File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Dear /an/,

My pet mouse is sick. She started scratching the area around her ears till they were bloody a few weeks ago, but I started putting antibiotic ointment on her ears, and saw sign of improvement.

But now she has lost hair not only on her ears, but her nose and back. She is walking very hunched over, and is not very active. She appears to be having trouble moving around. She is eating, and is about the size a mouse should be. She also has a spot on one of her eyes like something is in it. I don't know if she can see out of it...

She is very touchy. She is always curled up next to the other mouse or me if she is out of the cage.

The other mouse in the cage is not sick at all so I don't believe it to be contagious.

Any Ideas what this could be or how to make her feel better. I cannot take her to a vet because I don't have the money to at this time. But i do want to have a healthy mouse again.

Any help would be wonderful.
>> shitstorm
Tip: Don't get pets unless you are financially secure.

Having said that, your best bet is google.
>> Mice Breeders! Anonymous
My first thought with the ear scratching would be that she had mites which can come from food/bedding that's not sterilized first.

Ivermectin is an OTC medicine you can obtain to treat mites, it's made for cattle but you can dose it right. Check this site out:
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/hair-loss.cfm#Mites

You could also try some hydrocortisone cream for her ears with vitamin D in it to try to stop her from itching. I have a mouse with OCD itching long after the mites were gone, it helps to keep them occupied.

With the fur falling out it might also be mites or possibly a bedding allergy? What are you using? I'd suggest taking her off of whatever and putting her just paper for now to see if the fur loss stops. Also, fur loss in patches could be caused by "barbering" of other mice caused by overgrooming by cagemates.

As far as the hunched back goes... THAT IS BAD! She should definitely see a vet due to that, its often a sign of respiratory illness and a VERY sick mouse in general. A vet visit usually runs only $40 bucks + some medicine. The vet could give you an ointment for her eye I'm sure, as well as some baytril/amoxicillin/etc for any internal infections.

Anyhow, all said and done, I'd get her to a vet, and check out all the information on www.thefunmouse.com

Good luck!
>> Anonymous
did it die yet