scabs

[wendy]

Hi, 2 mice (male) they both live on their own and recently I have noticed little scabs on their back and neck. Not lots of scabs, but enough. The vet does not think its mites, this is what I thought originally.
I have been feeding hamster/gerbil food for the past month or so and I have now gone back to a rat/mouse mix. I have changed bedding etc to see if this helps.
Has anybody got any suggestions?
thanks...wendy

[Ratty101]

Hi,
I have a male rat. I don't know if that could relate to a mouse but i think it does. He has had scabs in the past too. They ended up going away after a while. Maybe they are just biting themselves because they are dirty. Give them a few baths and see what happens. neosporin is not toxic to rats but i don't know about mice. If it isn't try some neosporin on there scabs. How I helped.
Kity:> )

[Suebee]

I don't know much about mice, either, but scabs in rats are often dietary... rats have a sensitivity to too much protein in their diet, which can cause skin problems.

I wouldn't rule out mites, though. Vets have been known to be wrong, and mites can test a false negative after a skin scraping.

Not sure if any of this applies to your mice, though...

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[wendy]

Hi suebee, thanks for your advice. I did change the food and the bedding, but as of today they still have little scabs. One mouse has a sore ear now, from scratching. I am off to the PDSA (peoples dispensary for sick animals)tomorrow with a hamster who has a lump underneath and a mouse who has had 2 operations to remove a tumour, each time the tummour has grown back. I will be having this little mouse put to sleep. I will take the mice with scabs with me and hopefully they can be treated..wendy

[Suebee]

I'm so sorry to hear about your hamster and your little mousie... is your mouse female? Just wondering, because I know mammary tumors in female rats often come back after surgery. I've dealt with both benign and malignant tumors in my rats, and it's no fun. :~(

As for the scabs, how long has it been since you made the change? I know that rats get in a scratching cycle when their scabs are trying to heal. As we all know, when our owies heal, they itch like mad... the same thing for rats & mice. They scratch because they are healing, which causes more damage. With rats I clip their nails and applu Neosporin to the scabs (it has a mild topical anesthetic in it). I know you probably can't clip mouse nails, but the neosporin might help if you can get them to cooperate to apply some, that is. :~D

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[BellChip]

Hi suebee, thanks for your advice. I did change the food and the bedding, but as of today they still have little scabs. One mouse has a sore ear now, from scratching. I am off to the PDSA (peoples dispensary for sick animals)tomorrow with a hamster who has a lump underneath and a mouse who has had 2 operations to remove a tumour, each time the tummour has grown back. I will be having this little mouse put to sleep. I will take the mice with scabs with me and hopefully they can be treated..wendy
Hi Wendy,
My male mouse had scabs all dowm his face his ears and behind his head he was cutting himself on the glass in the cage so we took him out and put him in a little carry cage and they have all gone but as for his ears the are cut and wont heal.
Jen

[moustress]

What kind of bedding do you use? Also, it could be a dietary problem. Corn and peanuts are two foods that can cause all kind of health problems.