[Peteyandthegang]

Our old buck Peter (namesake!) has developed these awful scabs on his body. One is quite large and kind of a horn shape. Yuck. They came on suddenly. He's 2 years old but otherwise in good health, apart from being very doddery and lazy. He isn't itching them at all and they're not open wounds, just totally crusted over scabs. No sign of mites at all

What are they and what would you do? They look terrible, never seen it before. I'm stumped

 

[SarahY]

If you're sure it's not caused by parasites, excessive scratching, fighting or an allergic reaction to a different food or bedding, quarantine him immediately, make sure you wash your hands throughly after touching him, and take him to the vets for treatment if you don't want to cull him. Spontaeneous skin lesions with no visible cause is a symptom of a few infectious diseases, and they are spread by touch or by the disease entering a small wound. The vet will probably have to send off skin scrapings to determine the cause, as we know vets don't really know anything about mice off the top of their heads.

I'm sure it's not likely to be anything very serious, but there's just no point taking the risk with your other mice as these things can spread like wildfire. I hope he feels better soon xx

Sarah xxx

 

[Peteyandthegang]

Thanks Sarah

He's already in the garage at the moment which is our sick bay-definitely not caused by fights as he's been alone for years now, all the mice are treated for mites and no itching. I wonder if it's worth a vets trip for him. He's such an old mouse and these scabs are awful (one is much bigger today, just a big lump on his side, looks uncomfy) I'll have to think about it, suppose it might be best to cull him really, but I will have a word with the vet. I'll let you know what happens

 

[Kallan]

Possible skin tumours? If not wounds or parasites I vote neoplasia as he is old enough for a mouse.

 

[moustress]

Yuckk!! I hate when that happens! Meeces can get a couple different kinds of mange. Fortunately it's not common. I use Revolution for Puppies and Kittens, dividing the tiny tube up by drawing into a very tiny syringe without a needle. Then I apply it to the back of the neck in as little a dose as I can per mouse. For babies, I leave a little in the cap of the tube and dip toothpick in it and apply it that way. It works for all parasites internal and external, and is safe to use even on pregnant does. You do have to be careful not to overdose the wee ones. The down side is that it's a prescription med her in the US, and it is a bit pricey.

I get about 15 doses for adult mousies and countless doses for babies...I think I treated 10 adults and about 30 babies of various ages last time I did it. Our house is old so we do have wild visitors. I'm in the middle of mouseproofing my mousery so no mouse can get in or out. We'll have to wait and see how that works out.

Two years old is a quite respectable age for a mousie.

 

[icedmice]

It's not a wart is it?
Many years ago I had a pet mouse in high school and she developed a crusty lump on her bottom at 1.5 years of age. It turned out to be a wart, it's not unheard of in older mice. It's not fatal, just looks yukky. Sometimes they clear up in their own.