Mouse mites spray and wound

Question
Hi, I am desperate I have my step-daughters female mouse who is scratching at what I assume are mites, I read a previous answer of yours regarding mites however our mouse has a large red patch on the back of her neck where she has scratched her hair off. Wil the pest spray burn her, or infect her? Also may I give her a bath to help sooth it before spraying her for mites? I am so concerned about her and dont want her to suffer. Last week we lost her sister however she didnt have the intense scratching before she died like this one she just became lathargic and then died. Thank you for your help! I look forward to hearing from you

Answer
Dear Tracy,

Yes, the spray will hurt terribly if you get into a wound.

Instead of spraying directly onto the mouse, shake the can well and spray it into a bowl, from where you can apply it to the mouse. Since you have only got one mouse and a whole can of spray, it's Ok to use it up. So take a small piece of sponge-- cut about a square inch of a clean sponge with a pair of scissors, and also cut it to make it thin. Spray enough spray into a small dish or even directly onto the sponge to make it soaking wet. Her fur needs to get good and soaked, down to the skin, but you can avoid getting it into her wounds this way.

You should do this as a two-person job, since wet mice can get scared and jump, and you don't want her sudden movement to cause the spray to get onto her wound. I guarantee you can't hold her still if that happens. She should sit on someone's hand with their other hand holding gently but firmly to the base of her tail by her rump. Do this not far over a bed (cover with a towel; I don't know if the spray stains) in case she jumps.



There is another option to the pyrethrin spray,  and that is to use ivermectin. The only disadvantage to this is finding it. You are going to have to buy about enough for a horse and only use a tiny bit!  Perhaps you have a feed store nearby. The least expensive source I found online is IVER-ON Ivermectin Pour-On for Cattle at Jeffers Livestock, $19.95 (on sale) for 250 ml:

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=86NED8ESF7KN9PVC6N.

DON'T USE IT STRAIGHT!!

My mouse breeder has used it on pinkies, so it is pretty gentle on the mouse. Mix one part ivermectin to 5 parts water.  Use the same procedure with the bit of sponge. You can do it once a week, though after two weeks the problem should be gone.



In any case, of course, you know to clean the whole cage thoroughly, throw away anything you can't wash in hot water, and treat all cage mates, once now and once in 7-10 days.


I would not ever recommend bathing a mouse. They are just so delicate. If the skin is not raw, just inflamed, take a capsule of vitamin E, cut it open, and mix half with vegetable oil. Rub gently into her skin. If you do this right before you treat her for mites, the skin will be protected from any small splatter. Another option is if you have an aloe vera plant, to squeeze a little juice from it. Maybe a florist would be so kind as to give you one leaf. The stuff you buy in the store isn't pure and I don't recommend it.

Best of luck to her. Make sure you have solved the mites problem before adding any new bought mice.

squeaks,

Natasha