My mouse is bleeding in her butt!!

Question
QUESTION: Why is my mouse bleeding in her butt?
GENDER: Female
TYPE OF MOUSE: Siamese
I don't know her age as I brought her off Trade Me.

P.S: I have recently introduced her to another mouse of a different type, could she be the one who is causing the blood.

Thank you

ANSWER: Hi Cheyanne,

This is something you really, really need to take your pet to the vet for.  The bleeding could be any number of things, and without more details it is almost impossible for me to guess the cause.  Because anywhere there is blood or broken skin is a chance for infection, I would highly encourage taking her by a vet familiar with pocket pets as soon as possible.  If this simply isn't possible, write me right back with some more details on her condition (can you find where around her bum she's bleeding?  Has she been squeaking?  Is her waste normal?  Is she a healthy weight, or thin?) and I'll see if we can figure it out.

It could be the other mouse, but there is no way to be sure without a vet.  Try separating the two immediately.  Mice don't fight based on their colors, though I do not know how mice of different species would interact.  Males can be extremely aggressive with each other, but most females get used to one another during the first few days of being in a cage together.  There are exceptions, of course, and some females never accept living with other mice at all.  It just depends on your mice.  If you ever see biting (grabbing the skin, not just chasing), boxing (standing on the hind legs and punching outward at the other mouse), tail rattling (buzzing it against the cage or something else), or just hear a lot of squeaking, it's important to separate the two mice immediately.  Keeping a very close eye on them when introduced, and quarantining new mice (keeping them separate for at least 3 weeks to see if any disease pops up) are the very best ways to prevent problems in new cage-mates.

Please let me know how she does!  Best of luck,
-Tam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: She squeaks more then she used to, I woke up the next morning and I heard alot of squeaking so I went down and I peeked through the cage and my new mouse was sitting on my Siamese mouse over then that she's fine but I can't get her to a vet because we have not got much money and we still need to pay rent and buy food for them by the way my name is not Cheyanne it's DESPARATE!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Unfortunately, I still cannot tell you with any certainty the cause of her bleeding.  I'm not a vet, and all I can do from here is offer a little educated advice.  I would still recommend separating the two mice, but since you can't bring her by a vet to make sure the cause isn't more serious than that, the only other thing I can recommend is a general antibiotic.  Tetracycline is an antibiotic you can find at your local pet shop in the fish section, and it can be given to her in her water bottle.  It's necessary if she can't go to a vet in order to keep infections from entering through her wound.  Infections can cause big, swollen lumps called abscesses, or can spread system-wide and possibly even be lethal, so I really recommend giving it to her for no less than a week (it's dangerous to stop an antibiotic mid-course).  There are excellent instructions on how to obtain, prepare, and give the antibiotic here:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2010/2/Tetracycline-directions-sneezing-mou

Like I said before, some mice are simply not good matches.  If you suspect there has been an injury, or even if they just never seem to get along, they should have their own cages just to be on the safe side.  If your Siamese mouse's condition does not seem to improve, or if she seems to be in a lot of pain, bleeding more, or squeaking more on her own, you can try contacting your local pet shops, animal rescues, wildlife rescues, and shelters to ask for help.  Even if they don't work with mice, chances are they know someone who does and who may be able to offer you help pro bono, or at least at cost.

Let me know if she has any change, or if you have any more questions,
-Tam