Please help my poor girl to stop itching
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MouseMom
Francesb
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Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by Francesb Sat 11 Jun 2022, 1:08 pm
Good evening,
I'm.wondering if anyone can help.
3 months ago I got 3 mice from the rspca. I was told 2 were babies around 5 months and one mum of a year. I wasn't told which was which. They were at the rspca because a breeder had let breeding get out of control and ended up with hundreds.
The mice seemed perfectly healthy when I took them. I got them a wooden cage and wooden toys and tunnels, their cage is kept very clean and they are fed a variety of fresh foods along with their regular food. (Only things I've researched are safe for mice).
About a month ago 2 of the mice suddenly started to look very scruffy and itchy. It was literally over night. I took them to the vets and they thought it may be mites. They were given mite treatment. One mouse began to deteriorate very fast,stopped eating, lost lots of weight and died all within a couple of weeks. During that time she had 2 doses of the mite treatment and antibiotics given by the vert, as well as eye cream for an infectionted looking eye (the first day I got her I noticed it looked like she was crying blood from one eye). All mice were treated the same but one little lady did not survive. Although it looked to be going the same way for Leah, she started eating better and has gradually got better. However the itching has not stopped and she itches constantly. She is covered in a huge red bald patch and it's just getting worse and worse. Sophie the other mouse looks fine apart from a couple of small red spots on her back. I have seen 3 different vets,spent hundreds of pounds and changed there food two weeks ago to pet shop recommended allergy prevention nuggets. Yet nothing has helped. Does anyone know what this is.i hate that she is suffering. She doesn't even play anymore,she spends all her time itching herself,it must be so uncomfortable. I've attached a picture of her. thank you in advance
I'm.wondering if anyone can help.
3 months ago I got 3 mice from the rspca. I was told 2 were babies around 5 months and one mum of a year. I wasn't told which was which. They were at the rspca because a breeder had let breeding get out of control and ended up with hundreds.
The mice seemed perfectly healthy when I took them. I got them a wooden cage and wooden toys and tunnels, their cage is kept very clean and they are fed a variety of fresh foods along with their regular food. (Only things I've researched are safe for mice).
About a month ago 2 of the mice suddenly started to look very scruffy and itchy. It was literally over night. I took them to the vets and they thought it may be mites. They were given mite treatment. One mouse began to deteriorate very fast,stopped eating, lost lots of weight and died all within a couple of weeks. During that time she had 2 doses of the mite treatment and antibiotics given by the vert, as well as eye cream for an infectionted looking eye (the first day I got her I noticed it looked like she was crying blood from one eye). All mice were treated the same but one little lady did not survive. Although it looked to be going the same way for Leah, she started eating better and has gradually got better. However the itching has not stopped and she itches constantly. She is covered in a huge red bald patch and it's just getting worse and worse. Sophie the other mouse looks fine apart from a couple of small red spots on her back. I have seen 3 different vets,spent hundreds of pounds and changed there food two weeks ago to pet shop recommended allergy prevention nuggets. Yet nothing has helped. Does anyone know what this is.i hate that she is suffering. She doesn't even play anymore,she spends all her time itching herself,it must be so uncomfortable. I've attached a picture of her. thank you in advance
Francesb- New Member
- Join date : 2022-06-11
Posts : 1
Re: Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by MouseMom Sun 12 Jun 2022, 11:34 am
I had a very similar itchy mouse situation and was administering meds (oral and cream) until she had scratched holes into her entire body. What I discovered after she died were microscopic bugs in the cloth we had between the cage bottom & the wooden stand it was on. It may have come from the wood. It may have come from the fluff. If you freeze the wood toys, fluff, etc for a good 24 hours- it will kill any bugs. However, the itching may have already consumed her mind. Best of luck my friend.
MouseMom- New Member
- Join date : 2018-10-18
Posts : 6
Re: Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Sun 12 Jun 2022, 12:45 pm
Make sure to search this site (using terms like "itch", "itchy", "itching", "scratching") to locate previous discussions regarding this topic, and read through them. Contributors have already posted a lot of information, some of which you may find helpful.
