Swollen Abdomen

Question
I'm worried about my 8-9 month old Fancy mouse for the past week  i noticed her abdomen swelling up. i thought nothing of it at first but the last few days shes not eaten or drank anything. Iv felt the swellings and everything is really hard from her bowels to her stomach. she seems to be her usual self although she seems to have difficulty bending and is chittering alot. I don't know what to do

Answer
Hi Lyndsey,

Is there any chance that another mouse could have gotten into her cage and gotten her pregnant?  Mouse pregnancy lasts 3 weeks between conception and birth, so if that's it, it should resolve itself with some little ones within that time.  Sometimes wild mice can sneak into cages and sneak out again without us knowing about it!

The not eating or drinking sounds no good, though.  Do you have a vet you can take her by?  It's very difficult to tell what the problem is from a description, and professional advice is always better.  If it's not pregnancy, it could possibly be an abscess (an infection which has accumulated puss and swollen up) or a tumor - a cancerous growth which may or may not become more serious over time.  Only a vet can tell the difference between these for sure, but an abscess can be treated with antibiotics and lanced by a professional, while a tumor must either be removed or lived with if a vet decides it is benign or can't be corrected.  If you are ABSOLUTELY certain that she is not pregnant (100% beyond a doubt), and if you cannot get a vet appointment in the next few days, you can start her on a round of tetracycline, an antibiotic you can usually find at your local pet shop in the fish section or at a farm supply store.  Here are instructions on how to use it:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2010/2/Tetracycline-directions-sneezing-mou...

Do NOT use antibiotics if there is ANY chance she might be pregnant!  If you can get her into a vet please do.  Only they can really say for sure what is causing the problem.  In the meantime try to coax her into eating and drinking if possible, and include high protein treats such as scrambled eggs made without milk, or dry cat food, so that what she does eat is high in energy.  :)

Best of luck!
-Tam