Our Hedgehog has mites... can it spread to my rats

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erinscull

New member
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
1
Hi,

My daughter just bought a hedgie yesterday. When she got him he was balled up and we didn't see his stomach and/or ears. When she got him home and he finally unrolled she noticed his stomach is very red, scabby, bloody looking, and his ears are irritated as well. She had to go to work and we didn't look into the irritation till later that night to figure out he more than likely has mites. :(

The pet store would do nothing. (Which upsets me greatly!!!) My daughter spent over $300.00 getting her hedgie with her own hard earned money. Anyways...

We have a vet appointment in 6 days.

My question is, I won't be handling the hedgie and it's in another room, but can the mites still transfer to my rats? I have two rats. I'm extremely worried because one of my poor babies already has a tumor and I don't want him to suffer any more.

So is the mite easily transferred?

Please help!!!
 
I don't think they'll transfer - especially if you use good quarantine procedures... like washing up before and after interacting with him. And changing your shirt between handling them. The kind of mites hedgies get do not seem to travel from room to room on their own. It's not like how you hear people occasionally getting a flea infestation associated with their cat or dog.

I know it's been a bit since you posted - how'd the vet appointment go? Did it end up being mites or something different? And how is hedgie??
 
Mites are generally species specific. They will not live on another animal that isn't very closely related.

$300 is an expensive overpriced hedgehog unless it's a rare color that's been handled since birth. You would have been much better off putting that money in to gas to drive to a breeder for a $100 hedgie that doesn't have mites. Vets usually have to put hedgehogs out to examine them so it's usually an expensive trip. It was somewhere around $1000 to get our first 4 examined when they had loose stools.
 
Wow... I think our experiences are quite different with regard to vet exams. In the vast, vast, vast majority of vet visits, I have not needed a hedgie to be anesthetized for an exam. In fact, I think there was just one exam where anesthesia was involved - there was an earwax issue involved and sticking things in a huffy hedgie's ear was just not going to happen without a little help.

The rest of the time, we rely on being calm and soothing... And being creative. For example, I had a hedgie who won't let the vet see her belly. He took the front grate from her travel carrier and set her on that - her little legs dangled through the openings and he was able to see her belly just fine.

I have had hedgies anesthetized for procedures... but a general exam... no.
 
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