Overheated Mouse (making mouse A/C)

Question
It was a really hot day(like 90 degrees)and my mouse,Moo
is acting different.He's sleeping on top of his nest box,and his hind legs seem really slow when he goes to climb up his nest box.I gave him fresh,cold water, and I even put him next to the fan for a second. But he is still acting the same.Is there anything else I can do for him?What's wrong with him? And how long should I give him before I get medical help?And by any chance is this behavior because he needs more social time?...with another mouse?

Answer
Dear Rose,

A mouse can and is likely to get heatstroke just like a person can. Heat is very hard for mice to take, even worse than cold.  I don't know how soon after the heat you wrote the letter, but he should be feeling OK a day after.  If he isn't, he might be dehydrated and should go to the vet.

Certainly mice like company, but he would not change his behavior so suddenly.   Unfortunately, since male mice fight, they can't have cage mates.  People time is very important for a mouse who lives alone.  He needs at the very least an hour of quality, physical people time a day; he would also like some time spent exploring or playing somewhere out of his cage, unless his cage is very large and full of toys.  

I hope Moo is feeling better by now.  If possible he should be in an air-conditioned room; if not, the room should be as cool as possible-- not in the sun-- and he should have a mouse A/C, which I make with a glass jar with a flexible ice pack stuffed in it, changed whenever it doesn't feel cool to the touch (thus you should have at least 3 of these made).  I choose glass because it must be a material he can't chew through.  He should have bedding next to that such that he can lie just next to it but not touching it, so it doesn't make him wet or too cold.  Alternatively you can place an ice pack under the cage, supporting the other half of the cage with a book.  

Good health to Moo.

Squeaks,

Natasha