hunchback mouse?

Question
our newest mouse muffins is only about 2 months old, i believe, and the last few days i noticed that when we let her out to walk around, it looks like she is hunchbacked.
i heard that older mice commonly get this with age, but she's not very old. I was just wondering if this is serious, or trivial, and if anything can be done about it.
She lives with our other mouse Kitty who we've had since November and has never displayed a similar appearance...

Answer
Dear Daffa,

You are right that an older mouse gets a hunchback, and it is uncommon in younger mice. However, there are genetic conditions which cause a mouse to 'age' at a very young age.  Actually it exists in people too, but not as often as in mice.  I have seen it 2-3 times.  These young mice seem to grow old before our eyes, and in my experience they die very young too.  There are other possibilities of illness which could also cause this aging.  A mouse like this is unlikely to return to a younger-looking state.

I'm sorry to say this, and please have hope-- I haven't seen every mouse in the world, and mice have survived the odds many times.  She may have an illness which simply doesn't threaten her health or life.  She may stay like this for two happy, healthy years.  

Give Muffin lots of love.  Make her life easy: Make sure she has easy access to food and water and a warm bed.  Don't ever let her get cold (actually, or hot).  Cold is often what kills a mouse once it is sick with something else.  

Best of health to little Muffin.

squeaks,

Natasha