cheese? cedar chips?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Natasha,

First, I would like to say thank you...on Saturday one of my pet mice, Fluffy, was having a very hard time breathing. In my past experience mice die very quickly when they become sick. I ran to the fish store and purchased the tetracycline powder as you recommended. It has been almost 3 full days of treatment. I made the paste for the first dose and then put half capsule in water (I have been changing the water once a day). I was not sure how much Fluffy was drinking so from the first day I have been using a syringe to feed the water with antibiotic to Fluffy. I am doing this four times a day. Do I need to continue for seven to ten days? She looks much better and as you said, she now "talks" to me. She does not seem to be pooping much which is strange since that is all mice seem to do!

Also, when I first got Fluffy, about a year ago, she was fat and very hairy, recently she has lost a lot of weight and you can see her pink skin. My kids used to call her the tube dryer because she would go up the cage tubes after I cleaned them and dry any places I missed because she was so fat. Any suggestions on diet that might put some weight back on her. She and her cage mate eat Nutriphase Mouse and Rat food. I am always afraid to give fresh veggies because of diarrhea problems I have had in the past.

And finally, sorry but you were so helpful and a lot of vets just don't want to deal with a 6.99 mouse, what kind of bedding do you use. I have used Carefree white pet bedding in the past and recently have used Kaytee Soft Sorbent. I change the litter and clean the entire cage once a week because I hate the smell.

Have you had any luck potty training your mice?

Sorry for all the questions!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving and once again thank you from Fluffy and me!!!!

Mira

ANSWER: Dear Mira,

I'm pleased you are so attentive to your little mouse.  Fluffy is lucky.  

I think you can stop using the syringe.  Continue with the medication in her water bottle for a full week, though.  She talks to you now because the respiratory infection has lowered her 'voice.'  Mice actually talk all the time, but it's so high we can't hear it.  I really enjoy mice who 'talk' because they do respond to their beloved human companion.  

I don't know how old Fluffy was when you got her.  If she was an adult of at least 6 months, it would be natural for her to start showing symptoms of age now.  When mice age they do lose weight and can have a little bit thinner fur (not a lot though).  I'm a little worried that you can see her skin.  It's possible that she has mites.  Is she itchy at all, and is the fur loss in patches or uniform?  I explain how to treat for mites in this archived post:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2008/10/red-skin-hair-loss.htm

If you want to give her a chance to gain some weight, you can give her some real treats.  Don't overdo it, but she will truly enjoy a little butter or commercial peanut butter off of your finger or on a bit of cracker.  She will also love nuts and buttered popcorn.  And of course cheese!  No sweets, though; a mouse should never have sugar.  

I use different kinds of bedding.  Many people warn against using cedar because of allergies, but I use it sometimes and it is excellent for odor control (of course I monitor for allergies).  Other types of wood are less allergenic.  I like the fluffier Carefresh-- maybe I'm thinking of Soft Sorbent!--  because they can actually make tunnels which will not capsize.  I use they grey colored because it is not bleached or dyed.  The colors are fun for us but not necessarily good for the mice, and the white is bleached.  

I laughed hard when I read your last question.  No, you can't potty train your mice.  As you become closer to a mouse *sometimes* it will decide to try not to go on you. Other mice never get it!  One thing I have done is when I have held a mouse for a long time and she hasn't peed, I put her gently on a piece of cloth.  Some mice will then pee.  The reason is that they don't want to pee where they hang out.  Have you noticed that they will pee exactly where you didn't want them to go, when they finally escape onto the couch or something?  They are trying to be someplace where they are not hanging out and as soon as you let them get there, they go.  Or they will crawl to a different place on you.  You were keeping the mouse on your shirt because you were wearing nice pants, and the one time she got on the pants.. another piece of clothing in the laundry!

One other note: When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is use the toilet.  Well, when you take the mice out of their nest where they were sleeping, it's very likely that they have to go!  The pooping is also because they are excited and because their system is getting going.  

Have fun with your little Fluffy!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Good Morning,

In response to your question on the itching...no nothing out of the ordinary and there are no patches of hair loss, just over all thinning. What kind of cheese do you feed your mice and how much. I have no idea how old Fluffy is. Got her at PetSmart about a year ago and she hasn't changed much in size so she was probably full grown at the time. I will go back to using the natural CareFresh. I was told not to use the cedar chips because the mice might eat the stuff and that is really bad for them.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!!

Mira

Answer
Dear Mira,

First of all, thanks for the nice feedback!  That really helps.

I found that my mice really like Baby Swiss.  They also like the dessert cheeses like the ones with apricots in them (in the fancy cheese part of the grocery store).

Mice will not eat cedar chips.  The only question about cedar is that it's a fairly common allergen.  Though I have not had much problems, others warn about it, so I figure I should too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha

PS Fluffy might like a tiny plate of Thanksgiving dinner... a little pie crust, buttered bread, stuffing, even try a few vegetables; if you have yams, I bet he'd like the skin..