weird mice noises

Question
Hi, I'm Rhys and i have a pet mouse and he is making weird teet-teet noises. What does that mean? and it is late Jan so just wondering if it is mating season.

Thankyou
Rhys

Answer
Hi Rhys,

Could the noises be sneezing?  Some mice make a sneezing, chirping sound when they are ill, a sign of an upper respiratory infection.  If you can get him into a vet for a diagnosis that would be best, but if not (and if you are certain that's the cause of the sound and not something else like an injury making him squeak), you can try and treat it with tetracycline.  Tetracycline can be found in your local pet store, and instructions for using it are here:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2010/2/Tetracycline-directions-sneezing-mou...  Please get the opinion of a professional vet first if at all possible, as I am not a pro and this may not even be the reason for the sounds.

Mice don't really have a mating "season" - they breed all year long.  Females go into estrous once every five or so days, at which point they are fertile and able to be bred.  Therefore, males are pretty much always ready to mate, and won't really act differently unless a female is present.

-Tam