My mouse has a bite. Is it an abscess? Can I use triple antibiotic?

Poor Hasbrown! I can see where he has some healing wounds on his rump, which is a common place that mice attack each other. The good news is that the wounds seem to be healing and there does not appear to be any sign of infection. You can gently trim his nails to prevent any further trauma and apply SSD (silver sulfadiazene) ointment to the area once a day.

Keep him separated, warm and as stress free as possible. Minor wounds can be cleaned with Betadine or chlorhexidine. A triple antibiotic ointment can be applied once or twice daily. Make sure he continues to eat and drink. Keep his cage clean. If he does not heal, loses his appetite or becomes lethargic then have him examined by your veterinarian. Contact the local humane society for information regarding low cost or no cost clinics and charities to help defray costs. Friends or family members can also be asked to help out if necessary.

The main stay of treatment is to keep the wound clean and dry. Make sure the bedding is cleaned regularly. With rodents, I recommend a dust free bedding called Carefresh. Rodents are very sensitive to dust in the environment. Also make sure that you are feeding a balanced diet approved for rodents and supplementing with healthy fruits and vegetables. Especially the leafy greens. Most healthy animals will be able to heal wounds on their own. Watch it every day for redness, swelling or discharge. If your mouse begins to lick at it too much, you may need to create a small cone to keep her from doing that. This is not generally a problem however. If it gets infected, there are veterinarians who treat rodents and this will generally resolve with antibiotics. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for reaching out about Galya. You can clean the abscess are with a warm, moistened cloth or cotton tipped applicator. Topical medications are often ingested and can cause gastrointestinal upset, so not recommended. Try clipping the fur around the open lesion to lessen contamination. Continue with the oral antibiotics if hamster appropriate. Providing heat support in the 75 F range could give some aid, not letting it get too cold. If this veterinarian can't help you, find one who can. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Buddy. The dark skin over the abscess if probably necrotic skin, which will likely fall off. But these abscesses rarely heal without antibiotics. Typically is will scab over, trapping bacteria under the skin, which will then multiply again, re-creating the abscess. Then the cycle will continue. A veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is possibly an abscess that has formed as a result of the mouse bite. Please, take Jemmy to your local vets as soon as possible to lance/drain the abscess and start treatment with antibiotics.

I'm sorry your hamster is sick. If the abscess is open and draining, you can use warm compresses to help it drain. But really, she needs antibiotics and possibly for a very to drrain it. These are just not things you can do at home.