# Acting very strange + chronic itching maybe?



## CharMoCi (Sep 21, 2013)

Hello! I've come here to see if anyone knows what is wrong with my mouse and if there is anyway I can help her with it. I've done some searching already but results are inconsistent and whatever is wrong with her doesn't exactly follow all the symptoms I have seen listed.

I have a female mouse that is about seven months old, named Louise. She was with another female her same age named Irene. Over the summer I had to travel and left them in the care of someone I thought I could trust, but apparently I was wrong. Upon returning, they informed me that Irene had died and they weren't sure how- they just found her that way and disposed of her. This happened about a month and a half ago. Among other problems with their care I was quick to fix, Louise seemed alright for a while, but over time since I have returned I have noticed her behavior has changed and seems to be getting progressively worse.

She appears to have chronic itching right now- there is a bald patch on the back of her neck and her left ear is constantly bloody because she scratches at it all the time. But it's her behavior that's worrying me more. Her breathing is very... broken. Or heavy, in a sense. Sort of like panting; not your usual light, quick breathing. Louise has also made a habit of sleeping on the edge of high objects- like the edge of the shelf in her cage, which I had never observed her to do before (or any mouse, so I'm curious to see if other peoples mice do this and it isn't that unusual?). When she does this, she frequently slides off the edge and falls while she's sleeping.

She is still active, and she still eats and drinks and does her usual activities, but all of these other behaviors I had never seen up to before I traveled. I don't see her run in her wheel quite as often anymore, either.

I don't know what happened with her and Irene and their temporary caretaker (who will never be asked to look after my mice ever again), and there's nothing I can do to go back before it did, but I was wondering if anyone knew what might be causing these behaviors and if there was anything I should be concerned about, looking out for, or can be doing to help her.

Thank you in advance to anyone who puts their two cents in! I really appreciate it.

-Char


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## AnnB (Jan 14, 2011)

The sore patch caused by her scratching would benefit from being bathed with a saline solution (one teaspoon salt to one pint warm water) and when it's become less sore, it would be worth treating for mites. Sometimes this OCD scratching can't be completely cured but I've found that it's well worth making the mouse as comfortable as possible.

The laboured breathing may be the result of a respiratory infection or maybe even something like an internal tumour. Antibiotics may help. Try to use a bedding for her that isn't dusty.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

The behaviour of your mouse sleeping on a shelf is not uncommon in cases of mite infestation.

As AnnB has stated saline solution will help with the sores from secondary infection and treatment for external parasites would be beneficial at this time. If you can get hold of any a flee powder sprinkled on the base of the cage before the substrate is placed on would also help kill any parasites that may be crawling within it.

The breathing is something that would benefit from antibiotics, as an aid to helping the mouse breathe getting menthol crystals from local chemist and placing one crystal in a bowl of hot water and placing next to the cage and covering both bowl and cage with a towel for about an hour twice daily will help clear the airways.

Benefit of using the crystals is that once the water becomes cold the crystal can be re used many times and also helps humans with stuffed noses.

As a footnote the mouse should really be taken to a vet at the earliest opportunity so that appropriate antibiotics can be administered.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

i would treat for parasites as a just incase, OCD scratching can be brought on by stress, as your girl is now a single female this could have been the trigger if she was fine befor the other one died. Some times stressed mice can get so run down other things start to go wrong. Treating with antibiotics just incase wont do any harm either as it could be an ear infection causing the scratching.

If she has no other signs of a ri like sneezing and snuffeling id treat as above for a week or two them look to getting her a companion to see if it is stress induced from being alown.


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## CharMoCi (Sep 21, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to get to the store tomorrow to get some things and definitely try to treat for mites as well as get antibiotics for her. Unfortunately, where I live there is only a couple of vets and one is dog specific as far as I know. I'll try to see if I can get her to one soon.

PPVallhunds- I was thinking of getting her a companion when I first was told that the other had died, and I think I might just do that once the mite problem (if there is one) is under control. Just a pet store mouse might be okay- as long as she isn't alone. I'm always nervous introducing two mice together, though, as the last time I did it resulted in fighting. That was a long time ago, however, and I know more now than I did then.

Thank you!


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## andypandy29us (Aug 10, 2012)

My young buck started acting like that when his cage had ants get inside ... although Id cleared them all out and destroyed the ants nest to prevent it happening again and had treated him for infection he just kept scratching .... he had no infections just a strange compulsion to itch ... He had to be pts as he kept infecting his scratches ..... it was very sad


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