Pet mouse with itchy, dry skin :(?

Question

I have five pet mice, and one of them has recently been very itchy. I looked at her skin and fur to make sure that it wasn't parasites. I saw no bugs or eggs - just small dry skin flakes. She's scratching and grooming so much that some of her fur is thinning and falling out, and her skin is pinkish from being groomed so much. This has never happened to her before, and I hate to see her so miserable and itchy. Is there anything I can do to make her skin back to normal? What foods contain good oil that can help her skin? And while the more oily diet may take a while to see results, is there anything I can do in the meantime to alleviate her itching?

Answer 1

sounds a lot like ringworm- is her fur disappearing in circular patches?

Answer 2

"Excessive scratching is a symptom of external parasitic infection. Species-specific mites or lice are the most common external parasites of mice. Mites or lice should be treated with antiparasitics such as ivermectin or pyrethrin. Ringworm is an uncommon zoonotic parasitic infection of mice and also results in excessive scratching. Ringworm should be treated with an antifungal such as griseofulvin. Excessive scratching often leads to scab formation and open wounds, and you may notice these before you notice excessive scratching. Open wounds associated with ringworm infection are often crusty. To prevent secondary bacterial infection, open wounds should always be cleaned at least once a day with an antiseptic such as sterile saline solution.... With prompt treatment, external parasitic infection typically clears within 2-3 weeks."  http://www.rmca.org/Resources/mousefaq.h...

Your best bet is to take your mouse to the vet.  They'll be able to recommend a treatment to help your mouse out.  It's good to get the scratching under control as mice have been known to self-mutilate since the scratch so hard.  If that starts to happen, you'll need to tape her feet to keep from injuring herself.

Another possibility is that your mouse is having a skin allergy of some sort.  Have you introduced a new bedding/litter/food/toy?  You might want to consider switching out your current litter for something different and see if that helps.

She might have a bacterial/fungal infection of the skin.  Again, an exotic vet would have to do an examination to figure out what's wrong.

Check out http://www.ratguide.com the health section.  Even though it's for rats, you might be able to find some additional ideas as to why your mouse is scratching.  Another site is: http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Ctu...

Peanuts, sunflower seeds, and dairy products are all pretty oily that might help out her skin problem.  Be careful on feeding her too  much as these foods are high in fat and can make your mouse fat.

Hope that helps!