Did your mouse doctor do an actual scrape or tape test for the presence of mites (or other skin parasites), or was it just an educated guess that they were there? Do you know if the treatment was for demodex mites, sarcoptic (scabies) mites, or both? Has there been any palliative care in conjunction with the anti-mite and anti-bacterial medication -- meaning something to abate any pain, calm the itching, and/or salve the wounds?
Although the wounds themselves can be the source of troublesome sensations that cause Leah to scratch at them constantly, keep in mind that she may be falling into a self-reinforcing cycle of scratching for the sake of scratching. Breaking that bad habit is very difficult and requires a lot of attention to accomplish. Again, read through previous discussions on this site.
You may wish to keep Leah in a "hospital tank" set-up for a while, with frequent cleaning and frequent replacement of the paper towel lining, to minimize the chance that she's being re-infested from her cage, bedding, and toys. The difficulty with that, though, is that you have to make sure she is getting enough CLEAN enrichment in her temporary surroundings so she doesn't resort to scratching out of boredom.
Please be sure to let us know if you have further questions, and to let us know how Leah is doing.
Did your mouse doctor do an actual scrape or tape test for the presence of mites (or other skin parasites), or was it just an educated guess that they were there? Do you know if the treatment was for demodex mites, sarcoptic (scabies) mites, or both? Has there been any palliative care in conjunction with the anti-mite and anti-bacterial medication -- meaning something to abate any pain, calm the itching, and/or salve the wounds?
Although the wounds themselves can be the source of troublesome sensations that cause Leah to scratch at them constantly, keep in mind that she may be falling into a self-reinforcing cycle of scratching for the sake of scratching. Breaking that bad habit is very difficult and requires a lot of attention to accomplish. Again, read through previous discussions on this site.
You may wish to keep Leah in a "hospital tank" set-up for a while, with frequent cleaning and frequent replacement of the paper towel lining, to minimize the chance that she's being re-infested from her cage, bedding, and toys. The difficulty with that, though, is that you have to make sure she is getting enough CLEAN enrichment in her temporary surroundings so she doesn't resort to scratching out of boredom.
Please be sure to let us know if you have further questions, and to let us know how Leah is doing.
_________________
Zephyr Coco Bobby Noche Paiva April I loved you so / I still do / I always will / 'Twas Heaven here with you.
MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop- Sr Member
- Join date : 2017-10-18
Posts : 380
pipi likes this post
Re: Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by ShiruSenpai Mon 13 Jun 2022, 1:42 am
Hi there, I've had this sort of thing happen several times. Each time has been different and has had different symptoms one of which was yellow flaky skin. There are many reasons for a mouse to itch. My suggestions are the same for any reason.
First of all you will want to move your babies into a quarantine cage, tank or tub. This should have a plastic or glass base. Personal I prefer thick plastic as it's not as cold on their feet. Your quarantine area should not have any shavings or fluff for bedding as mites or bugs may breed in it. Instead I highly recommend shredded toilet paper. I've been using shedding toilet paper for years and my mice love it. Make sure that there is absolutely no wood in their quarantine area and that it is kept clean.
There are several ways to bath your mouse. The method mice enjoy most is a sand bath. These are great fun for mice and they help prevent fungus and exfoliate their foots and skin. This is also helpful for filing down their nails although that only happens after a long period of use. Make sure that you remove the sand after about an hour of use because bugs can breed in the sand.
I live in South Africa and here we have a secret way of bathing rodents. This method works amazingly well,I have stopped itching countless times with it. Sadly, mice do not like it but it's amazing for treating scratch wounds, hot spots, fungal infections, dry skin and even mites and bugs. I highly recommend rooibos tea baths. There are a few ways to apply the tea but first let's discuss making the tea and the alternatives you can use. Chamomile is a lot more common than rooibos and it's a great alternative but sadly it doesn't have all the properties that rooibos does and to my knowledge, cannot prevent mites. Do not use any tea with caffeine in it or teas that contain peppermint or ginger. I strongly recommend only using rooibos if you can get it. I know that South Africa does export it to the UK so perhaps you can find it in a chemist or a tea shop.
Before you apply the tea, make sure that the tea is room temperature. You can even place your hand in the tea to warm it up. Of course, make sure your hand is clean.
