# Always scratching



## BookWorm (May 14, 2013)

I have already brought my mouse to the vet for this problem, but the vet wasn't sure what was wrong (I am pretty sure she has never treated mice before, but at least she was willing to try). My mouse (almost 2-year-old doe) has been scratching, near constantly, for a month now. Thinking she had gotten mites from her bedding, I got some mite spray and tried that on her. No change. Thinking she may have developed a food allergy, I put her on pellets only. No change. At this point, I brought her to the vet (the only vet in my town that didn't seem to think I was pulling a prank). The vet checked her for mites and found nothing, but dosed her with feline Advantix anyway. I also came home with some antibiotics and children's Benadryl. I have been dosing her every day with the liquid medicine, but there has been no improvement at all. Poor Ms. mouse is completely hairless on the right side of her head, her eye is swollen and crusty and her right ear is a giant scab. This is my last resort for help. I already know that my vet can't figure out what is wrong and it is just killing me to see her like this. It doesn't seem to bother her - she is still active and eats and drinks well. Any help would be appreciated.


----------



## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

Hello
It is sadly common that mice sometimes suffer from scratching even without mites or an allergie.
If the scratchin is a possible psychological problem it's difficult to find an effective treatment.
I made good experiences with cortisone and antibiotics.The scratching becomes less intensive with this medication an you make sure that the demaged skin didn't get infected.It could be a chance.
I would use paper towels instead of animal bedding that no dust can get into the wounds. 
Good luck.


----------



## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Not sure what you mean by 'pellet' for food, but if it's a formulated mouse/rodent feed she could still be allergic to any ingredient in it, or a new ingredient supply, or whatever. The best test for food allergy is gently cooked oats, or cooked rice for a week or two. Often uncooked is fine. I would suggest brown rice, or steel cut oats, to provide a bit more nutrition from that single food. Don't be shocked at how little of the cooked grain keeps her full. If it's anything like soaking. I soak/sprout my grain/seed mix, and they eat something like 3X less to be full.

Definitely seconding the paper towels. Not torn up, but flat. Let her tear them if she wants to.

Don't forget that they can have allergies to human items, like lotion, shampoo, soaps, fragrances, anything sprayed in the air, laundry powders/softeners, and cleaning products. Which seems a bit more likely to me, at her age, that it's a new or changed human product, but perhaps not.

I've heard of the scratching where it is a mental problem, but I'm hoping this is not the case for your girl.

Good luck,
Zanne


----------



## BookWorm (May 14, 2013)

Thanks to you both. I will swap her bedding for paper towels. I also hope this isn't a nervous habit either. If it is, is it possible boredom/loneliness is an underlying issue? She is a single pet mouse who has never lived with another (she was a pinkie factory for a friend of mine until she came to me). She had lived alone over a year with me before this problem started. Thanks for the idea of oats or rice. I was so used to the idea of pellets being healthy, I didn't even think of what was in them. Sure enough, a possible culprit, wheat, is ingredient #1. She has eaten these for years, but I know it is possible to develop allergies randomly. I will test her on new food and keep up with the antibiotics. Thank you.


----------



## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

On the boredom or loneliness... Did your friend say or notice if she seemed to enjoy the company of her daughters or other adult females? Not sure at what age he left the babies with her though. It would be female companions that would be the indicator. Some mice can get really unhappy alone, to the point of illness.

I would have thought that this would have manifested in the preceding year, if that was the problem, but perhaps not. The general statement is that all female mice are social, and want a companion or two. I honestly think this is a bit like saying all female humans are social, and want a live in female companion or two, but that's a personal opinion.


----------

