fur loss in mouse

Question
"I recently brought two male mice jack and Sam I just noticed that jack has a small bald patch on his side I also checked Sam but he seems fine.Jack shows no signs of being uncomfortable and has no other symptoms, his skin is the correct color. they have wood shavings for there bedding and I feed them a mixture of good foods and the occasional treat and they do not fight!!! please help"

Answer
Dear Fran,

Let's start by ruling out a less common, but wonderfully benign possibility. Is the fur gone down to the skin! Ipor is there a tiny razor stubble left, as it were? If there is, what you may have is barbering, when one mouse cuts the whiskers ot fur off of another.
In this case, what can you do? Nothing, reallly. Add more toys to the cage.


The most likely problem if the skin is bare,  is mites, and the most effective and easiest remedy is Revolution. This is just a drop of a fairly nontoxic liiquid on the back of his neck on the skin, after which application you don't let him wash himself for ten minutes. You probably have to go to the vet for this, although since it is for cats and dogs (some vets might not know it can be used on mice but it is standard in the rodett community and by most trained exotics/ pocket pet vets), you can use whatever you or a friend got for a kitten, cat, or even a puopy, but NOT a dog.

All mice in the home must be treated, and all bedding and washable items washed in hot water, either throwing away everything else, or freezing it for two days.

The next most common reason for fur loss is allergies. The way to test for this is to put the mouse in an almost completely hypoallergenic situation: everything washed in plain water, only paper towels for bedding, only oats or cooked brown rice for food. Then assuming the symptoms recede, reintroduce each item back into the mouse's life slowly, watching for reactions.

These are not the only options. He might have ringworm, for instance. His very best bet is to go to the vet.

Best of luck and health to him.

Squeaks,

Natasha