# Fuzzy mouse so much thinner than the other two....



## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

I have a trio of girls, Berry who is a fuzzy, Willow who is black and white and Acorn who is silver/grey and white. I have had them now about 5 months and I love them although Willow refuses to be handled apart from transferring her to and from cleaning cage on clean out day the other two are ok, and Berry loves to be handled!

I am a little worried though about Berry as she is SO much thinner than the other two! I wouldn't say they push her out of the food bowl as I often see her there eating but could it just be that she needs more food to keep her warmer due to being a fuzzy and therefore I need to up their rations? They all cuddle up together and sleep in a lovely coconut house with tissues for bedding and they are on hemp substrate!?


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

shot in the dark here as i'm new to mice, but is she skinny or lean? or somewhere in between? as in, does she look poorly or just not as 'built' as the others...
could it be that she is a finer build overall?

(i get that you've likely considered all this, but felt i had to put it out there!) x


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

She is quite lean  It could be like you say she is just finer boned but it just seems the other two are chunks and she is so delicate. I am not sure if I should take her to work for a check up or what? (I work in a vets), she also seems to vibrate when you are handling her and my collegue wondered if it was her breathing but I don't think she is ill and apart from the funny sensation of her vibrating there is no noises when she is breathing or snuffling/sneezing!?


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

well i live by the rule that when in doubt get to the vet, but i'm having issues with my rats atm, and the vets i work with (i say work, they don't flipping pay me! lol) have all admitted they aren't savvy enough to know what to do... today, one did offer to hold one still for me if i fancied doing anything! lol
but if they know their rodents, it certainly wouldn't hurt! 

((i'm glad i'm not the only one with meecies that aren't keen on handling! my boys are still scared of being lifted  ))


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

I wouldn't say they specialized but they did manage to neuter my friends two boys just after she got them as they started fighting. They also have performed surgery to remove lumps off rats and even re-position a prolapsed cheek pouch in a hamster!!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

My naked rat looked thinner but I suppose they do if they've got no hair to bulk them out.

If I were you I'd be scatter feeding that way no one can guard the food bowl.
I know with female rats they vibrate when in heat.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Kittenfostermummy said:


> She is quite lean  It could be like you say she is just finer boned but it just seems the other two are chunks and she is so delicate. I am not sure if I should take her to work for a check up or what? (I work in a vets), she also seems to vibrate when you are handling her and my collegue wondered if it was her breathing but I don't think she is ill and apart from the funny sensation of her vibrating there is no noises when she is breathing or snuffling/sneezing!?


I think that if she seemed to be active and bright-eyed (I won't say bushy-tailed, LOL) then she is okay. I used to have fancy mice for many years, and like us people they come in all sorts of body types - she might just be more energetic and run off the calories she consumes.

One thing I did wonder when you said she vibrates - I wonder if this is just a mouse with an unusually high metabolic rate. You get people like this, too. Often it is just the way they are and nothing to worry about (these are the baskets who have six mars bars for a snack _every single day _and still weigh in at under seven stones dripping wet, while the rest of us pretend to enjoy our lettuce leaf and find we've put on 5lbs in a day!). Occasionally it's because they have a hyperactive thyroid. I honestly don't know if you could test for it in mice, or what you would do if that's what it turned out to be.

I suspect that she is just a happy, active little soul, and that if you weren't comparing her to the other two "porkers" you wouldn't have given her size another thought.

Got any pics?

EDIT: I think Blades idea of scattering food about is a good one - apart from anything else, I found that mice enjoyed having a little forage for goodies. It was one of the things I did with mine to keep them mentally occupied - they're bright little souls and like to work things out.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

blade100 said:


> My naked rat looked thinner but I suppose they do if they've got no hair to bulk them out.
> 
> If I were you I'd be scatter feeding that way no one can guard the food bowl.
> *I know with female rats they vibrate when in heat.*


I didn't know that - that's interesting.


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## Tomskrat (Aug 11, 2011)

Some of my mice 'vibrate' from time to time I always called it a quiver . They tend to do it when they're nervous or excitable.


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

Thanks guys, I do scatter feed but not all the time as they tend to bury their food as it is! 

I think you are right and the other two are just porkers and she is my super model!! 

I do love her and yet if there had been more than three mice at the (I sorry to say) pet shop I wouldn't have had her as I didn't like the idea of a fuzzy and at first thought she was quite ugly! Now I think she is the prettiest and oh so soft!!!!


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

Here are are some pics, Berry, Acorn and Willow  This was when I first had them so they are a little bigger now


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Kittenfostermummy said:


> Thanks guys, I do scatter feed but not all the time as they tend to bury their food as it is!
> 
> I think you are right and the other two are just porkers and she is my super model!!
> 
> I do love her and yet if there had been more than three mice at the (I sorry to say) pet shop I wouldn't have had her as I didn't like the idea of a fuzzy and at first thought she was quite ugly!* Now I think she is the prettiest and oh so soft!!!! *


Us mothers always think we have the best babies. , and the one we worry about the most is the one that grows the most love in our hearts.

EDIT: Thanks for the pics - they are so sweet!


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