# scratching himself to death!!!



## kellyc88 (May 18, 2011)

hi, my boy diesel, who is approx 4 months old, is scratching himself to death (according to my vet)
I noticed diesel scratching a few days ago and last night noticed he had a sore about the size of a fingernail on his throat. I took him to the vet who gave him an anti itching injection and treated him for mites. But he didnt stop scratching so i rang the vet who gave me some steriod cream to apply to the sores which, by now, are also on his face and back. The vet said that if he was still scratching in the morning he should be put to sleep as a mouse can form a habit that is impossible to break and he will literally scratch himself to death if left like this. I am very upset, but i will obviously do what is best for diesel. However, i have until the morning to stop him scratching...any ideas? i will try anything to stop him, i love him very much and so does my son!


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

He needs a lot of one on one attention. Just because the vet would put him to sleep doesn't mean that you have to, especially not right away. Just hold him and play with him, and blow lightly on him when he starts to itch. Also, sheesh! Give the medicines a little time to work! I would NOT put this mouse to sleep unless I'd tried the meds and lots of extra attention for a week or two, even several.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

have you changed anything in his cage? i had a male who would scratch out the fur around one eye everyting i used a diffrent make of shavings or even it it was the same make but a diffrent textuer. each time he had a week or two of scrathcing and then stop. He eventualy made him self blinde in that eye. It was a case on managing him by making sure i didnt change the type of stuff in his housing. Prehaps he has an alligery to something, and change in food?. One of my girls i have way back would sneeze all the time untill i put her onto paper towls, it ment i had to change it every day be it made her better. The male lived to around 12 months and the female around 6 months.

Id defernaly give him more than a few days to recover and give you time to try to see if anything is causing it unless he is realy distressed and in pain. Maby try him on paper towls and give everything in there a good scrubbing and see how it goes.


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## kellyc88 (May 18, 2011)

thanks so much guys! i knew it was worth coming here. I have so far and will continue keeping him out with me as much as is possible and have emptied him cage, cleaned it all and filled it with shredded paper towels. except for biting me (which he has never ever done before) and obviously scratching a lot he doesnt seem too distressed. His eyes are quite dull and not very open, and there is a new sore on one eye but he is active. I recently changed his bedding to carefresh because he was constantly squeaking and i asked here for advice and was told it was probably an allergy. The change in bedding stopped the squeaking but it was around a week and a half later that he started scratching. I have not changed his food ever, he has shredded paper bedding normally anyway since two of my pinkies got tangled up in another type of bedding. I know this sounds stupid, but this mouse is my baby. He is the one who paws the side of his cage when i enter the room and is climbing on my hand as soon as it enters his habitat. I will try anything to save him and i will certainly be giving him more time to recover. That said, my vet is usually fantastic. He managed to save one of the mice babies that seemed a goner and he really cares about the animals, he even called for an update bless him


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## BlackCat99 (Jun 30, 2011)

that does not sound one bit stupid I know myself, and I am sure many others on here have at least one mouse they think of that way I know my boyfriend and I think of the 6 founder mice we have currently as our children and cant wait to be "grandparents" as two of our mice are expecting my mom even rolls her eyes at us because we sound as though on of our actual kids is expecting lol we are happy to help as we can, if the paper towel seems to bother him you might try not shredding it and just laying it in the bottom of the cage it will probably have to be changed a lot more often but it may bother him a bit less good luck with the little guy hope you figure it out, I can't believe the vet gave him so little time to recover!


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## Galaxy (May 25, 2011)

You are not having a lot of luck with your meecies, are you? Pity he wouldn't cope with one of those plastics collars they use for bigger animals. Please keep us updated!


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## kellyc88 (May 18, 2011)

No I'm seriously bot having much luck! Touch wood the girls are all sorted now tho! Diesel doesn't seem quite as bad today, no new sores as far as I can tell


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## Galaxy (May 25, 2011)

Well fingers x'd everything has quieted down! I don't think your silly loving your mice as much as you do! I love mine just as much.


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