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I watched a mouse die today.....

Buzzard

Buzzard

two corny
Well it started out at 630 this morning. I got up and was checking on the rodents when in one of the cages I kept hearing a squeak. This cage was 3-4 week old (weanies as I call them) hoppers. There was one hopping around squeaking, doing back flips and sommersaults, I went to try to grab it but before I could get the lid off the cage, he stopped and was just laying there. After checking the poor thing over, I could find no physical faults and could only assume is was nurological(?). Either that or it was related to my EX-wife.

What really concerns me is if there are more with this disorder and I might have to quaritine the bunch, feed them off and stop this colony from producing anymore. The other problem is I have a couple of colonies set up with the offspring from a previous ltter that I have not seen any problems with so far.

So my question is what would you do?
 
Buzzard said:
After checking the poor thing over, I could find no physical faults and could only assume is was nurological(?). Either that or it was related to my EX-wife.

What really concerns me is if there are more with this disorder and I might have to quaritine the bunch, feed them off and stop this colony from producing anymore. The other problem is I have a couple of colonies set up with the offspring from a previous ltter that I have not seen any problems with so far.

So my question is what would you do?
Click to expand...

LMAO @ the ex-wife comment :roflmao::roflmao:

I would keep them going. This might only happen to that one. If more than one does it I would cull the batch. I would hate to lose out on a whole colony that takes months to get back. Probably a isolated case but only time will tell.
I had one to develop spinal issues one time and another to be born with 3 feet instead of 4. I kept the colony going and haven't had anything strange since.
Good luck with whatever you decide and happens with your colonies
 
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yes watch the colony and if anymore are born like that I'd split the bunch, feed or whateva.. It might have been just that baby born like that and it just finally caught up with it. It happens :(
 
I think the 'painless' debate will rage, and it will be a case of each individual to their opwn choice. However the CO2 method is I believe inducing something called Hypoxia, starving the brain of oxygen

About a year ago there was a programme broadcast on UK TV featuring an ex-Conservative politician called Michael Portillo, called 'How to kill a human being'.

It was trying to find a painless, and least gruesome method of capital punishment. The conclusion was hypoxia induced by Nitrogen inhalation. Michael himself documents his own experiments into hypoxia:

---------quote----------
Almost no research has been done into how to kill humans painlessly but the humane killing of animals has been extensively investigated. One method used is hypoxia: starving the brain of oxygen.

I tested this in two experiments. First I was spun round in a human centrifuge, a sort of massive spin dryer, used to train fighter pilots. As the G-force rose my blood became heavier and drained from my head into my legs. I was on the point of blacking out, and had the spinning continued I would soon have died. The experience was weird but not painful.

Then I was placed in an altitude chamber, which simulated the effect of a plane depressurising at 27,000 feet. At that height the air contains little oxygen. Within six minutes I was hypoxic. I was unable to perform simple tasks or to put on an oxygen mask to save my life. I was close to death when the experiment supervisor had to strap it to my face. I felt no pain. In fact I was on a high as though I had been drinking.

Hypoxia can be induced more simply by making the prisoner breathe nitrogen through a mask. He would die painlessly and the procedure requires no medical expertise.
---------unquote----------

For those interested the full article about the TV show is here:

http://www.michaelportillo.co.uk/articles/art_nipress/death_penalty.htm

So whilst it may not be something people want to do, Hypoxia by CO2 would seem to be the most compelling. Nitrogen I guess would be the best, however it is not as easy to get hold of, and I believe more expensive also.

Just my 0.02 worth.

Cheers

Ian

(who realises he may have opened up a whole can of worms here, by mentioning capital punishment in this thread! Sorry.)
 
I think you got the wrong post Ian ... But in my opinion gasing the buggers is the most humane..
 
I had a ferret that went in a similar way. Everything was fine, seemed healthy as ever, then started a dramatic jumping and squeeking, and convulsing... Followed shortly by "the end". :(
 
I wouldn't be concerned if it is just one mouse. If it becomes a common occurance, then I would euthenise the batch and start a new colony. I keep back several females as replacements should a problem arise within a colony. Also for the purpose of creating a new colony after one colony has become less productive. Although, I haven't bred them long enough yet to retire a colony. All my colonies are producing just fine. I have four colonies, and yesterday i counted the unweaned mice for a total of 148. I'm not sure how others do it, but keeping back some reserves may help if you ever have to do away with a colony. Good luck
 
I would keep an eye on the rest but sounds like a isolated case, just keep and eye on the others. I went out yesterday to check mine and one of mine was not looking to healthy I picked it up with no problem and the poor little girl was skin and bone, I put her out of her misery but all the rest are fit and healthy.
 
I use Aspen bedding. So a reaction to it would be rare. I haven't had any other issues so far. I did pull all of that litter and put them in a seperate tank. I think I will feed what I can off.
 
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