Heavy sleeping in mice?

Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:01 pm

I know that some rats are very heavy sleepers, but I never thought about the mice. Some of my mice are very heavy sleepers - especially one little girl from Ivy's litter.

She sleeps so heavily that I have feared she was dead 4 times now! I could see her laying very still, even with the others running around (and sometimes all over her). I have to move her house, then touch her for her to move.

This seems to run in my Siamese lines the most. All of my BEW's are light sleepers (and are also the most active), and everyone else is somewhere inbetween. I would suppose that it is hereditary, since I do notice patterns in the lines.

I am wondering if the heavier sleepers are thought to live longer, like what is thought to happen in rats? There are a lot of people who believe that rats that are heavy sleepers live much longer than light sleepers, though I am not sure if that is true or not.

Any thoughts on this?? Just curious to see what everyone thinks, and if anyone else has patterns like that cropping up in their lines.

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Shanna
~ Serendipity Rodentry ~

Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:14 pm

Hmmm... I've noticed that sometimes any given individual will be deep asleep, but not with any noticeable pattern. Of course, all but one of my mice are from the same family. Sleep and longevity would be an intersting study. It does make sense that deeper sleeping, more restful mice would be longer lived as they would be less stressed by little things that startle others awake.

Tue Oct 11, 2005 4:04 pm

Hey serendipity, is it Barbie? This is an interesting discussion.

Tue Oct 11, 2005 4:39 pm

Lol, no not Barbie...it was her sister, Seven (now at home with Amy and renamed Tiny). Mr. Green

She is the heavy sleeper mouse. Most of the others are too busy trying to run on the wheel, hang from the top or bothering the others to be sleeping. Lol. wink

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Shanna
~ Serendipity Rodentry ~

Sun Oct 16, 2005 2:47 am

I do not know much about heavy sleeping leading to longer life, but it sounds very interesting.

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Rosie

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