My mouses eyes

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I think something is wrong with my mouse.  I have read your past answers and you seem to know a good bit.  My mouse was a runt at birth and I would pull him aside every day when he was born and I would give him food and water.  He is now pretty healthy except, his eyes seem to be swollen around and sometimes seem to be scabbing.  His ears also have some scabs on them.  I feed him and give him fresh water every day and change his bedding around every other day.  I cannot take him to the vets.  His eyes seem to be getting better and then they get bad again.  I put eye drops in his eyes.  Is there anything I could do to keep his eyes cleared up for good, they do not appear to be runny.  Thanks, hope you can help!

ANSWER:  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 cage mates, 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 dish washing liquid.  Mice are very sensitive to chemicals.  she 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, she 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.  

Information about mice parasites:

Skin problems: scabs and scratches

This could be caused by a parasitical infestation or skin infection, or a food allergy. It is very difficult to diagnose parasitic infestation or skin infection - just looking at the mouse is not enough. Your vet should inspect the mouse, and will probably need to look at skin scrapings under a microscope. Parasites on animals this small are often not visible to the naked eye.

A common mouse parasite is the fur mite, often referred to just as 'mites', although there are other mites which can affect mice, including the mange mite.



A link that may help :
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/hair-loss.cfm

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi thanks so much for the answer, I will definately try this out.  I just want to get this cleared up too.  I had another male mouse in with him and I think he may have been picking on the mouse with all the problems.   I split them up and he seems to be getting better.  Should I just let him go a few days and see if it clears up or still just go ahead and do what you said?

Answer
I would go ahead and treat the sores but see if they still fight after everything is healed. Sometimes animals just don't like each other. It just like humans that don't get along. I have had this a lot with guinea pigs that have no reason to fight and will. If they do fight then you will have to keep them separate. However, do treat the wounds to prevent infection.

Thanks for asking!