Mites!

[sterlingspider]

I'm pretty sure that my Elric has mites and he's gone off his feed. It is now Saturday, vet appointment has already been made for Monday.

Should I treat him with Revolution now? That's what I'm going to request of the vet anyway, but if I can get a jump on the mites that would be great. My main concern at the moment is really the not eating so I'd be going to the vet either way. I just lost my hedgie Bilbo to mouth cancer last month so we don't mess around with food issues.

Add into the mix that I just got three rats (symptoms on Elric were apparent before the rats came) and while they *are* in quarantine in another room I don't want to take chances with infecting them.

 

[Melissa]

If you suspect for mites then treat for mites. But going off of his food may mean something else is wrong.

 

[Nancy]

Unless it is a severe mite infestation I really can't see one going off food for mites. Going off food is a more urgent issue than mites. Waiting until he has seen the vet on Monday and had mites confirmed is best. Revolution is processed through the liver and with him not eating, you really don't want to needlessly add stress to the liver. Not eating needs to be addressed now.

Try dampening his kibble and see if that helps. Put kibble in his bed with him. Count every piece of kibble you put in his cage so you know exactly how much he is eating. You should also be prepared to start syringe feeding.

I wouldn't worry about the rats. If Elric does have mites, get a tube of revolution and you can treat the rats too if necessary.

 

[sterlingspider]

Last night I dampened his normal kibble and he didn't seem to touch it, however I also gave him some fruit baby food which he did eat.

Luckily I have a coffee grinder which was already hedgie dedicated from feeding Bilbo when he became unable to eat hard food, so this afternoon I was able to grind up and wet his kibble and give it to him which he dove right into. I also watched him drink some water too. I didn't see any swelling around his mouth and he didn't seem to be having difficulty eating or swallowing. I noticed yesterday with the hard food that he would chew it and actually successfully break it up but then didn't seem to be eating it.

It has been super hot here the last couple of days so he definitely wouldn't have gotten a chill and other then a bath (on Monday, which was a ridiculously hot night) there'd been nothing particularly new or different going on. Though admittedly I did just get over a super brief summer cold which started with a particularly sore throat, is it possible I could have given him some sort of throat bug?

 

[charlie]

I'm glad it sounds like he is eating. A full vet check is a good idea (though it may be something as simple as his food may be stale). I'm not sure if they can catch our colds (I'm pretty sure however that I can catch theirs, though this could just be a coincidence). Best to take precautions (lots of hand washing, less contact where possible) when you are ill just in case.