Mice: losing fur, scabs, ringworm?

Question
I have two fancy female mice that are about a year old now, and for about the past month, one of them has been losing her hair! I figured it was just from stress, or a normal molting process, but when I looked at her the other day, I noticed that the areas with hair loss are red and scabby looking. I'm afraid she might have ringworm (or something else?). I had ringworm about three months ago, but I'm not sure if they got it from me or if they gave it to me. Only one of my mice has these symptoms.

Also, the other mouse with no shedding of its fur had mites real bad a while back, but I used the spray you recommended and they went away. But now, she is constantly scratching both eyes and both ears, to the point where her ears are bleeding and her eyes have this weird white goo around them and look cloudy. I'm not sure if she can even see anything. Help please? I am grateful for any information you can give me..

Answer
Dear Jackie,

If you had ringworm it's best the mice get checked.  A vet can check for ringworm very easily with a black-light. Their problems sound serious enough for a vet anyway.

If it isn't ringworm, it probably is mites again.  The only way to be sure to get rid of mites is to treat ALL mice, TWICE (7-10 days apart), don't forget to SHAKE WELL (seriously, that stuff is like water unshaken), and CHANGE all bedding, etc, washing what is washable in hot water and bleach and throwing EVERYTHING else away, BOTH times. If you did all that right, it's still possible that they got mites from new bedding or litter. To fight that you can freeze new bedding for 24-48 hours before using it. Another question is whether you have wild mice that come in contact with your pets.

I do think both mice should go to the vet in any case, because even if it isn't ringworm, the vet can not only diagnose but also treat mites better than you can over the counter, in a much less unpleasant way, and can give the mouse antibiotics if they think her immune system is compromised, and can look at the eye to see if it is something else. Find a vet who specializes in "pocket pets" or "exotics" and if you find more than one, ask them how many mice they see per month. Dog and cat vets are not trained for mice, and although they may be very well-meaning, there are just things they don't know.

best of luck to both  mice : ))

squeaks,

Natasha