Mouse running in circles???
jessa...@whatever.com
cage, over and over, it must have been hundreds of times today she has been
doing this. I have first noticed this today.
She looks healthy, there are no visible signs that anything is wrong. I did
a search "pet mouse running in circles" and couldn't find much in results,
except one website saying they can do that out of boredom and another site
saying could be a sign of illness, no details of what that illness might
be. Thus I plead for help here to find out of there is something terribly
wrong.
I can't see that it could be boredom as I feel I've proved a good home for
them with the companionship of other mice. At least I believe that the home
is good for them I hope. The mouse cage is well ventilated, she has two
companions for company. The cage has three levels, the first level has two
food dishes, water bottle, running wheel, and bedding, toilet paper tube to
play in, plenty of room on the first level. The second level is small with
a mouse house, this is where the mice choose to sleep all together, they
have stuffed it with soft tissue I provided. The small third level has
another mouse house and none of the mice choose to use that one or go up
there at all.
So the mouse is running in circles most of today nonstop, but occasionally
stops to eat and drink, then goes right back to the circles. At least she
is stopping to nourish herself. I hope the circles aren't an ominous sign
of something wrong, I just can't find any good info on what it means when
they do that.
--
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Heather M. Fieldhouse
(in message <20021228010902.412$z...@newsreader.com>):
> One of my newer mice has started running in frantic circles around the
> cage, over and over, it must have been hundreds of times today she has been
> doing this. I have first noticed this today.
I have a mouse that suffers from this. When I first noticed it I
searched out information on it and could not find much, but I did find
some old posts to this newsgroup that discussed it. They said that
it's a genetic disorder that affects the brain, particularly the
directional parts of it. Mice will always go in the same direction if
they have this problem, although the direction varies. My mouse,
Chicory, always goes clockwise.
There are other things that can cause mice to go in circles, including
inner ear infections. Mice which have had such infections when young
will sometimes permanently circle. There is also such a thing as a
"waltzing" mouse, which is also a genetic condition but is more extreme
than the circling disorder. Waltzing mice also have balance problems
and their heads usually point straight up as though stargazing.
Here's a thread from this newsgroup from a while back where I got some
information:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S1AD215E2
I think that Chicory's problem bothers me more than it bothers him.
It's very disturbing to watch, yet he feeds himself fine, and is able
to groom and play and so on. I can't keep him with other mice because
they sense that something is wrong with him and they get very nervous
and then attack him. I've made great efforts to make sure he is not
stressed because his problem seems to worsen with increased stress
(true of a lot of neurological disorders in people too). For instance,
if I've been rummaging around in his cage or cleaning it, he gets
worried and begins to go faster, but if he's been calm for a while
sometimes he'll go through periods where he is almost normal. The
circling seems to be compulsive rather than entirely involuntary.
Here's what I've done to help him. These all seem to have lessened the
frequency and speed of his circles, but I have to accept the fact that
sometimes he still will get in a mood and start spinning like a
dervish:
1) I gave him a wheel. I had taken it away initially because I thought
it was making him worse, since he has a tendency to spin in place on
the wheel. But after a while I realized that when he runs the wheel,
he'll gradually start to straighten out and will sometimes run in the
same direction for quite a while before turning. I think that the
concentration of running the wheel in one direction is therapeutic for
him.
2) I put some plastic Habitrail-type tubes in his cage that disrupted
his usual pattern of circling. He could no longer just run this same
track over and over (which he was doing until the bedding had a groove
in that spot...). The tubes are joined together in an "S" bend so that
when he goes through them, he is forced to turn in both directions and
can't just go in his usual circling direction.
3) I give him lots of stuff to play with to distract himself from
circling, which as I said seems to increase with stress.
4) I separated him from his brothers that he used to live with, because
they picked on him and also because the stress of trying to maintain
his social status was making him worse.
These steps, especially #2 (making sure he can't develop a circular
"route" through his cage) have helped. But as I look over to his cage
right now, I see him spinning on his wheel. So really, step #5 is
this: I have had to accept him for what he is, to recognize that he
probably isn't as disturbed by it as I am, and to love him regardless.
I hope this helps -- sorry it's so long. By the way, my experience is
kind of an advertisement against random pet store breeding. Chicory's
mother was purchased from a pet store, already pregnant (unbeknownst to
me -- I thought she was too young to be pregnant). Of her litter of 8,
one is a circler, two are barbers (they groom obsessively to the point
of bald patches), and one is severely obese.
Heather
jessa...@whatever.com
since mine only circles but doesn't have any of the other signs I'll assume
that's not it.
So far the other mice don't seem to be bothered by her circling, so I'll
leave her there for now, but I do have a nice other mouse home if I do need
to remove her.
She does still eat, drink, groom, sleep with the others, when not circling
so that's good. I will also try your suggestions to move things about to
interuppt the circle and introduce some new playthings for distraction.
Should I bring her to the vet to check for ear infection though? Is there
any other way to tell if this is just how she is or if she is actually
having an ear problem?
Btw, I agree with you about petstore mice, but unfortunately it's my only
way to get pet mice which I so enjoy (problems or not), as there are no
mouse breeders in my state, I've searched. Thanks again for your advice and
I feel a little reassured after reading your experience that my mouse can
still have a decent life.
--
Wendy UK
<jessa...@whatever.com>
:
: Should I bring her to the vet to check for ear infection though? Is there
: any other way to tell if this is just how she is or if she is actually
: having an ear problem?
I would take her to the vet, if it is an ear infection, it will be
painful -- best get it checked out.
Best of luck..
Wendy
--
www.rodentrefuge.co.uk
jessa...@whatever.com
to try, but better to check regardless so she won't be feeling pain that
could be treated. Will call Monday when they are open, they've always seen
me pretty quickly when I had a worry with my mice, thank goodness I have a
good vet close by who treats mice!
--
Ironhorse_sask
bree...@gmail.com
Jayden 12 years ago
Little Byties
https://villpace.com/why-do-mice-run-in-circles/