mouse with a cold?

[Sharlynn93]

after work today i went to go feed my breeders and feeders, and noticed one of my female breeders is definitely acting like she has a cold (sneezing, etc)...is this contagious to my snakes? will it spread through all of the mice including the feeders in different tanks? my daughter's pet guinea pigs are in the same room, can it infect them also? :sad:

[SSSSnakes]

It's not contagious to the snakes, but maybe to the mammals. Feed it off to the snake and end the problem.

[Hannibalcanibal]

I'd cull it just in case. Feed it to a snake if you want, or you could just kill and dispose of it.

[Sharlynn93]

i will try...she hasn't taken a feeding for me yet (been almost 2 weeks) and now she is in blue... :(

[Awaiting Abyss]

Its probably either a myco flare up or a RI. Both can be treated with baytril which can be prescribed by your vet. Every mouse who shares the room needs treatment; not just the mice who share her tank. You may can get baytril online somewhere, but I'm not sure.
If its an RI, make sure its not an issue with the bedding. Make sure its not too dusty and that it stays clean. Keeping her warm and free of stress will help also. Mice are often sensitive to sounds and smells.

[Sharlynn93]

ugh..now i don't know what to do..our vet charges $55 per pet...these are just feeders...the breeders just being used to produce more feeders...no way do I want to pay that much...the guinea pigs, i can move them...but the others?...ugh...

[Awaiting Abyss]

If its a myco flare up then you have no worries about the guinea pig; myco is a rat and mouse disease. If its an RI, then keep an eye on the guinea pig.

How severe is the symptoms? Is it just sneezing? And how frequent?

[Sharlynn93]

i went in and checked them, and no signs of what we were seeing before...i totally changed out their cages and will check them again in the morning...concerned about RI because my CRB is just getting over one...don't want another infection going through everyone... :( difficult enough with 1 critter infected...thanks for all the info!!

[MDT]

But.....if it turns out to be viral, then Baytril will NOT help. Move the Guinea pig and monitor symptoms.

[Sharlynn93]

will do...thanks!

[robertjnovak59]

I've been breeding mice and rats for a few years. Every so often I'll notice one sneezing, but I've never treated them for anything. I don't think you've got anything to worry about. I figure colds for them run their course just like they do for us. I've never noticed one die that was sneezing.

[Darkbird]

Heck it may have just had something caught in it's nose and just needed to sneeze it out like we do sometimes. I've caught one of my rats sneezing once in a great while, but its never been long term. Usually gone by the next time I go by the cage.

[Awaiting Abyss]

That's why I asked how frequent it was and if there were other symptoms :P Occasional sneezing is normal, and it can just caused by dusty bedding. Frequent sneezing, coughing or any wheezing or clicking at all is cause for alarm. They can die from it. It depends how severe it is.
From what I've noticed, rats have a lot more trouble with myco than mice do. I've personally never had a mouse have myco flare ups, but I have yet to have a rat that hasn't had at least one flare up.

[Sharlynn93]

i changed their cages (weren't too bad, but still) and haven't seen any symptoms since that first time...she may have just had something in her nose...time will tell...

[Awaiting Abyss]

That's good to hear. :) I hope she's all better now.