Ear Mites on Mice?

Question
Hello!
It is me, Patches owner, again. Patches is doing great to let you now, but my other mouse Miracle has been ill. I just need some clarifying and tips.
Miracle had scratched her ears (inside) so bad they bleed constantly she is always picking at them and licking her paws after. I clean her ears by wiping them with a kleenex, but I am afraid the poor girl has ear mites. She has not shredded her ears but is coming close, the fur around her ears is gone, and inside is bleeding.
I am planning on going to the vet as soon as possible, but is there any home remedies to try? I am only a kid and I am draining my money taking mice to the vet.
Miracle has lot's of energy and is eating/drinking/playing normally. We seperated her from her buddy so as not to spread any sickness.

P.S. You are me and my friend Ellie's Mousey mentor! (you probably answered some of her questions about her hyper mice)  

Answer
Dear Sarah,

Ellie was the one with the hyper mice? Did she find something to entertain them?

If Miracle has mites, you can often treat them at home quite effectively with a spray from the company 8 in 1. You are going to need to treat all the mice anyway, so do put the mice back together. The depression caused by losing a friend can dampen immune response, increasing her chance of getting sick from the mites.

There are two strengths of the spray, one sold for small animals and a less potent one sold for birds.  If you can find it in your pet store, that is best, because treatment should be as quick as possible. If not, you can find it online. The reason to use the less potent bird spray is that the full strength spray hurts SOME mice's skin. However, if it doesn't work, the stronger one must be used anyway. I would tend toward the bird spray in this case because you have to treat Patches too, and she is older and may have more delicate skin.  You might want to get both and treat Miracle with the strong version and Patches with the weaker. In any case, two bottles will still cost you a fifth or less of a vet visit-- they each cost $3-$7.

Ellie may want to order some toys at the same time, if the shipping isn't too much with a rush order.

Here are links for the two products at Petsmart:

Small animal version:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752081&cp=2767038.2769320&f...

Bird version:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752076&lmdn=Bird

At PetCareRx I only find the small animal version; link:

http://www.petcarerx.com/pcrx/ProductPages/Product.aspx?pid=10149&k=8%20in1%20Sm...

At pet mountain:

small animals:
http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/508760/?utm_source=celebros&utm_medium=s...

bird spray:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/bird-medications/11442-105642/ultra-care-mite...

As I said, you need to treat ALL of the mice. The reason for this is that most mice always have a very mild case of mites. This doesn't cause a problem until the mouse's immune system is compromised-- through other illness, age, stress, allergy, etc-- or the mouse comes in contact with another source of mites-- such as another mouse with mites or infested bedding.  Even if the other mice were never going to have a problem, they will give mites back to Miracle even after she is cured. This goes for the mice on the other cages as well, because the mites will travel on you from cage to cage.

Also, when you treat the mice you need to clean the cage very thoroughly-- at best with a little bleach in the water (rinse very well because the bleach odor will be offensive to the mice); and wash all cage accessories either with the bleach mixture or in boiling water. Items of cardboard or wood should be thrown away.  

You will need to do this twice; the second time, 7-10 days later, will kill the mites which were in eggs during the first treatment.

Here's how to use it:

After reading the directions carefully, shake the can well.  Hold the mouse over a bed in case it panics when it is wet.  Spray it thoroughly, making sure it is all wet (it will hate this).  Although I would use my hand, the label does say not to let it touch your skin(!).  If you don't want to get it on your hands then put on rubber gloves.  The mouse's fur should be soaked such that all of its skin is wet. Avoid its face; in Miracles' case you will want to carefully apply it near her ears with a Q-tip, but avoid any wounds.

The regular spray is pretty strong stuff, and some mice suffer some skin pain within a few hours, which can last perhaps 12 hours.  If the mouse squeaks when touched or even when alone in the nest, all you can do is give it your condolences.  It will feel better soon.  This only happens to some mice.

Make sure the mouse is warm and absolutely dry before you return it to the cage.

If Miracle does not improve noticeably after 2-3 days, the mice-- all of them-- should go to the vet. They can use a different treatment, which probably won't be as unpleasant as the spray.  They may all need to be treated.  You can call the vet beforehand to see if they think that is necessary, though. And make sure they aren't going to charge you a visit fee per mouse!

I hope this works. It is often quite effective. Give Miracle an extra kiss from me-- I love special mice!

squeaks,

Natasha