Help! Sick mouse...

[brewerpaul]

Help! The scroll wheel on my mouse stopped working. The cursor control and both buttons work fine, but the scroll wheel is dead. This is a logitech wireless mouse, and I'm running Windows XP

(note, I tried to post this earlier, but it never showed up-- if it does, I'll delete one of the posts)

[Jack]

Tetracycline, baytril, and amoxicillin are all good places to start in clearning up respiratory infections in pet mice. You will want to get the exact dosage determined by your vet, but since you're a toe doctor I think you could do it on your own. Short of that, feed stores often sell horse antibiotics and they work as well as long as you dose them properly (a mouse is a tiny fraction of a horse, so it's a delicate thing but it can be done).

In addition, keep lots of fresh water available, keep your mouse out of way of drafts, and give her lots of chocolate chips and walnuts--that even makes people happy. It works for mice too.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, although I am a former fancy mouse breeder, and I did used to want to be a vet.

[Flyingcursor]

Take the ball out and see if there's gunk on the little rollers. Try rolling the rollers manually and see if the cursor flys around the screen. If it isn't clogged maybe check the connection and reboot?

[Tyghress]

You're talking the scroll wheel, Paul, right? Get a can of compressed air and zap it a good one.

Or take it out back, shoot it and put it out of your misery. The good thing is you don't need scroll wheels for full operation.

Oh, if its a wireless, try new batteries.

Then shoot it.

[FJohnSharp]

Tetracycline, baytril, and amoxicillin are all good places to start in clearning up respiratory infections in pet mice. You will want to get the exact dosage determined by your vet, but since you're a toe doctor I think you could do it on your own. Short of that, feed stores often sell horse antibiotics and they work as well as long as you dose them properly (a mouse is a tiny fraction of a horse, so it's a delicate thing but it can be done).

In addition, keep lots of fresh water available, keep your mouse out of way of drafts, and give her lots of chocolate chips and walnuts--that even makes people happy. It works for mice too.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, although I am a former fancy mouse breeder, and I did used to want to be a vet.

Just feed the thing to a boa and get a new mouse.

[Jack]

Tetracycline, baytril, and amoxicillin are all good places to start in clearning up respiratory infections in pet mice. You will want to get the exact dosage determined by your vet, but since you're a toe doctor I think you could do it on your own. Short of that, feed stores often sell horse antibiotics and they work as well as long as you dose them properly (a mouse is a tiny fraction of a horse, so it's a delicate thing but it can be done).

In addition, keep lots of fresh water available, keep your mouse out of way of drafts, and give her lots of chocolate chips and walnuts--that even makes people happy. It works for mice too.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, although I am a former fancy mouse breeder, and I did used to want to be a vet.

Just feed the thing to a boa and get a new mouse.

No! No! No! I'm telling Jerry Freeman on you!!

[FJohnSharp]

You're right. One should never feed a sick mouse to a snake.

[Jack]

You're right. One should never feed a sick mouse to a snake.

This is actually true. Snakes don't need to be eating mites, lice, or other parasites, and mice with diseases aren't generally healthy food for captive snakes, especially when healthy mice are available.*

I understand that snakes eat mice. It is possible to feed pre-killed mice (i.e. mice that are killed humanely), it just requires that your snake be trained to accept them. This is the most ethical thing to do, in my opinion.

To Paul: I was trying to be funny and I've hijacked your whole thread. Sorry!

[gonzo914]

You're right. One should never feed a sick mouse to a snake.

This is actually true. Snakes don't need to be eating mites, lice, or other parasites, and mice with diseases aren't generally healthy food for captive snakes, especially when healthy mice are available.*

I understand that snakes eat mice. It is possible to feed pre-killed mice (i.e. mice that are killed humanely), it just requires that your snake be trained to accept them. This is the most ethical thing to do, in my opinion.

Or is the snake is big enough, you could just answer the free kitten ads.

[Wanderer]

You're right. One should never feed a sick mouse to a snake.

We tried to feed our boa a three-legged albino rat once...we got it on the cheap from the pet store. The boa wouldn't eat it, so we ended up naming it Stumpy and putting him in his own cage.

[Jack]

You're right. One should never feed a sick mouse to a snake.

This is actually true. Snakes don't need to be eating mites, lice, or other parasites, and mice with diseases aren't generally healthy food for captive snakes, especially when healthy mice are available.*

I understand that snakes eat mice. It is possible to feed pre-killed mice (i.e. mice that are killed humanely), it just requires that your snake be trained to accept them. This is the most ethical thing to do, in my opinion.

Or is the snake is big enough, you could just answer the free kitten ads.

Yep. As long as the kittens are bred for snake food or the person giving them away knows that's their destiny and they are put down properly before being fed to the snake, I have no problem with that. It's the whole "feeding it while the kitten/mouse/rat/goat is alive to watch the battle" that I have trouble with. It's not that uncommon to hear of snakes suffering great injuries from live rats especially (long teeth, sharp claws) so I can imagine what a living cat could do to the snake. I've seen a cat eat a (wild) snake before!

[FJohnSharp]

Cats are smart, efficient killers. Like Army Rangers without the facepaint.

[Jack]

Cats are smart, efficient killers. Like Army Rangers without the facepaint.

I have a friend who says that if chickens were big enough they would eat us. When she was telling me that a couple weeks ago, I immediately thought, "Applies to cats, too!"

[gonzo914]

. . . . they are put down properly before being fed to the snake, I have no problem with that.

But of course. It goes without saying that one should at least stun them first. It makes it much easier to de-claw them.

[FJohnSharp]

Uh oh.