when will mite spray work?

Question
Hi, we rescued a little white pet mice from the hurricane (gustave) last year. We also named him Gustave. A week ago I noticed that he started to scratch himself behind the ears and upper back. The spot is bold and started to get bloody. I found your site and hurried to the petstore. Applied the Mite & Lice Bird spray as well as cleaned the cage. This was 24 h ago. He's sleeping right now but as soon as he wakes up he scratches again however it seems that he's scratching less and runs arround less crazy. My question is how long would it last for the scratching to stop or should it have given him immediate relief? I had to spray him while he was with his back to me in his tube as he is too skittich to be picked up and rubbed. I'm working hard to gain his trust but this experience seems to have scared him again and he hides now when we come closer to his cage. Since he is 1 year old can he still be trained again to trust us? Any expert advice to help my little buddy, it hurts to see him suffer and hiding like this. Thank you.

Answer
Dear Ursi,

It's good that you see some improvement already.   The mite spray isn't for the itching, it's just a poison.  Although the mites that were on him are dead now and aren't causing any itching, his skin is probably still itchy from the sores. He should continue to do better. Don't forget to treat him again in a week, though.  The nits (eggs) that were on him when he was sprayed will have hatched by then and will be causing him problems.

I understand him being skittish from being treated. They certainly hate it. Whenever I have to 'torture' my mice like that I always give them a ton of extra love and attention for at least 15 minutes before and after.  Don't worry that he hides; pick him up anyway.  Get him to crawl into a toilet paper tube so you can pick him up that way.  Many mice never get good at the being picked up part, but they love to be held.  When you have been holding him for a while, he will remember that he likes it, and this can be a good time to practice being easy to be picked up.  I often give my mice the choice of being picked up a second time and it's good practice.  

Just lots of love and attention.  Mice also naturally grow sweeter as they get older, if they are people-friendly.  I'm so pleased that you rescued him and am curious to know how it happened.  I assume he wasn't floating down the street at some point or something like a lost dog might have been...  write back under a follow-up and I will send an automatic thank-you.  

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha