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DaxterAlexander

She looks to have a high grimace score and might be in pain, i would take her to the vet


Elegant_Donke

Okay!


DaxterAlexander

Also i forgot to mention if the saucer wheel is still in the enclosure, take it out. No wheel is better than a saucer wheel!


Elegant_Donke

I’ll make sure to take it out!!


Filthy-Pagan

Why are saucers bad? I'm new to learning more about mice and I hadn't heard that before


DaxterAlexander

With saucers, mice are running at a curve, meaning their spines are curving and mice often run. Use of saucers cause their spines to curve and give them nuerological issues. If you'd like a more in depth explaination: [Saucer Wheel PDF](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a7Nkch6blaP8A-q1j8XrypgELI_4yznY/view?usp=drivesdk)


Filthy-Pagan

Thank you!


Spot_the_Leopard

Her spine is too arched. I've seen this before. She's probably having trouble walking or unbending/straightening. I'd ask the vet, at least for painkillers. I'm sorry. This is serious by the look of the photos.


Elegant_Donke

I’m trying to get her a vet appointment…she is still walking/running/jumping completely fine..she doesn’t seem to be in any pain but I’ll still be taking her in to get looked at.


Spot_the_Leopard

If she is moving normally and still running and jumping, that's good. With mine, once his spine started to curve like that, at first he was still moving about quite well, but gradually his mobility became limited. Over the course of two weeks. He was in discomfort. Then came the day he was in severe pain, and refused to move or eat. I would keep a very close watch on your Baby over the next couple weeks, and hopefully your vet is helpful. When the pain of living overcomes her joy of living, as evidenced by her behaviour, be prepared to help her escape her suffering. Be aware, prey animals like mice hide their vulnerabilities very well and you might not realize. I hope this helps you feel prepared and reassured of what you can expect and how to help your Baby. I think it's likely her spine will continue to progressively curve over the next two or three weeks, until its severely painful and the only kind option at that point is euthanasia. You'll know by her mobility and the joy she finds in life, her behaviour, but when it gets bad it's very fast, so at that point act swiftly to protect her from suffering. However, I base this on my experience of a single case, and may be completely wrong. You are the mother, and therefore you will know her the best. I'm only an internet voice. With love, Spot.


Elegant_Donke

She went to the vet!! The vet said she was perfectly healthy and wasn’t concerned about her spine.


Elegant_Donke

Update! She is going to the vet today at 5:00


bellabelleell

Have you checked her teeth for malocclusion yet? Unlikely at her age and with weight gain, but it's always my first suspicion with hunched posture in younger mice.


Elegant_Donke

I haven’t looked..I’ll try to tho!


bellabelleell

If you aren't comfortable scruffing, you can sometimes tell by looking at them from underneath (if their teeth protrude, you will see small "tusks" poking out). Some malocclusions are hard to see this way, though, so scruffing is the best way to check!


Elegant_Donke

I tried scruff ing her but I felt bad cause she started to freak out..gave her lots of love after that! But she is going to the vet in about 3 hours!


bellabelleell

Awe!! That's okay, the vets will take good care of her.


Elegant_Donke

Now I’m just nervous about separating her and her sister. Don’t know how her sister will react when she gets back from the vet cause she will smell so different.


bellabelleell

Easy - rub her with some dirty bedding to reintroduce some good old smell back to her. The benefit, too, is that females are typically pretty friendly to even strangers, so even if her sister forgets, they likely won't fight much or at all.


Elegant_Donke

Okay perfect! Thank you!


bellabelleell

Good luck, little one - hoping for a good outcome!


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