Swollen eye and lethargic behavior

Question
Hi, My names Leah and im 14 from NZ. Recently my mouse has been acting very weird. She flips over her food bowl to its side and just sticks her head in the dark for ages also we have a long tube coming out of the cage down to a lower compartment and she often leans out and lets her head rest down the tube just lying there. This started about 4-5 days ago. About 1 and a half weeks ago i noticed her right eye going kinda red and swelled so it looked like she was just squinting. I didn't notice it getting worse until today a pulled her out of her cadge and she had lump on the side her face near the eye. The eye looks swollen and red i dont think she can open it. The last time a held her was on saturday so it would of happened over the past 1-2 days. The lump is not too big but sticks out by her eye. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Thank You.
Leah.

Answer
Hi Leah,

The lump and swollen redness sound like she accidentally injured her eye, either on something in the cage or by scratching it, and the injury got infected.  The swelling may be that infection, called an abscess, which fills up with pus.  She may be acting strange and lying around because it hurts or because the infection, once in the body, has a risk of spreading and making her sick.  If at all possible please take her in to a vet, who should be able to lance the abscess without hurting her (please do not try yourself, it's very dangerous especially near the eye) as well as prescribe you effective antibiotics to keep the rest of her healthy and protected.

In the meantime, you can put her on an antibiotic called tetracycline.  This is available at your local pet store in the fish section or at a feed store.  Here are some instructions by Natasha on how to give it to her in the water:  http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2010/2/Tetracycline-directions-sneezing-mou...  If you find it at a feed store, have someone help you calculate out how much to give, since feed stores usually have larger amounts for bigger animals.  If you find it at a pet store, the instructions will tell you how much to give.  Tetracycline is a good start, but a vet will have better options and is worth a phone call at the very least.  Abscesses do not have to be life-threatening problems if she can get professional help quickly.  However, I know sometimes it's just impossible, so if you can't then keep her on the tetracycline for 14-30 days (even if the swelling goes away), and gently clean the eye area with warm salt-water and a Q-tip once a day to soothe it.

I hope she feels better soon and that nasty bump goes away!  Best of luck to you both!
-Tam