You can dab the tea on them while holding them or while they're in their quarantine though the will want to run away.Mice hate getting wet, it freaks them out. On that note you can also sit them in a very very shallow bowl of tea but they will hate you for a while afterwards. This should be considered for itches that are near uncontrollable such as your case. If you do this, the tea must only be up to their ankles. You can drip tea on their backs or rub the tea on them. Once they have had their bath, let them sit on a clean towel and and groom themselves. Rooibos tea is good for their little tummies too so it's fine for them to drink it and they likely will while grooming themselves.
There is another method but please discuss this with your vet first. I have heard of teatree oil being used in extreme cases. Personally I would avoid this at all costs. Teatree oil is extremely strong and has made me feel ill in the past but it can destroy bacteria and mites. I urge you not to use this unless you speak to your vet and he or she gives you instructions on how to use it.
Lastly I'd like to mention a pretty silly invention that saved my mousies' lives.
It gets very hot where I live and sometimes that heat can be deadly. Heat causes mice to scratch and it can grow fungus and bacteria so the question of "How do I keep my mouse cool" comes up.
Pebbles.
Yes, mice adore pebbles. I have a pebbles box. It's just a margarine tub filled with sterilized pebbles. You can boil up your pebbles to make sure they're clean or you can buy some from a shop. They help keep your mouse clean, file down their nails and best of all, you can hide sunflower seeds as treats for them in there. My mice adore their pebbles. Just note that they can get prettt loud with them. These pebbles must be small. No large than 5x5x3 cms large as your mouse will not be able to move them and can get hurt while playing with them. Stick to 1cm pebbles if possible.
Diet is a tricky and often touchy subject. Depending on your mouse, any food can cause itching and even respiratory issues.
I will always say that corn is a nono but others will probably disagree with me. I know, for my mice at least, corn has caused itching, flakey skin and runny eyes. I recommend avoiding corn.
Millet is one of my mice's favourite but if the mouse isn't having enough healthy oil, these can cause itching too, not to mention obesity.
I swear by several foods. Carrots in moderation, flax seeds,sesame seeds, oats, cucumber and my personal favourite, purslane.
Common purslane, considered a weed, is probably the healthiest plant you can feed a mouse. It contains so many vitamins that it makes multivitamins look dumb. This little plant can even slow down cancerous tumours.
I would recommend googling purslane. They're usually quite common. You may even find that you have some in your garden growing as a weed.
I hope this helps. Please keep us informed!
First of all you will want to move your babies into a quarantine cage, tank or tub. This should have a plastic or glass base. Personal I prefer thick plastic as it's not as cold on their feet. Your quarantine area should not have any shavings or fluff for bedding as mites or bugs may breed in it. Instead I highly recommend shredded toilet paper. I've been using shedding toilet paper for years and my mice love it. Make sure that there is absolutely no wood in their quarantine area and that it is kept clean.
There are several ways to bath your mouse. The method mice enjoy most is a sand bath. These are great fun for mice and they help prevent fungus and exfoliate their foots and skin. This is also helpful for filing down their nails although that only happens after a long period of use. Make sure that you remove the sand after about an hour of use because bugs can breed in the sand.
I live in South Africa and here we have a secret way of bathing rodents. This method works amazingly well,I have stopped itching countless times with it. Sadly, mice do not like it but it's amazing for treating scratch wounds, hot spots, fungal infections, dry skin and even mites and bugs. I highly recommend rooibos tea baths. There are a few ways to apply the tea but first let's discuss making the tea and the alternatives you can use. Chamomile is a lot more common than rooibos and it's a great alternative but sadly it doesn't have all the properties that rooibos does and to my knowledge, cannot prevent mites. Do not use any tea with caffeine in it or teas that contain peppermint or ginger. I strongly recommend only using rooibos if you can get it. I know that South Africa does export it to the UK so perhaps you can find it in a chemist or a tea shop.
Before you apply the tea, make sure that the tea is room temperature. You can even place your hand in the tea to warm it up. Of course, make sure your hand is clean.
