itchy mouse with milky eye

Question
Hi there!

One of my mice has a milky, cloudy left eye. The cloudiness looks quite like a cataract, but seems to have spread overnight from a small spot in the middle of her eye to most of the rest of her eye. She also has problems with scratching, mostly her belly, forelimbs, and face, as well as what looks like white dandruff specks on her ears. She is also just coming off a bad case of dermatitis and is a little over a year old. Behaviourally, she is still very active and eats and drinks like a normal mouse. Her ears are always flattened against her head though, not erect like those of a normal mouse. I was wondering, are these symptoms all related (and treatable), or does she have separate scratching problems and a cataract? Thanks so much for your help!

Cheers,
Jennifer

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

It's unlikely that the two problems are connected.  

The problem with the eye could be cataracts, as you suggested, or maybe glaucoma; or it could be from the parasite E. Cuniculi, which I have seen produce milky eye in rabbits, and mice can get it as well.  I don't think anyone operates on mouse eyes even if it were feasible.  To tell if a rabbit has cuniculi you have to do an expensive blood test (can they even draw blood from a mouse?) and then if it is infected it gets medication for 6 months to stabilize it... What I am saying is, you probably can't do anything about the eye, and blind mice get around just fine if their cage surroundings are not changed much.

The other problem is more urgent.  Your mouse almost certainly has mites.  These can actually be deadly in the end.  If you go to a vet, they can test the skin of the mouse to see if the problem is mites, ringworm, mange, or something else.  However, you might be surprised at how expensive a mouse trip to the vet can be.  It isn't less than another animal and in fact sometimes costs more because they are considered 'exotic' pets.

If you decide not to go to the vet, I suggest you start by simply treating for mites.  You can get 8-in-1 flea and tick spray at the pet store:  I recommend the one for BIRDS because it is not as strong as the rodent one and some mice have very sensitive skin.  Follow the directions carefully and do avoid the eyes, even though that is where the problem is.  Shake well (very very important), spray all mice in the cage, keep them warm until you are sure they are dry, and put them back in a cage which has also been very thoroughly cleaned.  Plastic and cloth toys should be washed in hot water and cardboard or paper should be thrown away.  If you see any improvement in three days, repeat the entire procedure ten days after the first time.  This should do the trick. If it helps a lot but the problem returns or isn't quite gone, then I would try the more potent RODENT 8-in-1 spray.  If the first treatment doesn't help at all, which I think it will, don't repeat.  That will mean she has a different skin condition such as mange, which a vet can tell you how to treat.  

I wish the little girl luck!

squeaks,
Natasha