Grieving mouse

Question
Thanks for answering my question: one of my mice died a few days ago and i think my other mouse is grieving for him he was quite a chubby mouse before but has now lost alot of weight since my other mouse died and is now VERY thin i don't think he is eating at all i think that he may die :( also when i found my mouse that had died some of his face had been eaten is that normal? but is there ANYTHING that i can do to help him? do male mice come out of the grieving stage?. im not sure whether to get another male mouse? ive tried to get him to eat giving him little bits of human food (i know im not suppose to) just to try and get something in his stomach but he doesn't seem interested he sniffs it then walks off it looks as if he wants to eat it but is stopping himself please help me im not sure what to do to help him????

Answer
Hi,

I'm so sorry about the lost mouse and the sad mouse.  Yes, he is grieving.  You are right that he could die.  And what is so sad about male mice is they can almost never live together. It would not work to get another male.

All you can do is give him lots and lots of love.  Hold him a lot and keep him close to your face or in your clothing.  It's fine to give him people food right now. The most tempting things for a mouse are butter, commercial peanut butter (like Skippy), salted and buttered popcorn, and soft cheese.  Try holding him in your hand and offering him a bit of butter from your fingers.  It's very hard to hold onto because it melts, but this is the very best thing to try.  

When a mouse dies, the other mice are instinctively afraid that the body could rot, both fouling the nest and  attracting predators.  This is why they eat it.  It's completely normal.

Again, I'm so sorry about both mice.  I do hope your mouse pulls through.  

(sad) squeaks,

Natasha