poorly mice

Question
Hello, i have 2 female mice that are about 18 months old now, mini the smallest of the two has lost her whiskers and her nose loooks like its losing its hair, she has also started making a wierd purring noise, please help. the house is clean and they always have fresh water. what should i do?

Answer
18 months is a good age for any mouse. Unfortunately this is when their health starts to deteriorate and one of the most common problems due to old age is hair loss.

Sometimes there can be other reasons such as excessive grooming. This is usually the result of stress such as a high pitched noise coming from a electrical device or a predator such as a cat. Make sure the cage is away from drafts and there are plenty of hiding places such as tubes and boxes.

As this is happened recently, try to remember if you have done anything differently around he same time this started. It could be moving the position of the cage, changing the wood shavings or using a different cleaning product on the cage.

Observe her behavior to see if she is grooming excessively. Other behavioral stress sign include aggressiveness, jumpiness and timidness.

If you are still unsure you should take her to the vet.

Please feel free to ask any more questions.