Injured Mouse *Important*

Question
Somehow while I was at work Nana managed to get what looked like a small bite near her neck. Since then she has continued to pick and nibble at it to the point she's gotten a larger wound. I read in another one of your posts that you said neosporin is okay to give them. Is bacitracin also all right? I want to do all I can to treat her as soon as possible. There are no exotic vets close by.

Answer
Hi JD,

Bacitracin is actually one of the ingredients of Neosporin, however, since it can be toxic when ingested (and you already know she's nibbling at it), I would only use a very small amount if you have no other choice.  Better to play it safe!

The best thing to do would be to run to a pharmacy or general store and pick up a bottle of betadine (an iodine solution), a tube of triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin), and some cotton swabs if you don't happen to already have any.  Make a cup of warm water and add betadine into it until it reaches about the color of tea.  Then, dip a cotton swab in the solution and gently dab it first on, then around the wound.  Take a fresh swab and gently remove as much of the betadine as you can - don't worry if a little bit gets left behind.  Lastly take one last swab and apply just enough neosporin to lightly coat the wound.  A little goes a long way, and excess will be licked off, so only use what you need.

You can repeat the whole thing a few times a day to keep the wound clean.  This will help to prevent infections from entering and either making her sick or causing complications in healing.  You should also clean her home out in the meantime to reduce exposure to bacteria in dirty bedding.  Keeping it clean is essential to helping it heal!

It might help to determine what caused the injury, in case the cause is still irritating her.  Does she live with anyone else who may have bitten her, or may still be bothering her?  Is there anything sharp in the cage she might have hurt herself on accidentally, or maybe something she could have gotten pinched in?  Are there pests - such as ants that might be getting to the cage, other bugs that might bother her, or might she have mites?  Mites would cause her to itch at the skin around her neck, face, and shoulders, causing irritation and fur loss, and might result in her scratching too violently.

Best of luck, and let me know if you have any more questions!  Hope she heals up quickly!
-Tam