# More problems



## CheezieSpaz (Jan 21, 2013)

Ugh I just can't seem to get a break. Checkers, my Blue Tan looks like she just started to grow something on her cheek/neck area and upon feeling it, its subtle but I can tell something's there. I did a hot towel treatment just in case there was a chance I could try to get the swelling down. I also found Cheezie, my year old PEW walking around with a bloody back paw and scabbed ear. Chex, my Black Tan seems perfectly healthy though.

I tried calling the vet but they're closed on Sundays and I left a message about what was going on. so I'll be calling them first thing tomorrow morning to try to get an appointment that same day if possible or if they can direct me to another vet near by. As long as I can get to a vet soon for Checkers I don't think she'll face the same fate as Cheesecake, as I caught it just as it started to appear, that and She's twice Cheesecake's size weighing in at about 73 grams. This time I'm gonna see if I can get all three of my mice in to get checked on but now raises my main question aimed towards Cheezie's health:

What can I do about her scratching? She doesn't scratch at all when I'm handling her but as soon as I put her back in the cage, she scratches her ear bloody again within 10 minutes of being in there. I'm doing my best to clean it all up and wipe away the blood with a damp paper towel until it stops bleeding but I'm afraid of her bleeding too much before I can get her medical help. Anything I can do to maybe soothe her itching or lessen her scratching or even something I can do for her wound in the mean time?


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Sounds like you have a parasite infestation of some kind, spider mites seem to me to be the obvious culprit, which I have found leaves a bite wound that is irritable in rodents.

Sudocrem antiseptic healing cream available in the UK is used as a barrier cream in new born babies, helps prevent and treatment of nappy rash which also takes the itch out of cuts and scrathes, if you can find something similar where you live it is well worth having in the first aid box. Application dabbed onto affected area with a cotton bud.

A couple of animal creams being Vetzyme antiseptic cream and Liverine unction bot are good although I have found Sudocrem works so much quicker.

irradiication of spider mites is not the same as the usual mites that affect our pets but is more common with pidgeons and chickens. The spider mite is nocturnal and will hide in cracks and crevices during daylight hours, so a specific powder will need to be used around cracks and crevices within the mouse room. a wide band of petroleum jelly may also help preventing the spider mite from entering the cage is spread around the base of the cage to a width of 2-3 inches.

To prevent the scratching see Sudocrem or alternative any eczema cream may help although something more for babies would probably be more suitable.


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## CheezieSpaz (Jan 21, 2013)

Spider Mites would make sense. We've been having a spider mite problem in our shrubs and the dogs may be bringing them into the house when they go to the bathroom outside. The mice's cage is in the livingroom where the dogs also spend most of their time so that would explain a lot. I was able to get her to stop bleeding for the most part while tending to it for 2 hours but I'll definitely bring up the possible mite problem to the vet when I get the three of them in, as Checkers is also itching a little more than I'm comfortable with.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

The scratching is probably due to irritation or new hair growth or the healing process of the bite, scabbing over of the wound.

The three creams I mention I have personally used with success on all rodents. The vetzyme on larger wounds seems to do best for new hair growth if the hair follicles have not been damaged. Although is a nice green coloured cream.


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## CheezieSpaz (Jan 21, 2013)

I've been tending to cheezie's wound the best I could without access to the creams and after a few sessions of cleaning out the blood she seems to have stopped bleeding and seems a lot less irritated. I'm hanging out with a bunch of friends and took her with me in a carrier so I could keep an eye on her and she seems to be doing much better for now. The wounds are coming from the inside of her ear and earlier any tiny scratch she made would cause it to bleed again. It hasn't bled in the past three or four hours so I'm happy to see that problem subside. Ill still keep the creams in mind to get after my vet visit hopefully tomorrow. Ill keep tabs on how they're all doing.


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## CheezieSpaz (Jan 21, 2013)

Update:

This morning Cheezie's ear miraculously healed like pretty much every other problem she's ever had. She really lives up to her name as Miracle mouse.

In other news, I took Checkers in to a small mammal and exotic clinic and got her checked out. The Vet said that because of the position of the lump being on her neck/cheek area that it is most likely an abscess. If I do have spider mites like mentioned earlier, then a spider mite bite might be the cause of it. Other news is that the vet said she could feel something in her tummy and it's not a growth, it's babies! She said she could distinguish a head and a body in there and prescribed me some antibiotics that won't harm the little ones. Since they're big enough for the vet to distinguish that much of the body so easily I could be expecting them very very soon. I'm only anticipating about 1 or 2 pups from her since in her breeding history she's only had 2 and it took her forever to conceive. In the mean time while I'm feeding her the antibiotics twice a day, I'm also going to do warm towel treatments since they couldn't give her antiflamitory meds while preggo. After she has the little ones we'll be able to be more aggressive on the growth if need be by then. I also got some supplements they recommended to boost all of their immune systems. Fingers crossed for a full recovery!

Right now I'm waiting for a high-rise addition for their aquarium as well as new toys and accessories for them to come in the mail within the next few days and once I get that the mice will be moved up to my room and away from the dogs who could be possibly be tracking in the mites in the first place.


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