Question
Spots
My pet mouse developed a red spot on her back, and near her tail. They look like scabs but are red. My parents won't let me take her to the vet because they don't wanna pay for a visit and she is over a year old, maybe closer to two years. I waited a week or two for them to heal, but it got worse, now the scab thing is bigger on her back, about the diameter of an eraser on a pencil. The tail one is around the same size. A new one has developed on her shoulder too. She lives on her own in one of the larger plastic cages with white pine wood shaving bedding. She has been eating (Kaytee brand mouse & rat blend), drinking and moving fine. I've seen her grooming pleanty but her fur looks duller but that may be from old age. Please tell me what it could be and what to do. If I know what medicine to get my parents said they could possibly do that.
AnswerHi Abrina,
It sounds to me like your mouse has ringworm, but from the photo it could also be a bacterial infection in the skin. Here's what you can do to treat either, since they won't let you take her to the vet:
For Ringworm - Ringworm is contagious to humans, so be careful when handling and wash your hands and the cage frequently. You can treat it by swabbing the spots with betadine (available in your pharmacy or general store, dilute it to the color of tea with water), and then dabbing a mild antifungal cream on the spots.
For Bacterial Skin Infection - You will still want to keep the wounds clean with your betadine solution, a couple of times a day, but you can also treat it with a round of antibiotics. Tetracycline is an antibiotic you can find in the fish section of your local pet store, and should be used for a minimum of 14 days. Here are some instructions for how to use it: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Mice-3824/2009/4/mouse-injured-cat-antibiotic.htm
So, to treat both possibilities you'll need your parents to buy you tetracycline, betadine, and an antifungal cream. Between these, those scabs should disappear.
Best of luck!
-Tam
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