My mouse is hunched over and very still. Has eye sand

Question
Hello,
I have a mouse from a store, and I just purchased her a few days ago. Her name is Aletheia and just the other days that I've had her she crawls right into my hand and sits there, allowing me to pet her. But this morning she has been sitting silently on her wheel. She doesn't seem to move at all except for an occasional flinch. When she breaths it looks like she has trouble because her whole back moves up and down (not sure if this is normal for mice). She has whitish specks at the front corners of her eyes which resembles something like human eye sand.
Please reply soon, i'm not sure what's wrong and she seems so still.(facts that might have some importance:she's never been an energetic mouse, she lives alone, she's been eating well and drinking a little water up until today)
Thank you!
Mary

Answer
Hi Mary,

Labored breathing is not normal, and unfortunately, most mice don't show illnesses until it becomes serious.  If you can get her to a vet I would really recommend it.  There are a wide range of things that could cause lethargy as well, so a professional will be able to pinpoint and medicate the problem the quickest.  In the meantime I would recommend immediately giving her tetracycline - a general antibiotic you can find at your local pet store (check the fish section) or feed and farm supply store.  Here are some excellent instructions by Natasha on how to get it in her system:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2010/2/Tetracycline-directions-sneezing-mou...

The sooner you can get some antibiotic in her system the better, even if you can still take her into a vet.  Bring her cage in as well if you can so the vet can check her habitat and her waste to identify her problem.  Let them know if she has been making any abnormal noises or has had any recent scratches, fur loss, weight loss, or loose stools.

I'm sorry, I wish I could give you more but a wide variety of problems are possible.  However, the tetracycline should help a little with most of the possibilities.  Aletheia is in my thoughts.

Best of luck,
-Tam