You can dab the tea on them while holding them or while they're in their quarantine though the will want to run away.Mice hate getting wet, it freaks them out. On that note you can also sit them in a very very shallow bowl of tea but they will hate you for a while afterwards. This should be considered for itches that are near uncontrollable such as your case. If you do this, the tea must only be up to their ankles. You can drip tea on their backs or rub the tea on them. Once they have had their bath, let them sit on a clean towel and and groom themselves. Rooibos tea is good for their little tummies too so it's fine for them to drink it and they likely will while grooming themselves.
There is another method but please discuss this with your vet first. I have heard of teatree oil being used in extreme cases. Personally I would avoid this at all costs. Teatree oil is extremely strong and has made me feel ill in the past but it can destroy bacteria and mites. I urge you not to use this unless you speak to your vet and he or she gives you instructions on how to use it.
Lastly I'd like to mention a pretty silly invention that saved my mousies' lives.
It gets very hot where I live and sometimes that heat can be deadly. Heat causes mice to scratch and it can grow fungus and bacteria so the question of "How do I keep my mouse cool" comes up.
Pebbles.
Yes, mice adore pebbles. I have a pebbles box. It's just a margarine tub filled with sterilized pebbles. You can boil up your pebbles to make sure they're clean or you can buy some from a shop. They help keep your mouse clean, file down their nails and best of all, you can hide sunflower seeds as treats for them in there. My mice adore their pebbles. Just note that they can get prettt loud with them. These pebbles must be small. No large than 5x5x3 cms large as your mouse will not be able to move them and can get hurt while playing with them. Stick to 1cm pebbles if possible.
Diet is a tricky and often touchy subject. Depending on your mouse, any food can cause itching and even respiratory issues.
I will always say that corn is a nono but others will probably disagree with me. I know, for my mice at least, corn has caused itching, flakey skin and runny eyes. I recommend avoiding corn.
Millet is one of my mice's favourite but if the mouse isn't having enough healthy oil, these can cause itching too, not to mention obesity.
I swear by several foods. Carrots in moderation, flax seeds,sesame seeds, oats, cucumber and my personal favourite, purslane.
Common purslane, considered a weed, is probably the healthiest plant you can feed a mouse. It contains so many vitamins that it makes multivitamins look dumb. This little plant can even slow down cancerous tumours.
I would recommend googling purslane. They're usually quite common. You may even find that you have some in your garden growing as a weed.
I hope this helps. Please keep us informed!
ShiruSenpai- New Member
- Join date : 2021-02-17
Posts : 7
pipi likes this post
Re: Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by pipi Mon 13 Jun 2022, 4:36 am
For us the only thing that saved our little mouse from scratching herself to death was regularly trimming her nails. It's a very tricky process but it worked! After crazy expensive visits to doctors that prescribed antibiotic creams that gave our mouse diarrhoea and after keeping her in quarantine which just made her even more stressed as she was kept away from her friends we found an article online about lab mice... you have to be super super careful to only trim the tiniest bit at the end of the nail and you need two people for this - one to hold the mouse, one to trim the nails. We used sterilized sharp nail clippers and instead of scuffing her we made a little paper tube with a pointed end that we tricked her to go inside that held her head and front paws in place but the back feet stayed outside of the tube. you need to be firm but gentle to not to hurt her when you are holding the tiny feet. you only need to trim the nails on the back paws as that's what they use for scratching.
here's a link to what the tube looked like:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144871
here's a link to what the tube looked like:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144871
pipi- New Member
- Join date : 2017-08-11
Posts : 3
Re: Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by pipi Mon 13 Jun 2022, 4:40 am
Trimming the toenails of the mouse is currently the most efficacious treatment for this condition, although it is not 100% curative.
https://az.research.umich.edu/animalcare/guidelines/guidelines-treatment-ulcerative-dermatitis
https://az.research.umich.edu/animalcare/guidelines/guidelines-treatment-ulcerative-dermatitis
pipi- New Member
- Join date : 2017-08-11
Posts : 3
Re: Please help my poor girl to stop itching
by jf1mc2 Fri 02 Dec 2022, 2:59 pm
Hello, I'm new here, hello. Would like to know how soon can you tell whether the rooibos tea solution has helped? Straight away or? Also do I need to repeat it and if so how often.
Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot
jf1mc2- New Member
- Join date : 2021-09-22
Posts : 1
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