Treat elderly mouse for mites?

Question
QUESTION: Dear Natasha,

My baby girl, Ruth is 3 years old and I'm quite worried about her. She has lost almost all of her hair and is limping around the cage pitifully. I think she is getting arthritic because she is so old, so I restricted her to only one level of her cage becuase I recently saw her fall and don't want to risk that again. Other than that, she seems to be a happy girl. She is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping regularly and always comes to say hi when I call her. Her sister died about six months ago and I didn't want to put any other mice on with her for fear of disturbing her in her old, old age. I'm just worried that she is in pain becuase she is limping and because of her lack of hair. I want to help her, but she is ancient and I don't want to push too hard. Please help my little old lady!

Thanks!

Erin

ANSWER: Dear Erin,

Three years is incredibly old for a mouse. Wow, she must be super sweet, as mice generally get sweeter as they get older.

You are doing the right things. Although I usually recommend mouse friends even at an older age, not if she is so feeble. The one level cage is crucial. Make sure she can access and eat her food and water. If there becomes a problem with that, you can give her some hard bread or cracker or Wasa bread soaked in rice milk, some soft cheese, soy yogurt, cucumber... anything easy to eat (and wet).

Make sure she stays warm, warm, warm. She has not only lost her fur, but she may have also become less efficient at processing food into energy, and may be eating less too.

There is nothing you can do about pain. You would kill her if you tried to give her human pain medication. I also once tried treating an arthtritic  mouse with Glucosamine in the water, which works wonders in people, dogs, and cats, and is supposed to be nontoxic, and I poisoned a cage full of mice.  So there is nothing to be done about arthritis either.

It is possible that the hair loss is something other than simple old age-- mice who live alone often suddenly have trouble with mites-- but if she is not scratching, I think it would not be good to treat her.

Give her lots of love and gentle attention. She needs you and she loves you.

My best to your old and venerable mouse.

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha

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Soft food for old lady   QUESTION: Thank you so much, Natasha!

Ruth was very excited about her soft food. I'll be sure to keep up with the rice milk mixture to make sure she is getting food and hydration.

Right now, I have extra bedding for her cage and a towel draped over it to make sure she doesn't catch a draft in the winter. I keep one side of the cage uncovered so she can get some air and take the towel off when I'm interacting with her. Do you have any other suggestions for keeping my old lady warm?

I'm so grateful for your suggestions as I want to keep Ruth as comfortable as can be, especially in her old age.

Thanks a million! Squeaks!

Erin

ANSWER: Dear Erin,

What a lovely little old lady : )).

First question. It is unclear from the photo, but does she have any scabs? It looks like it in the photo, which would indicate mites. Mites and a depressed immune system have a kind of chicken and egg relationship, and can both be a problem because a mouse is either older or suddenly alone. If she has scabs she should be treated for mites. Let me know if she has scabs and whether you can get her to a vet for it.

To keep her warm, use a heating pad on low or a hot water bottle. Depending on cage type you will have to figure out the logistics, but of course neither one can be placed inside the cage. It is important that part of the nest or at least cage be cooler, in case it becomes too hot for her comfort. It is easier to control the heat of either one with extra towels for insulation between the cage and the heater. Also make sure she has very warm bedding such as that wool sock that the dryer ate the mate of. Cut it into small strips so she doesn't get her foot caught and trapped. If she is in a nice dark house or box, another way to heat a cage is with a lightbulb, but it is very easy to overheat, especially if there is glass involved.

I'm glad she is enjoying her nursing home food.

Squeaks,

Natasha

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Mischievous little gir   QUESTION: Hi Natasha,

Ruth doesn't have any scabs right now but I saw one on her a few weeks ago. I just picked her up and put some Neosporin on it and it seemed to go away. I've read some of your other things about mites and wonder if I should treat her. I'd like to try and treat her at home first if I can as I think she is a little fragile for me to be taking her around outside in the cold and driving around for now.

To treat or not to treat? What do you think?

Erin

Answer
Dear Erin,

Optimally she should go to the vet. Is there anyone who can take you so you can hold her carrier close and talk to her during the trip? You can even hold her in your sleeve or hand. Of course during the cold part, keep her wrapped up in a towel. I brought a mouse to the vet once on a two hour bus trip in the middle of winter and I just kept her in my coat and hand. If I knew Ruth had mites I would say the best thing is to convince the vet to give you a tiny dose of Revolution to bring home to give her instead. But she might actually have another issue causing fur loss, which the vet may be able to identify with a skin flake sample. But don't bring her unless you find a vet who knows about mice. A dog or cat vet is not equipped to deal with the delicate conditions of a mouse. Call around and find someone who specializes in either Pocket Pets or Exotics. If you can find more than one, ask how many mice they have seen in the last week. It probably matters which vet you see in a practice.

I would not treat with the mite spray unless you are sure she has mites. Is she scratching at all? If you end up treating her, certainly use the bird version of the spray. Do you have my instructions? If not I can give a link; it's a little awkward right now because I am on my ipad.

I started at Allexperts.com due to a mouse like yours, named Ultra. She was older and lost all of her fur(which had been ultra long and ultra fluffy). I asked at the pet store and on this site, and I received advice which caused me to torture her terribly in my attempts to cure her. The story doesn't have a happy ending except that in Ultra's name I have now helped 1600 mice.

Ultra wishes Ruth the best of luck and health.  

Squeaks,

Natasha