I recently decided to start keeping some mice.
I purchased two fancy males, 1 fancy female, and some white mice to possibly cross them with in the future. For now they are still young.
I've had the fancies for about a month, and the whites for about 3 weeks.
I've been cleaning their cages twice weekly - when the poo becomes visible and I start to notice an odor.
One week ago, I noticed a stronger than normal smell, and while cleaning, I found a dead mouse in the bedding (I used shredded newspaper and aspen shavings, with some white paper towels and toilet paper rolls for them to shred).
Then yesterday, I found a suddenly skinny and weak mouse. I put him in a hospital cage but he died. Now today I found another weak mouse and also a dead mouse! They looked perfectly healthy, plump, and active yesterday or two days ago!
I have the white mice in a screen topped 20 gallon long aquarium, and the fancies in the metal mouse breeding cages. The other mice seem perfectly fine and calm.
I feed them a variety of things - rodent blocks, finch seed, ferret pellets,and hamster/gerbil "bonanza" mix. They have been eating it all since I got them, and I have owned mice before and fed them similar mixes.
The food was in bins at the pet store - could it be old or contaminated?
Could they have some virus or other illness?
My home is an average temperature - low 70s/high 60s. Their cages are on a tabletop in my dining room.
I really don't use any toxic cleaners or sprays.
I haven't given anything else to the mice.
Oh, they have a water bottle which is kept supplied with water, and I assume they all know how to drink from it as it is nearly identical to the pet store's setup, and they all lived at least 2-3 weeks before starting to die.
I think I covered everything pertinent, and appreciate any help or advice. Thank you!
I purchased two fancy males, 1 fancy female, and some white mice to possibly cross them with in the future. For now they are still young.
I've had the fancies for about a month, and the whites for about 3 weeks.
I've been cleaning their cages twice weekly - when the poo becomes visible and I start to notice an odor.
One week ago, I noticed a stronger than normal smell, and while cleaning, I found a dead mouse in the bedding (I used shredded newspaper and aspen shavings, with some white paper towels and toilet paper rolls for them to shred).
Then yesterday, I found a suddenly skinny and weak mouse. I put him in a hospital cage but he died. Now today I found another weak mouse and also a dead mouse! They looked perfectly healthy, plump, and active yesterday or two days ago!
I have the white mice in a screen topped 20 gallon long aquarium, and the fancies in the metal mouse breeding cages. The other mice seem perfectly fine and calm.
I feed them a variety of things - rodent blocks, finch seed, ferret pellets,and hamster/gerbil "bonanza" mix. They have been eating it all since I got them, and I have owned mice before and fed them similar mixes.
The food was in bins at the pet store - could it be old or contaminated?
Could they have some virus or other illness?
My home is an average temperature - low 70s/high 60s. Their cages are on a tabletop in my dining room.
I really don't use any toxic cleaners or sprays.
I haven't given anything else to the mice.
Oh, they have a water bottle which is kept supplied with water, and I assume they all know how to drink from it as it is nearly identical to the pet store's setup, and they all lived at least 2-3 weeks before starting to die.
I think I covered everything pertinent, and appreciate any help or advice. Thank you!