mites killed mouse/ mite spray

Question
My pet mouse, Brian, had a very sore scratch on his face, near his right eye. Despite my efforts to clean and sooth the itching, it got worse and he began to lose his hair and weight. Unfortunately, he died a week ago but now I'm afraid to see that the other mouse who he shared the cage with also has the early stages of the same thing.
He is constantly scratching and his right eye is slightly more closed than the other one.
I wonder if you could advise anything that can be bought from a pet shop, as I cannot afford the expensive vets bill.
I plan to keep cleaning his cage out every day and change his water and food as much as possible without waste.
Other than the hair loss and sore eye, both mice seem playful and generally happy, with healthy appetites. I'm pretty sure this isn't due to fighting, as when I tried to seperate them, they seemed more distressed than when they were together.  

Answer
Dear Rosie,

I'm sorry to hear about Brian.

The most common-- but not only-- cause for itching and hair loss is mites.  A vet can test a skin sample to find out if it is mites or something else.  Treatment for mites won't help if it is something else like mange or ringworm.  Vets have the best treatments for mites, but you can treat for mites at home as well.

To remove the mites, I use the small animal flea and tick spray from 8-in-1.  You should find it at a larger pet store; if not, I find it in two places on the internet:  

www.petcarerx.com  ($4.72)

www.petsmart.com ($5.29)

in fact here is the link for the product at petsmart:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752081&cp=2767038.2769320&f...

If you can find it in a pet store (call around) that would be best, because you need it right away.  If not, have them overnight mail it or as fast as they can.  Mice get sicker fast; and as you saw with Brian, mites can kill.
**

After reading the directions carefully, shake the can well.  Hold the mouse over a bed in case he panics when he is wet.  Spray him thoroughly, making sure he is all wet (he will hate this).  Although I would use my hand, the label does say not to let it touch your skin(!).  If you don't want to get it on your hands then put rubber gloves.  His fur should be soaked such that all of his skin is wet.

Make sure he is warm and absolutely dry before you return him to the cage.  His cage must be completely cleaned and rinsed and all bedding and toys must be new, with the exception of plastic items which you wash carefully or boil, or glass.  I don't recommend saving any wooden items.

The spray is pretty strong stuff, and some mice suffer some skin pain within a few hours, which can last perhaps 12 hours.  If he squeaks when touched or even when alone in the nest, all you can do is give him your condolences.  He will feel better soon.  This only happens to some mice.  This can be avoided by using the half-potency BIRD version of the spray; however, if the lower potency one helps but doesn't solve the problem, you'd need to redo it with the rodent spray.  I recommend the rodent spray since your guy is pretty infested; it's your choice.

If, after 2-3 days, this has helped, then repeat the entire procedure 7-10 days later.  This will kill off the mites which were protected inside eggs when you first sprayed.

Best of luck.  If he has any other friends who aren't showing signs, they have to be treated the same way anyway.

squeaks,

Natasha