treating skin wounds and itchy skin

Question
We have a black female mouse named Chocolate who has always been quite healthy with a nice shiny coat. Within the last two weeks, she's started scratching the fur away around her ears and the sides of her neck.  I cleaned her cage with bleach/water and put fresh bedding. I have not changed the type of bedding or food since we got her about a year ago.

I broke open a capsule of vitamin E oil and spread it on her wounds. They are mostly behind ears but also some on top of back. It's been two days and she's still scratching but I think her skin looks a little less angry. She had bright red bloody spots but now they seem darker and drier.

I can't afford a vet check right now. I am wanting to dilute some tea tree oil and put it on her. I want to make sure it won't burn if I put it where the skin is broken. I was also thinking of mixing the tea tree with the Vitamin A oil. I want to make sure I don't cause the mouse any pain but I want to stop the itch.

I would be grateful for any suggestions you may have.

Answer
Dear Jenny,

My heart goes out to you and your mouse.  I had a similar experience not that long ago and I learned a bit of a lesson from it-- don't always trust your pet store employees' advice!  My mouse Ultra went through some pain that we will avoid with your Chocolate.

You are right to guess that the Tea Tree oil might hurt her.  It will.  In fact, it might even hurt skin  that is not broken because mice have such tender skin.  Vitamin E is a good idea for the skin.  I rubbed it all over Ultra's skin every other day when she was healing.

The problem is why she was scratching in the first place.  Treating the wounds is treating the symptoms (crucial); without treating the cause it will probably happen again.  If you didn't change the litter I doubt it is an allergy to that.  Have you changed anything else, new food, cage cleaner or deodorizer, air freshener?  Did you move the cage?  There are many things Chocolate could be allergic to.

If none of that makes sense then and she is still itching and scratching, she probably has mites.  There are several reasons why a mouse might itch and lose fur-- mange, ringworm or other fungus-- but mites are the most common and easiest to treat.  If going to the vet is an option, a vet could test to see what the problem is, but I completely understand if you can't.  Mice are a low-budget pet!

There are mite sprays for mice.  The one I have used is called 8-in-one flea and tick spray.  I don't know why they don't call it mite spray too!  Anyway I recommend getting the kind meant for birds because it has half the concentration of the chemical in it so it is more gentle.  The way to put it on is to spray the mouse till she is wet, rub it in, and hold/watch her until she dries.  However, it will definitely hurt her wounds.  If you can spray it instead onto a small plate or dish, use a Q-tip or a finger to put it NEAR the wounds but not on/in them.  Treat whatever parts of the mouse you can.  If she has cagemates, treat them thoroughly.  It's possible that the spray will hurt her skin a little anyway, so be gentle if she squeaks a bit at the touch in the following few hours.  With this dose it probably won't happen.

This should be done when you clean the cage so she goes back into a mite-free environment.  Throw away anything paper or cardboard and wash anything plastic or metal in hot water and/or bleach.  The cage itself will need a scrub too.  Just make sure you aren't putting her back in a chemical-smelling cage.  Go real easy on the bleach and don't use any other powerful cleansers.  Baking soda is good, as is dishwashing liquid.  Mice are very sensitive to chemicals.  Chocolate should be doing noticeably better within a few days.  If not, skip the next paragraph.

In a week or ten days do the same thing.  This kills the mites that were unhatched eggs the first time you treated the mouse.  This should get rid of the mites.  If it makes a noticeable difference but doesn't completely solve the problem, you can try the stronger version of the spray actually meant for rodents.

If it doesn't  help, Chocolate might have a fungal infection.  Neosporin or athlete's foot powder (mix the powder in a little vitamin E oil) are the only two home remedies I can suggest.  Unfortunately if this doesn't help, the mouse needs the attention of a vet.  

I had a very, very favorite mouse named Chocolate when I was a little kid (age 7-9).  It's a name a mouse can be proud of!  

squeaks,

Natasha