my pet mouse is sick!

Question
hello, i hope you can help me and my young mouse! Today she has been making these weird noises and she also sneezes. she will not stop scratching her nose and i'm afraid because she scratches her nose so often, its causing hair loss. Is there a medicine i can give her? I cant afford to take her to the vet. I heard tetracycline is an option but i don't know where to get it or how much it costs. I don't even know how much to give her. help me please! -worried

Answer
Hi Mia,

It's possible that the sneezing and the scratching are two different problems.  The sneezing is usually indicative of an upper respiratory infection, which like you mentioned, may be treatable with tetracycline.  You can find tetracycline at your local pet shop (check the fish section), and it isn't usually terribly expensive.  There are great instructions on how to use it and how much to give here:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2010/2/Tetracycline-directions-sneezing-mou...

The itchiness could be one of several possibilities.  The usual culprit is mites, tiny pests that are on all mice but only cause a problem when there get to be too many of them, or when the mouse is stressed.  Mites can be treated using a spray you can find at your pet store, with instructions here:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2008/10/red-skin-hair-loss.htm  Even though the nose is the part that itches, be sure to keep the spray away from the face.  It will do the trick just to treat her body and clean the cage.  You can keep incoming mites down by freezing all bedding for at least 24 hours, then thawing it out again before you use it.

Another common reason for itchiness is allergies.  Mice can become allergic to their food, or even the bedding, so you can try switching the type of food you provide or swapping the bedding (skip pine and cedar, but yesterday's news, carefresh, and aspen beddings are the ones I love!) to see if either makes her nose less itchy.

Other, less common causes for itchiness include infections, which can start with just a scrape and become inflamed and irritated, ringworm, which is a fungal infection that is easy to treat but can infect you, too, or other pests/bugs/parasites that could have been picked up from wild rodents.  Does she live with anyone else?  Sometimes other mice in the cage, or even looking around her cage for clues, can give you hints about what the cause might be.  The only sure way to diagnose what's bothering her for sure is a vet visit, though.  It might be worth calling around and seeing if anyone can help you out at low cost.  If not, I'd treat for mites first, and change the diet/bedding if you don't see improvement in a week.

Best of luck, and let me know if you have any more questions about her!  Hope she feels better soon!
-Tam