Help please pet mouse bleeding

Question

Bleeding help please  
Bleeding   QUESTION: Hi I have two pet white mice a male and female had them only a week my male is bleeding from his genitals area looks like something little popped out near his genital area I though he was inheat but he is bleeding alot what could it be it

ANSWER: Hi Marissa,

It looks like he's damaged his penis (or the female has). In a normal, healthy male, the penis withdraws into the body when not in use. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the penis can get stuck outside the body - usually from an injury that causes it to swell too much to retract.

I don't see any blood in the photos, only swelling and irritation. If he is in fact bleeding you NEED to see a veterinarian immediately - this kind of injury is too easy to get infected to try to fix at home. If his penis does not eventually retract he would seriously suffer. Goal number one should be finding a vet that works with pocket pets and getting him seen first thing when their doors open. Goal number two should be trying to reduce swelling and increase lubrication. I have heard of people using KY jelly (water based lubricant, not petroleum), sugar water, and saline to help, but it's all guess work until you get to the vet. Rather than try and slowly troubleshoot while he is in pain, please see a professional.

What you can do right now, until they open, is move him to a clean cage with a soft bedding. Lubricate the penis very gently with clean fingers and a water based lubricant. Watch the bleeding carefully and observe for changes.

I know I said to go to the vet a lot, but this is something that HAS to be resolved within the next day or two, so I do consider it an emergency. If you cannot find a vet to help or can't afford it, consider asking local rescues, breeders, rehabilitators, or the person/shop who sold you the mouse to help you get him the care.

Best of luck, and please let me know how else I can help and what the vet says!
-Tam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm not sure if she is pregnant because of the male pens popping out did they do it I'm not sure but can something go wrong if he does and she alone until I get another male can I even put another male back in their with the female? If she was to have babies will the new male mouse effect it?

Answer
Marissa,

The only way to know if she's pregnant is to wait 3.5 weeks and look for pups. There are other clues, but no way to be sure. She should be live alone in that time. If she has a litter, they will take 4-5 weeks to wean, and then she should have a month before breeding again (she should have a month off even if you remove the pups).

I would strongly recommend researching breeding mice a little more before attempting it again. With a little more information you can be drastically more successful, your mice can be happier, and you can achieve your goal in breeding.  Even feeder breeding needs a goal - even if it's just breeding healthy mice of the right weight that mate and raise offspring well. You need to identify that goal and then only pair mice that get you closer to it.

I could probably write a novel, but other people have already put a lot of great info on mouse breeding online. Check out FancyMiceBreeders, FancyMice.info, and Finnmouse for really great information. If you can tell me why you are breeding them I can suggest a set up, but it's up to you to learn mouse husbandry and care before doing something as time and energy consuming as breeding.

Even if you don't Google a single thing, the biggest thing I can tell you is to leave her alone during baby time - NO mice should be in the cage with her except her and her babies. No daddies, no other males, no friendly females. Not only can other mice eat the pups or stress her to the point of doing so, but she can become pregnant the same night she gives birth, which can kill her and/or the second litter. Basically, yes, she absolutely should be alone for the next 3.5 weeks (it takes 21 days give or take a couple to gestate).

Hopefully this info helps! Good luck.
-Tam