mouse bite

Question
One of my female mice, who ive had for about two months just bit me and she drew blood, this is the first time i have had a mouse bite me like that, normally they just nibble. i was wondering if i should be worrying about an infection. and should i be worried about her now wanting to bite me since she has tasted my blood.

Answer
Hi Sara,

There's nothing she can give you by biting you, so the only thing you have to worry about is keeping it clean and adding a little triple antibiotic ointment just like you would for a nasty papercut.  "Tasting blood" won't make her want to bite you more, but I would take a close look to see if you can find out why she bit you this time.  If you were trying to pet her or move something around in her cage, she might have just gotten spooked, or maybe even a little territorial.  In nature, predators usually come at mice from above, so try placing your hand in her cage for a little while and letting her realize you aren't a threat before going about your business.  It may also be that you smelled yummy - sometimes it can be a simple mistake when you're trying to feed treats or food.  If it happened while trying to pick her up or play with her, she might have an injury you unintentionally bothered - check her over for any spots with bruising, redness, or missing fur.

If none of that sounds right and you just can't figure it out, give her a few days to settle down and try to reintroduce yourself, so to speak.  She might have just been having a bad day!  She definitely won't get more aggressive after having bitten you once, though, so I'd just try and determine what upset her this particular time and go slowly from there.  :)

-Tam