Anxious Mouse?

Question
Hi,
We bought 2 female mice about 14 months ago (sisters).

Unfortunately one of them formed several tumours recently  and we had to put her to rest.

Since then, the remaining mouse has started scratching herself all the time.

At first, i thought it might have been mites, so we changed her cage bedding thinking it might have been the sawdust.

Her scratching is so bad that she has now lost fur on her back and is drawing blood and developed scabs that she keeps scratching.

She is very skittish when we try to handle her (she used to quite happily crawl up on our hands when we put them in the cage) but now she runs away and hides. She doesn't seem to be as active. Doesn't use her wheel much or play in the tunnels.

Not wanting to get another mouse, can you suggest what else might ease her anxiety??

Thanks
Cherie

Answer
Dear Cherie,

Your little mouse probably has a terrible case of mites. Just as you can't cure your dog of fleas by changing her bed, you can't get rid of mouse mites by changing her litter, although both are necessary. What a very, very unhappy mouse.

The only safe and painless way to treat the mites now that she has wounded herself, is to use Revolution. If you have or know someone who has a dog or cat they should be able to get Revolution from the vet. All she needs is a little drop, on the skin on the back of her neck (not on a scab if course) and be kept from washing for ten minutes. This keeps her mite free for a month, though you want to wash her bedding  and throw out or freeze (two days) anything you can't wash.

If you can't get it without a vet visit-- and often a vet will let you have a kitten dose with no visit-- the vet visit is worth it. Although there are OTC ways to get it online, they are not in the US and shipping would cost more than the vet, if you want to stop her torture anytime soon.

At this point she may have gotten so used to scratching that she may have a hard time stopping even when the mites are gone, but first get rid if the mites and then we can discuss that if it happens.

No sawdust for mice. They can breathe in the dust and it can make them sick.

She developed the mites because,  as mice always have a few mites but groom them off of each other, a mouse who is suddenly alone can have a mite breakout. Being lonely and depressed makes it worse. Try to give her lots of love. If she won't be held, put her in your sleeve.

Squeaks,

Natasha