help please

Question
i have a mouse that we got the pet store about a month a go (i got 2 of them a male and a female) the female mouse is fine but the male his eyes are closed now with a yellow/white infection looking crust/ liquid. whats wrong with him and how do i fix it? she doesnt have it and none of the mice i got sense then have it can they catch it??

Answer
Hi Candice,

It could be any number of things, actually, but without knowing exactly what caused the crusty eye I cannot tell you if it is contagious.  The best thing to do would be to visit a vet in your area who is familiar with pocket pets like mice and can see the eye in person.

Some things that cause crusty eyes include sensitivities to bedding (either the type or the freshness), scratches, infections, irritation from dustiness, and more.  You can help to dissolve the crusties away by dipping a corner of a clean gauze pad in a cup of warm, slightly saline water (add just a tiny amount of salt) and gently dabbing the eye with it.  Then wait a few minutes and use a new gauze pad dipped in the same water to clean up the eye a little.  If you can't or he won't let you, that's okay, just dampen the eye area (try not to get the rest of the fur wet or he could chill) and let him clean it away himself.  You can do this one to do times a day, but stop if it becomes reddened or irritated.  Most importantly, try to identify what caused the oozing and crusties - does he have any injuries that you can see in that area?  Is the bedding fresh (stick your whole head in when smelling it - boys stink up bedding faster than girls - I typically change it for boys living alone once every 4-5 days), not dusty, and not pine?  Is there anything sharp in the cage, or anyone else in the cage he could have been fighting with?  Does he have any injuries on the rest of his body that might give you a clue?  Is he still eating and drinking normally?

If you can find a vet to look at it they can give you medication if you need it and can stop the infection from getting worse and potentially damaging the eye.  They may also provide you with saline drops to help keep the eye moist and help draw out fluid as it heals.

Hopefully this helps, but let me know if you have any other questions!
-Tam