AboutNatasha Expertise I can answer questions about raising mice and caring for them as pets, with knowledge from my 35 years of having mice as very tame pets, including some breeding. I know about illnesses and problems which have come up in my experience with my mice. I also may be able to use contact with a fancy mouse breeding expert who is a friend (he knows a lot about illnesses too). Right now I have 4 sweet show (fancy) mice named Clara, Brandy, Little Honey and Fluff (who will have the name Clementine when she is big enough for it). My expertise is pretty broad, and I have numerous mouse books to fall back onto.
I want to stress that my advice is about tame mice, which may be very different than advice by someone who breeds rather than lives in the company of mice. This can lead to differences between experts, so be sure you are asking the right person. If I contradict what a breeding expert says, this is why.
Experience I have had mice for 34 years (since I was 5!). I raised them when I was a child but now I keep all females, and never fewer than three so that if one dies the others are not devastated, because they have each other.
Education/Credentials B.A., M.A., M.A. in Linguistics: Yale University and University of Connecticut
Question my 1 year old mouse (Shadow) has an inner ear infection. shes been to the vet and is on antibiotics (baytril and metacam) but the vet said that it will come and go for the rest of her life. the antibiotics have helped a lot but i was wondering if you knew of anything else which could help get rid of it or improve it?
Answer Dear Breeanna,
Shadow definitely doesn't need any other antibiotics. The bacterial infection should be eradicated by the ones she is taking. However, the inner ear damage may be permanent. This will mean she might get dizzy or tilt her head, or maybe have trouble balancing or even fall over. She may also be very prone to get another infection, which would then need to be treated again. Your other mice, if you have any, might be carriers, which means they don't get sick themselves but might give her the same infection again.
You need to watch Shadow to see if she gets sick again. If she gets tippy, just try to make her feel comfortable. If she is dizzy she may like to be held close in your hand.
I hope she will just be a well and happy mouse from now on. There's no reason why she couldn't be.
