Saturday, May 22, 2010

What are some possible diagnoses for a pet mouse showing the following symptoms?

He's a white mouse less than a few weeks old and was raised with humans. Recently he's had a circular patch about the side of an eraser tip on the back of his neck where the fur is gone, revealing a dissettling red spot. There is also a smaller version of this behind his leg. We don't think it's mites because he couldn't get to that spot scratching or biting, and there's no way he got bit up by any other animals. Does anyone have any ideas?
Just a quick note--I am absolutely, ABSOLUTELY not using PetQnA.com s as a substitute for a vet--because we got him recently the pet store is footing the bill for a vet visit and I'm scheduling an appointment for this week ASAP. I'm just a little nervous and flipping out with worry over the little guy and thought I'd ask if anyone had any ideas so that I could feel a bit more in control of the situation.
Thanks.
Answers:
I *VERY* much doubt it's ringworm, to the point I'd wager money, lol. I lean towards mites (or lice...and they can reach the neck w/scratching), but it could also be allergies. What type of food (see edit below) and bedding are you using? Mice shouldn't be weaned until the age of four weeks tho...why are they selling them that young? Check out this website...loads of information on the site and on the forum. Good luck! (Edit: Try to keep the protein under 14%...some can't handle higher and develop hot spots. If you are using a high protein diet, try a hamster seed mix instead.typically, they're lower in protein and many of us use it instead.)

http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/hair-los...
Um my friend had this problem with some of her mice a few years back, if i remember correctly the mouse had a tumer(cancer) and was going bald and then the mouse went blind and got put down, I think it is a bit different because yours has a red mark so i hope yours doesn't have cancer or anything other then skin irritation which could the a answer to your question.
I'm thinking more of a fungal infection, like ringworm.

when you take him to the vet, can you update me on what he/she says? I'm really interested on what they find. thanks! you can email me from my profile, thanks!
I'm going to say its probably ringworm, which is a fungus. You can buy over-the-counter creams to get rid of it. Just make sure your mouse doesn't ingest it.
I'm very glad you're not substituting a vets for Yahoo :-)

Hair loss in rodents is usually a reaction. I think mites probably is the most likely explanation - they don't always cause mice to scratch, or even have red skin. I've had a couple of mice with mites where they literally just had hair loss, and mite medication cleared it right up. Back of the neck is also the most common place for hair loss from mites to be.

I don't think this will cost much to treat, mouse bills are rarely, if ever, big! You're very lucky the pet store have accepted responsibility though.

My bet's on mites! Don't be too worried about him so long as he's running round and eating as normal

Chalice

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