Sleepy mouse?

Question
Hello Tamara,

Last night I 'adopted' a mouse. Kind of a funny story; I live in Boston, was on the subway home when someone started saying there was a family of mice on the train.
What actually happened was someone had brought a paper bag with 5 mice in it onto the train, left the bag and got off of the train. These were not wild mice, they were most obviously from a pet store (the one I 'adopted' is an albino).
Someone picked up one of the mice before the transit authority evacuated the train car. I was very concerned with what was going to happen to the mice. The gentleman who had picked up the albino mice asked me if I would take it because he was homeless.
Of course I could not say no.
This little mouse (I call him Lucian) was very active on the rest of the ride home and somewhat when I got him into a proper living space. He then promptly went to sleep.
He slept all night and all day today.
He does not respond to visual or auditory stimuli, which makes me suspect he is both blind and deaf.
I am very concerned for him and would like to help him.
In addition to his hypersomnia, he is not interested in food or water.
I have spent a large portion of today looking for answers online and have found none.
What do you think?
Sincerely,
Elissa

Answer
Hi Elissa,

Two possibilities come to mind.  First, that he was simply shocked from the excitement on the train and needed to rest and recover.  Second was that something may simply be wrong.

Mice that come from pet stores are not always in great condition - the movement and frequent changing of cage-mates stress them, which causes their immune systems to go down.  In addition, they're exposed to a lot new mice and factors that may spread disease.  Lastly, they are not always bred with care (this one just depends on the shop and their supplier, some are excellent).  All of these may result in a mouse who appears to be fine while at the store (or on the train), but in reality is already sick and does not show it until after he comes home or is exposed to additional stresses.  If he is truly blind and deaf, and not simply too weak or exhausted to show response to stimuli, it may be due to a neurological condition.  This can happen from a tumor, from genetics, or even from trauma.

All in all, it's difficult to say just what's causing his behavior without a vet visit.  However, there are still things you can do to help him out.  First - eating and drinking is crucial to his survival.  A good backup is stale bread soaked in water - this will provide nutrients and hydration in one step.  You can also try to get him to drink using an eye dropper, but be careful not to force him or to get any in his nose; just let him lick at it.  You can also try banana or apple baby food, cheerios, or scrambled eggs (made without milk, or made with kitten milk replacement).  Since you suspect he may be blind, don't move anything in his cage and always place the food and bottle in the same place so he will be able to locate them.  Eating and drinking will help his immune system out and give him the strength to take care of himself.  Keep him warm - 70-75 is a good temperature range - and make sure he's got a place to hide away and feel safe.

I hope he's doing okay,
-Tam