Mouse with a bloody eye and scabs!

Question
Hey,

First of all, I love what you wrote in your profile and your love for mice! Anyway... :)

So, my boyfriend and I take care of and are *crazy* about our 3 mice, what used to be 4. One just passed a few days ago. We had her for no more than a month, she never grew while her sister continued to grow, and then we just found her dead... We cried, buried her, it was very sad. :'(

Anyway, we've noticed probably 2 weeks ago that one mouse that we have, the first one we ever got, had her for 4 months, had a bloody eye and some scabs on her back! So we cleaned her eye up with a wet q-tip and put her back in her cage (they have a glass cage with carefresh pet bedding that I clean out once every 2 weeks). However, we noticed that when we put her back, her breathing seemed harsh and she wasn't moving around. So we thought it looked like a cold. But after awhile, she seemed fine again.

Then today, we noticed a bloody eye again! We did the q-tip thing again and got the same reaction. And the other mice are fine.

What do you think it could be?

Thank you for your time!

-Ela

Answer
Dear Ela,

It's always nice to get fan mail ; ) !!  I'm very sorry about the mouse you lost.  It sounds like there was something wrong with her from the start, whether genetic or an illness.  

If all the mouse had was scabs I would say it could be mites, but when it comes to eyes I really can't diagnose and have no home remedies.  The inertia and harsh breathing may well be an illness.  All three mice should go to the vet, in their usual cage if possible.  This is in case she has something catching (an illness or mites) that the vet wants to treat all the mice for right there; the cage so the vet can evaluate whether a problem could be stemming from the home environment.  Call around first to find a vet who does mice and has experience with them.  A cat and dog vet really won't know what to look for except fairly broadly.  They surely won't charge you more than once for three mice.

Best of luck and health to all three : )

squeaks,

Natasha