mouse mites or worse

Question
Dear Panya,

I was in the wrong section and asked this of a hamster expert, but I'm glad i
found a mouse expert now.  

My mouse Ultra (as in, she used to be ultra-fluffy, snif), a long-hair, began
losing a little bit of fur about ten days ago.  I noticed one small bare spot one
day and another one the next.  A couple of days later it was getting quite
pronounced as large patches of scaly skin.  My mouse 'dealer' i.e., breeder
said mites.  I ordered stuff right away (last Monday) but it got worse fast
and I realized she can't wait for the mail.  So Thursday I asked for mite
mousse (mouse mite mousse for a mite of a mouse hehe) at a Petco and the
employee said they didn't have any, but the best thing anyway was Listerine.  
So I bathed her with a cotton ball in Listerine and she HATED it.  My mother
suggested afterwards that the alcohol in it may have hurt her tender skin.  I
hate myself if I put her through such pain!  No wonder she is skitty and
unhappy now.  I also made the mistake of leaving her to recuperate for two
days, though she usually spends anywhere from 1-5 hours a day with or on
me.  I think she was devasted.  

Two days after the Listerine, she seemed to have a little more energy in the
nest while washing herself.  She does not like to come out of the nest much
at all these days but luckily I have a deal with the mice (hehe) such that they
leave me a window to see in through the plastic-- so I am able to observe
her.

However, her skin remains very flaky and her fur falls off attached to dead
scales of skin.   Her whole back is bare now, and her ankles, and around her
eyes and starting to go on her belly by her genitals.  She stays in the nest
almost all of the time (depressed?  Exhausted?) and possibly, like a previous
hamster mite question, drinks extra water, considering when I just had her
out for three hours she peed on me six times (normal 0-2) but then again I
took her out of the nest, and since she doesn't get out much she probably
had to go like anyone.  She drank a ton when I put her back, also
unsurprisingly.

The mite mousse will probably come in tomorrow.

What do you think?  The other long-time mouse companion (they are about 9
months old), a satin, is losing no fur , though she might be scratching a lot.  
There are three newbies too, which may not have been the best idea, since
they will all have to be doused I suppose.  Is it possible it's not mites?  I think
any mites probably did get killed by the Listerine, but is it ok that she's
continuing to lose fur?  The skin is very flaky.  Could the Listerine have
worsened the skin problem?  Do you think it hurt her?  And will she grow new
fur?

This is a mouse absolutely not to lose.  She will actually lie down and wait for
me to massage her or scritch that pleasure spot by her ear.  She loves
constant hand attention, as much massage as possible, and when the
contented-mouse whisker-washing feeling overcomes her, she tries to hold
her paws still so as not to stop things but she compulsively licks me!  She
also falls asleep on me, which is unusual, but sometimes as she does so she
wakes herself up because she is doing that happy-mouse teeth-clacking
thing so loud and hard, and can't fall asleep!  In short, this is the sweetest
mouse in the world.  And was so very very ultra-fluffy!  Off-white, with a few
darker patches that made it look like she'd been working under the car...

Hope you can help..

peace & love,

Natasha


Answer
Please don't beat yourself up over your mistakes. We ALL make them, I wouldn't be an expert if I hadn't.

I really don't think it's mites unless you have used hay or straw recently (sometimes they carry parasites). It sounds like mange but if it was your other mice you have the same problems. Old age would be a popular culprit but 9 months is old enough to have hair loss.

It sounds like a similar problem I had with a mouse a few years ago. I bought her from a pet store because I felt sorry for her. She was runty and frail and had thinning hair. A few days later her she hardly had any hair (although it was thinning rather than coming out in clumps) and I noticed her skin was flaky and she had red scabs all over her body. I was confused as she hadn't been bullied and the other mice didn't have this problem. The pet store was clueless and I thought it may be mange. There isn't a lot out there medically, for mice so I asked the vet and he suggested athletes foot remedy. I sprinkled it on all the mice and in the cage and this helped but not completely. I combined it with Oil or Primrose (you can buy it in capsules) and covered the mice in it. They absolutely loved liking it off each other which was therapeutic and it encouraged blood flow to the skin (Oil of Primrose is known for being great for skin problems.)

I would really recommend trying both the athletes foot remedy and the oil of primrose if the mouse mite mousse doesn't work. I haven't heard of the mouse mite mouse but if it doesn't work then at least you'll know she doesn't have mites.

It is good she is drinking lots of water, it will help flush out any toxins in her body. Mice usually know instinctively what to do regarding health problems like dogs and cats will eat grass to make themselves sick.

I have no idea why someone would suggest Listerine (especially someone who works in a pet store). I am shocked an appalled they would tell you that and should be fired. Only animal products specifically stating they are safe to use on small animals should be used on mice (unless otherwise directed by a vet). It is not your fault, I have trusted pet store employees without knowing any better with my fish (separate story) and some have died needlessly (I now know better).

It's not good she's still loosing fur, it means that whatever problem she has hasn't disappeared. I think her fur will grow back but it may not be as thick and it'll probably be a slightly different color.

I know exactly what you mean by the pleasure spot by the ear. I have mice who will go completely relaxed for hours whilst I'm massaging the spot. Anything that makes her feel good will help her recuperation. This includes treats such as nuts, seeds, crackers, fromage frais, fresh fruit and veg or any of her favorites.

I hope she gets better soon, please feel free to ask any more questions.