I also noticed that she's extremely fat now and that's not healthy either. Now before you start thinking I'm neglecting her let me explain that most of the time when I see her it's day time and she's sleeping. she looks quite normal when she's sleeping and I can't tell how fat she is so I thought everything was fine.
I'm sure the mouse food I bought is the cause of her apparent mouse obesity. I pick out all the red and yellow things just on general principal but the rest of it (in my opinion) is just processed crap anyway. I need to get her on a more natural diet quick. And the similarities of the obesity of my mouse on pre-packaged 'mouse food' and the typical American on a junk food diet has not escaped me either!
So I've cleaned the living hell out of her home...you know, steam cleaned the carpets and everything! And I've placed the supply of bedding material outside for awhile to kill off any mites that might be lurking in it (apparently that is quite common and I didn't know it...gross!). I've also put some different food choices in her dish this time around and cut way back on the processed junk food for mice. I'll be making a trip to the health food store soon anyway so I'll scout around for new things for her to try while I'm there. And other than that I wait and see what happens...keeping my fingers crossed all the while.
If she doesn't get better it's my understanding that I can try a rodent spray that kills mites but there is always the danger that the stuff could kill her too. (sort of defeats the purpose of it doesn't it?) And if that doesn't work I will be forced to consider taking her to the vet...which won't be very productive because he doesn't treat mice (or at least I don't think so) and she's a wild mouse so she can't be picked up (the poor thing would have a heart attack!) and examined or medicated. So lets just hope the bedding and food changes will be enough.
Here's a before and after picture of poor mouse. The good looking picture was taken in 2009. The other one was just taken. Poor baby!
