rescued feeder mouse died

Question
hi,

two weeks ago, i decided to keep a fuzzy mouse after deciding i wasn't going to feed him/her to a pet snake i was caring for - for a friend while on his vacation. I ended up feeding the snake a frozen dead mouse.

anyway, our mouse just passed away minutes ago. my wife and i are upset. we're not sure what happened. the mouse was looking good this morning... running around...

lately, after coming back from work. We would find our mouse "Rue" looking all wet like he was swimming in his water bowl... He's had this look for the past couple of days... of and on... one moment he would be running in his wheel in his cage even jumping off of our table and the next he's just lying there motionless...

anyway... i guess i'm just writing to vent off a little steam...

thanks for your help..

ali

Answer
Hi,

I'm so sorry about little Rue.  Thank you for saving him.  I'm sure it's the best time he had in his life.

Feeder mice are often not bred for the quality of mice that are to be pets.  They can be dreadfully inbred and can be exposed to a lot of unhealthy conditions.  Think of the worst you have heard of puppy mills and chicken farms, and multiply it.  It's no surprise that Rue had something wrong with him.  Poor little guy.  There's nothing anyone can do in a case like that.

Thank you for caring enough to save a feeder mouse.  They are worth as much love and compassion as the fanciest of purebred pampered poodles.  Every mouse deserves love and Rue certainly appreciated it.

squeaks,

Natasha