Bite on rump? What do I do now?

by casualmousemom Thu 08 Mar 2018, 8:30 pm

I'm a relatively new mouse owner, I've had my girls for a couple of months now. One of my new little girls, Senora, appears to of gotten a bite on her rump and a few nicks on her tail. I determined the culprit to by my other mouse Wednesday, they were introduced about two weeks ago. There were a few minor scuffles but nothing too major and everything seemed to be going swimmingly between my 6 mouse babies. I returned from class today and held senora and I felt something on her rear and saw she had a nasty little wound. I was horrified, she wasn't actively bleeding and it has scabbed
over, I didn't think any of them had been fighting. I observed them further for a bit and took out my largest mouse Wednesday because she seems to be the one causing these little scuffles. Since placing her alone in a separate cage all my other mice have been out and about with no issues, and Senora and her sister Dorothy seem more active outside their nest than normal.
Senora doesn't appear to be in any pain, thankfully. Even when I was running my finger over it to get a better view she didn't seem to feel any pain, but this of course is something I don't want to continue. I examined Dorothy and discovered a nick on her tail too, but nothing else, she could have gotten it from a chase but I can't be sure if it was deliberate or not.
I kept Dorothy and Senora quarantined as I was supposed to and introduced them on neutral ground before they all were put together, everything seemed fine until today.
How should I make sure Senora heals as smoothly as possible? Should I just let it be or take her to a vet? How can I prevent fights in the future, and how long should I keep Wednesday separate before trying to reintroduce her -- I don't want her living alone Sad

Bite on rump? What do I do now? Img_3210

Bite on rump? What do I do now? Img_3212

Bite on rump? What do I do now? Img_3211

Thank you for any help you guys can give me!

by River Thu 08 Mar 2018, 9:16 pm

If its scabbed over, I tend to just let it be and keep an eye out for signs of infection, but if it isn't, clean with saline to make sure it stays healthy.

I think separating Wednesday for a while should keep this from happening once she realizes she'll have to suck it up if she wants friends...but my introductions have always gone great so I'm unsure! Let someone else jump in to be sure. Smile

by Mousetropolis Thu 08 Mar 2018, 9:51 pm

Ouch, looks painful! It should heal pretty well on its own, but keep an eye on her to make sure she's not over grooming the area. Itchy scabs are hard to resist, but if she messes with it too much she might irritate her skin and make herself even itchier. It's really hard to stop compulsive grooming once it starts, even after the wound heals. It doesn't look like she's been messing with it yet, just something else to watch for now.

I've seen most people recommend separating the bullies for a few days to a week. I myself had success using this method on two separate occasions with two separate culprits. Bogart took just three days of timeout before she was ready to be nice, and Hollow took a week to calm down. Both times, I reintroduced the girls on neutral territory and then put them back in the dirty cage, so it still smells like everyone else. It seems to do the trick.
Good luck! I'm sure Senora will heal just fine. I hope Wednesday comes around for you.

by casualmousemom Fri 09 Mar 2018, 7:38 am

How could you tell when they had calmed down?

by Mousetropolis Fri 09 Mar 2018, 4:40 pm

That's what reintroducing on neutral territory is for. After a few days, I put them together to see how they'd act. Hollow went right back to ear biting and fur pulling, so she got a longer time out, but Bogart acted fine so she got to go home.

by scaredymouse Sun 11 Mar 2018, 4:59 pm

The bite looks like it's healing nicely. You don't need to take her to the vet unless it starts looking infected or doesn't heal. Keep the bully separated for a week, then reintroduce. If she starts bullying again, take her out for another week.

Other than the bite, do they seem to get along at all? Do they sleep together?

by casualmousemom Tue 13 Mar 2018, 12:28 pm

I reintroduced Wednesday, I was weak and couldn’t keep her all alone anymore, and she seemed to have calmed significantly. Everything went well! They’ve been together for a day now and there’s been a few minor scuffles but nothing major, and no bites! I found them like this this morning Very Happy

Bite on rump? What do I do now? 683fac10

by scaredymouse Thu 15 Mar 2018, 7:37 am

Excellent!

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