# constant scratching, not sure what to try next, and ideas?



## mbhAK (Mar 3, 2011)

We have a male mouse who is a year and a half old. About 6 months ago we treated him for mites with Revolution. He recovered immediately, looked great.

But now he is scratching and ripping his face and neck open. I think it began with puffy and swollen eyes. Then they looked infected. I began giving an antibiotic eye ointment. This seems to help, but only for a few days. Then things got worse. And I began to see little scabs and scratches on his neck and behind his ears. His eyes looked horrible. I broke down and took him to the vet. She said he had an eye ulcer and prescribed a steroid eye ointment. We also gave him another dose of Revolution, thinking maybe the mites were back.

It's been about 2 weeks and he continues to shred his little face and behind his ears. He was previously on the lumpy paper product bedding. I moved him into a clean new tank with cotton cloth in the bottom... thinking to eliminate all dust. Plus he had been avoiding the paper product bedding. He was even sleeping in his food bowl. So maybe an allergy? Or a fungal infection?

He is the most wonderful little guy. I've read some similar stories on the forum. I'm worried we might have a vicious cycle on our hands.

Thanks very much for any help. He is our only mouse and we are very attached to the little fellow.

Maggie


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## mbhAK (Mar 3, 2011)

I am hopeful, he is looking better. I can't be sure, but the steroid eye ointment seemed to make him highly agitated. The scratching and thus the self-inflicted wounds got worse. I stopped the ointment after a week. He is still only on old cotton diapers for bedding. He doesn't seem to mind these. I roll a few up like tubes and he sleeps in the tunnel. I've taken his diet down to mouse pellets, barley and pumpkin seeds. This is a bit random, but I wanted to narrow it down and introduce foods one by one. His eye ulcer still looks bad, but not infected.

If anyone has knowledge of typical allergy triggers for mice, I'd love any advice. Food or bedding. I have timothy hay on hand. Would this be a bad idea to introduce? Thanks!


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Food and bedding allergies are pretty numerous. If he's on a cotton cloth instead of bedding, that shouldn't cause him any trouble. What all is in his mouse pellets? Corn is a pretty common mouse allergen, both in the sense that there are a good few mice allergic, and in the sense that a lot of "mouse food" is made with it.


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## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

Could also be a fungal skin problem rather than a mite/louse problem. I had little boy mice who had a similar thing. Try applying caneston to his scabby bits a couple of times a day. If you need something in the interim, savlon or pet friendly tea tree cream work to soothe the itchiness. To break the cycle you could try soothing with cream and distracting him with a ufo type wheel or some new clean toys.

I'll be back to see how he goes .


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