Mite-y, Unhappy, Skinny Mouse :(

Question
My housemate and I bought two female mice 3 and a half months ago, and for the first month of their lives with us, everything was great. Then, suddenly, my mouse Margot Tenenbaum had bloody ears and was extremely itchy. I separated the mice on my housemates' suggestion, and initially Margot got better, but now she has taken a turn for the worse. Her symptoms seem consistent with other mite-infected mice, so I have just treated her with the spray you recommend and I am hoping it works. However, she has lost a good deal of weight, has a closed, swollen eye, and seems lethargic compared to her separated friend, who has been thriving.

My two questions are these: 1) What can I do about my mouse's low weight while she recovers from the mites? She seems uninterested in treats. and, 2) can the two mice be reunited? I know that Margot is lonely but I don't want the problem to spread to the other mouse. They currently live in separate cages next to each other.

I thank you for taking the time to look at my question, and I apologize in advanced if this has been asked before. I looked through your archive and found a lot of mite questions, but not one about a skinny mouse.

Answer
Dear Caroline,

Poor little mousie.  She really ought to go to a vet because her eye may need treatment.  Also there could be another cause for the skinniness, and a vet may be able to prescribe something to help her gain weight.

When I have wanted a mouse to gain weight I have fed her soft cheeses from my fingers.  Peanut butter- in a very thin layer to eliminate danger of choking-- is excellent too.  Nuts and seeds are very tasty treats and contain a lot of fats. And even a little pure butter on your finger or on a piece of bread or cracker works well.

The other mouse and its environment should be treated for mites anyway.  Mites go unnoticed in mice before they break out, and especially living alone can be dangerous for mice with mites- they get depressed, which lowers their immune systems, and they don't clean each other off.  Because mice don't like to live alone, i would want to treat the other mouse and put them together right away except for not knowing about her eye and her lethargic behavior. If you can get to a vet-- find one trained in exotics or pocket pets- bring both mice.  

Best of luck to the mice.

squeaks,

Natasha