to bring the whole cage by the vet, as a serious infection would need medical attention.

-Tam

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

QUESTION: Hi, there eyes seem a little better, but today as a was playing with one of the babies the mumma mouse was playing in the cage n then went really crazy doing laps n just dropd to the ground n died, she isn't a old mouse I wouldn't even say 6months old, her babies startd eating solids n drinking water bout 3 days ago . Do you no why she died? R her babies going to be ok. I'm very upset to have her die in front of me

Answer
I am so sorry to hear that!

It's tough to guess at why she died, especially since she doesn't sound like she was showing any symptoms previous to passing away.  The only way to definitively determine what caused her early death is to take the body into a vet familiar with pocket pets within 24 hours, refrigerating it if you can't get it in immediately.  A vet can do a necropsy (the animal version of an autopsy), but this can be very expensive and doesn't always give an answer.  At this point, however, the best we can do is speculate.  If I had to guess, I would guess something related to her genetics, as illnesses or pregnancy complications usually come with obvious symptoms.  It may be that she had a neurological problem, an unpredictable problem such as a brain tumor, or even a reaction to something in her surroundings (though unless something has recently changed, she would have shown problems before).

To be on the safe side I would check the surrounding area for anything that could be toxic or dangerous to mice, such as pesticides, chemicals, pests, etc, but I strongly believe the pups will be fine, especially since they are eating and drinking on their own.

Best of luck with the pups, and I'm sorry again for your sudden loss!
-Tam