Fancy mouse has right ear and eye issue

Question
Hi.  My daughter has had a fancy mouse for about 2 years.  Over the last week, she seems to have a right ear and eye issue.  I noticed her scratching her ear at first but now it looks like it is red inside and now her eye on that side is squinted.  Tonight she looks like she is panting.  Our local vet doesn't take exotics and I am planning on going to the pet store to see if I can get her medicine.  Do you have any idea what might be wrong?  We haven't changed anything and always keep her bedding fresh and clean.

Answer
Dear Tracy,

The mouse really needs a vet. Can you call around and find an exotics vet a little father away? I cannot tell if she has mites or an external infection or more, and the panting means she is quite sick. Scratching is often mites but they are not usually inside the ear. The eye could be infected or she could have wounded it while scratching. She could need antibiotics, mite treatment, and/or eye drops.

Do me a favor: call around now. I really don't want to advise you like this. But if you absolutely cannot get her to the vet, I will advise OTC treatment for each of those conditions, none of which is nearly as good as the vet can give you; nor can I diagnose, and would have to have you treat for all three, which is not very good for the mouse. I will check my questions frequently today so you can write back to let me know if you found a vet. If you really can't, as I said, we can try without, but in this case I would very much prefer she go to the vet.

I am very worried that she is panting. That means she is very sick. The immediate thing to do is to give her a steam bath- fill the bathroom/shower with steam from the hot shower and bring her close to the steam but do not let her get wet. She may struggle like the dickens, so hold tight and do not drop her. Try to keep her there for 5-10 minutes. This should help the breathing if anything will. Then dry her off and bring her down to room temperature very slowly (I bring the mouse under the covers with me in a towel, which makes it easy to regulate how fast the temperature changes).

Please let me know either way. I am not trying to blow you off, and it matters to me that the mouse get help. I will check my messages again soon.

Squeaks,

Natasha