# Squinty Buck



## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

Augustus is squinting way more than usual, I'm a bit concerned. He's also being pretty bitey tonight. Coat is just as shiny as normal (healthy shiny, not sick shiny), he's active, sniffing and exploring like crazy. Sniffing the air a bit more than normal, too. He's been thumping his tail as well, something he frequently does when he smells something he doesn't like.
I treated them all with 8-in-1 Bird mite spray last night, which has a concentration of .03 pymethrin.

This is going to sound weird, but I just raked a ton of leaves. Maybe he doesn't like how my hands smell. (I washed them but they still smell leafy to me.)

Otherwise, do you think I should worry about him?

I'm inclined to think not, but the paranoid mouse mommy in me wants to be sure. I'll of course keep a close eye on him, I always do.


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

Oh. I feel dumb. I'm only seeing him squint when he's near my hair. He probably knows it will poke him in the eye.

And I'm guessing his biting and thumping if because of the smell on my hands, he must really not like it!


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

I have noticed most of my mice will squint when they sniff me, as if they think i smell bad (dont think they can realy complain with there smell lol)
also does he have mites? (saw in your other post your 'doing battle with mites right now')
When my guys caught mites i noticed them sitting around squinting, they were also not there normal happy selves.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

Squinting is a sign is distrust or nervousness. I doubt he is sick!


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

Yup. He's a newer addition, had it from the store, the does had the nasties pop up as well a little before I got him, but I thought she had been bitten by a cagemate- her other ear is bloody now though so that wasn't the case. Only one doe showed symptoms. Augustus didn't, but I wasn't going to wait and find out he did, then have him get OCD. When I treated him the mites appeared, today he had a bunch on the edges of his fur. Pymethrin "freezes" parasites, so they weren't able to move. They'd been trying to escape the poison but appear to have failed.

I'm going to treat twice a week for 6 weeks or so, I think.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Leave him be for a couple of days;jgive him a chance to get used to his new home and then try to make friends with him gradually.


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## MoonfallTheFox (Nov 12, 2011)

Oh, I've had this one for 3 or so weeks.  He's just kind of a strong willed buck. But he is comfortable with me.

I washed my hands a couple more times and he quit the funny behavior. It's not normal for him to act that way, he's usually a very sweet boy unless I put my hand in his nest. Then he bites, but I think he feels intruded upon. I can pick him up from anywhere else in the cage, no problem.

I really think he just didn't like that smell, since it was so sudden for him to be biting outside the nest.

We watched a movie, and he was fine, just chillin on my knee. (for part of it, then returned to his cage, etc. Don't want to dehydrate him.) No squinting or biting.


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