Mouse slowing down

[ForgetfulBreeze]

I know this is a hamster forum, however none of the other mouse forums usually answer so i guess I'll give it a shot.

So, my female mouse Tommy is slowing down. I got her and her sisters, Willie and Boo, in January of 2021. This means that she is about 2 and a half years old. Boo passed away due to an eye infection(?) about 20 days ago and Willie passed in her sleep about 10 days ago.

Tommy is slowing down quite a bit. She sleeps in her hanging hideout all day. She even has trouble getting out of it. I have a net that i put up for them (they love climbing) however, Tommy keeps falling off of it. I have seen her fall twice, but that is more than enough times than I want to see. I don't see her eating her food anymore or drinking. The only food she will eat is plain Cheerios. Ive tried baby food, and extra protein and stuff like that, however she didn't like the chicken baby food, and everything else is a fail. Tommy is very skinny, but idk if it was just from getting older.

So here are my questions.
Should I remove the net/hanging things? It would kinda suck for the other mice, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
How should I get her to eat more/drink more?
What should I do in general? Should I bring her to the vet for a checkup?

And my last question. In June, i am going on vacation with my family for 10 days and we have a petsitter that comes every other day. My mom said I could bring a bin cage and bring all my mice (or just a few) to look after Tommy. Is this a good idea? Will it stress her out too much? I just dont want Tommy to pass away and have the petsitter find her.

Thank you.

[Kikya]

Ok so I'm not a mouse person but I have been thinking about this a lot and reading up on mice just to have a basis.

Would it be possible for you lower the net so it's not as high so if she falls it's not as damaging? And maybe put her favorite nesting place/toys on the ground level to encourage her to stay lower?

It's my understanding that mice typically shouldn't be alone but some single mice have done ok by themselves for their last few months, when they've been the last surviving mouse for example.

Maybe try to have a few of the things she really likes down lower and keep some that the other mice enjoy as a compromise. And if she's still hurting herself maybe see if she can be ok by herself in a more senior friendly cage.

As for whether or not to take her with, ask yourself a couple of questions.

Will the pet sitter be able to handle a possible death and be able to deal with the remains temporarily? (I understand it can sometimes happen that mice will eat the dead if left, not sure if that is true.)

Will you be ok if something happens to her while you are gone?

I think talk to the sitter and see her comfort level and will she be able to judge if she needs to be separated, etc and find out how you feel.

Sorry, I wasn't more help, I haven't had mice in a loooong time.

Kikya's .02 (.01 with inflation)

[ForgetfulBreeze]

That's a good idea. I will put the net lower, and her favorite hides a bit lower. I will put in some extra toilet paper for nesting.

And I don't think my petsitter will be able to handle a death, I really don't. Her kids come with her (they're my age) but I don't think that they would know what to do.

Also, yes, mice can and will "clean up" a dead body by burying it or sometimes eating it. I've had both which is horrible when you find just pieces

Thank you for helping out!

[FranzHartmann]

Bei dem Alter und den Veränderungen, die du beschreibst, klingt es leider so, als wäre Tommy einfach schon sehr alt und geschwächt. Zwei bis zweieinhalb Jahre sind für Mäuse ein hohes Alter. Ich würde die Hängesachen und das Klettern für sie erstmal reduzieren, damit sie sich nicht verletzt. Die anderen Mäuse kommen auch mit einer sichereren Einrichtung zurecht.

Versuche ihr leicht erreichbares Futter und Wasser anzubieten, zum Beispiel weiches Futter, eingeweichte Pellets oder kleine energiereiche Portionen. Wenn sie kaum noch frisst oder trinkt, wäre ein Tierarztbesuch sinnvoll, besonders um Schmerzen oder eine Krankheit auszuschließen.

Für die Urlaubszeit würde ich sie möglichst nicht unnötig umsetzen, wenn sie sehr schwach ist. Ein Umzug kann zusätzlichen Stress bedeuten. Besser wäre ein ruhiger, vertrauter Platz mit jemandem, der täglich nach ihr schaut, wenn das möglich ist. Wichtig ist vor allem, dass sie jetzt eine sichere und angenehme Zeit hat. WinMaster Casino bietet spannende Casinospiele und https://winmastercasino.com attraktive Aktionen.