Mouse had thin fur, convulsed, died

Question
Hi I know your not a vet but I thought I would ask this question anyway. I had a mouse for about 8 months who seemed to be healthy, and was always quite active, however about a month after I had taken 'Flake' home I noticed his hair started thinning, at first I thought it may have been due to over grooming but I don't think it was that, as I never seen him over-grooming himself, and he never developed bald spots just large area's of obviously thin hair. He was also quite a clam content mouse, anyway he died tonight, I noticed he was looking a bit unwell today and tonight by tonight he was a lot worse (breathing rapidly and laying limply)I thought it may have been because it was a bit warm than usual but all my other mice were fine, and didn't seem to be very affected. I got Flake out of the cage and held him on my lap in the lounge room (where it was cooler) and he ended up having a seizure in my hands (at least it looked like a seizure)and died. I was just wondering if you think the balding may have been related to the seizure and a pre-existing medical condition he may have had. I would also like to thank you, and everyone else that volunteers there time and knowledge on this site, as the advise I was given previously helped one of my other mice recover from an eye infection and is now as healthy and as happy as before.

Answer
Dear Shay,

I'm sorry about the loss of your little mouse. I'm glad you have several other mice, so they can comfort each other in whatever way mice do, in their sadness.

The easiest part for me to answer is the seizure: That's what mice do when they die. It's completely normal. It's unfortunate because it scares everyone. It even happened to a baby rat with a broken neck that I had in my hand. He had been completely paralyzed from the broken neck but his body convulsed as he died. So I don't know why/how the body does it. I have no reason to believe the mouse is aware of it at that point.

It is possible that I know nothing about what actually happened to the mouse. The thinning hair may have been related to the death by some factor that I can't diagnose.

However, it is also possible that both the thinning fur and the death were due to mites. Mites can kill a mouse, which is why they need to be treated right away when the fur begins to be noticeably thinner. There are other reasons for skin/fur problems besides mites, but mites is the most common.

Because of this, you need to watch the other mice very carefully. If you see *any* scratching, fur thinning, fur balding, or scabs, you should worry about mites.  If you see any of this kind of trouble with the other mice (or any trouble of any kind), the best thing to do is go to the vet.  However, you can treat mice at home, though the treatment isn't nearly as easy. Here are instructions:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2008/10/red-skin-hair-loss.htm

Again, sorry about your loss.

squeaks,

Natasha