u/SnakeLuvr1

I'm heartbroken. He did not make it. I got up from a nap and he was nowhere to be seen in the tank. He did not jump out, the snails got to him.

When I got him I noticed how extremely bloated he was. I didn't see any pineconing, but dropsy was a huge concern. I didn't feed him at all yesterday or today in hopes he would look better before I tried harsh medicine.

My tank readings were perfect. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and low levels of nitrate. But the water in his cup had ammonia close to 4 ppm. So I drip acclimated him for a few hours in hopes I wouldn't shock him.

I'm infredibly sad, but I hope he experienced some happiness in his final hours. He didn't have to die in a cold dirty cup.

Swim in peace :( ​​​

This is Mowgli, he is 5 ½ years old. I got him from Petsmart when I was 16. He has always been a super healthy boy and a great eater. He is very personable and feisty.

For the last week, he has been paler in color and not as interested in food. He has still been basking but today he is at the bottom. He is slightly responsive but only opens his eyes occasionally. He looks not his normal self, he is usually bright reddish brown :( I'm wondering if a visit to the vet is worth it, or if it will stress him out too badly. His breathing is a lot heavier today but the other day when I listened to his breathing I heard no wheezing and I see no signs of a URI. ​

Do you think he is sick, or just old? He's very special to me and I want to make sure he is comfortable. ​

She is not pleased.

Doing the deed right after egg laying. They love each other so much 🥲😬

Hey everyone! I am making this post to spread awareness about Tyzzer's disease to all mouse owners and aspiring mouse owners. Trigger warning, I do mention mouse deaths as well as what symptoms this disease causes. I feel this is HIGHLY IMPORTANT to talk about.

For as deadly as it is, and as much as it runs rampant in pet stores, I don't see this disease talked about often. This is concerning to me, because I lost over 20 mice to it and I have heard of others losing entire colonies as well. I would like to make this post not to scare others, but to stress the importance of quarintine and the spread of illnesses.

First, what IS Tyzzer's disease? It is a highly contagious, highly fatal disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium piliforme. While it most commonly affects rodents and rabbits, it can affect dogs, cats, and even larger animals like young horses, calves, and wildlife. When animals eat the spores of Clostridium piliforme, which is commonly transferred through contaminated feces and bedding, it causes necrosis of the intestines, liver, heart, and other organs. This causes rapid decline and eventually death. It is EXTREMELY fast acting, extremely painful, and often kills very quickly.

Tyzzer's disease is most often found in young or immunocompromised mice, but it can affect mice of any age. What is so scary about this disease is that it can be subclinical in mice and rats, meaning that the animal carries the disease but isn't infected by it.

As for the symptoms it causes, the signs I noticed in my mice were strange. They had no signs of respiratory issues and had access to plenty of food and water, but I noticed a rapid decline in my colony. First, I found several mice dead. Then, I started noticing several mice acting distressed. They had hunched postures, an unkempt coat, squinted eyes, and moved very very slowly. It almost mimicked the symptoms of mice that are in torpor, but they were kept at a normal temperature. They would die within several hours after showing these signs. My vet and I decided to euthanize the remaining colony, since my girls were dropping dead one by one and my vet said it would likely take the rest of them. It was heartbreaking and traumatizing, and while it is extremely hard to talk about, I want to spread awareness to others about it.

So what causes Tyzzer's disease to flare up? How can you prevent it and keep your animals safe? Tyzzer's disease is commonly caused by overcrowding, poor shipping conditions, or unsanitary living environments. It runs rampant in pet stores, specifically feeder mouse colonies. The best thing you can do is GET YOUR MICE FROM A REPUTABLE SOURCE! Do not buy mice from pet stores, wether they're being sold as pets or feeders. Oftentimes, pet store mice in poor conditions can show no signs of the disease. Bringing them home puts any current animals you have at risk. It's usually best to get your mice, or any rodent, from reputable breeders or rescues that perform regular vet checks on their animals. This will significantly reduce the chance that you bring home Tyzzer's disease and any spores from the environment.

If you *do* happen to notice any of your mice displaying signs of the disease, separate the affected mice immediately from your colony and in a separate room. Give them a homemade Pedialtye mix (1 teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 quart of warm water) to Rehydrate them. Soft foods like plain applesauce can also be given. Then, take the mouse/mice IMMEDIATELY to your veterinarian. Handle all affected mice with gloves.

You're probably wondering, can Tyzzer's disease be treated? How is it diagnosed? Official diagnosis has to be done through a necropsy of deceased mice, though some veterinarians may diagnose through symptoms and ruling out other causes. As far as it being treated, it is usually unsuccessful. Euthanasia is often the kindest option. Sometimes if the disease is caught EXTREMELY EARLY it can be treated with antibiotics, but Tyzzer's disease causes heavy damage to organs and by the time symptoms show up, the mouse is usually too far gone.

IF YOUR MICE GET TYZZERS DISEASE, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SPORES CAN LIVE IN THE ENVIRONMENT FOR UP TO A YEAR! Throw away what you can. Everything else, steam clean and/or bleach! (Diluted bleach of course!) Thankfully, I did some rigorous cleaning and throwing away and no other animals of mine caught it.

As discouraging as this may be, there are some measures you can take to protect your mice from getting this. As I said above, get your mice from a reputable source. Quarintine all new mice or rodents in a separate room and take any new critters to your veterinarian for a full exam. 4 weeks should be the minimum quarintine time for new rodents. Handle, clean, and feed your current rodents first and handle any new rodents with gloves. DO NOT SHARE ANY EQUIPMENT, TOYS, BEDDING, OR MATERIALS BETWEEN NEW AND OLD RODENTS! Spot clean your cages regularly and perform thorough health checks on your animals as often as you can. Routine vet appointments can never hurt as well to make sure everyone is healthy. Remember: dirty and crowded environments make for immunocompromised mice, which means they can be more susceptible to the disease.

Like I said before, I am not meaning to scare or discourage anyone who has mice or wants them! This is only one of the many diseases animals can get, and so you shouldn't be scared if all your husbandry is on par. Some mistakes I made were not quarintining my new mice long enough, and getting them from a pet store. I have since learned from my mistakes and hope everyone else can learn too.

More reading: https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/2002/august/tyzzers-disease

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/digestive-system/tyzzer-disease/tyzzer-disease-in-animals

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6643751/