Mouse in fight

Question
Hi,

I have 2 male mice in a devided tank.

This morning, I went to hold Mowta, one of them, and noticed his tail and paws are all bloody!

It looks like he was probobly fighting through the bars with his room mate.

I checked the other mouse and he seemed fine, but what should I do about Mowta?


How should I help him heal?


Also, I don't have an extra tank, what should I do to keep fights like this from happening in the future?

Answer
Hi Miriam,

Sounds like a bad situation for little Mowta.  If they are fighting, which it definitely appears they are, they will be stressed even if you found a way to make the divider more foolproof. Being too close to another male can cause a mouse to have a lowered immune system and even behave more anxiously in general, including possibly picking up bad habits like biting.

I know you don't have another tank for him right now, but he's going to need one. Perhaps you could try looking at discount stores, or online to see if you can buy a used tank from somebody? He is not going to be able to stay like that.  

As for his feet and a tail, you can help them heal at home as long as they're not too badly damaged. If you can see exposed bone or any prolonged bleeding, you will need to see a vet as soon as possible. If not you can treat it at home using Betadine, which is an iodine solution that you can get at your local pharmacy or general store, & a triple antibiotic ointment.

Once or twice a day, clean his paws and tail by making a cup of warm water and dropping betadine into the cup until the water turns the color of tea. Then, use either a cotton ball or a small square of gauze to dab a little bit of the mixture on his paws and tale. It is okay if it stains slightly. Leave it there for about 30 seconds and then gently dab it away again with a fresh cotton ball or gauze soaked in plain warm water. This will disinfect the wound, next we need to protect it. You can use any kind of antibiotic ointment and just use a tiny little bit of it on any of the affected areas. He will probably just lick it off so only use what you have to to lightly coat it. This will help catch any debris and prevent infection by kind of providing a barrier for him.

How often to do this depends on how well he tolerates it.  Again, if there is a lot of bleeding a vet will be able to provide emergency care but also antibiotics to help protect him.

Let me know how else I can help and good luck!
-Tam