Mites?

[Free2Dream]

Ugh. This morning when I woke up, my boyfriend and I heard Annabelle scratching herself in her hiding hole. Later tonight I when I got her out to cuddle, she was itching a little, too. Not a lot, but she did drop a couple quills. Then when she was cuddling on my shoulder I saw a TINY white insect creeping across her ear. So I'm pretty certain that she has mites.

Two questions:

1) Is there an over-the-counter topical treatment that I can use to cure her, or is a vet visit in order?

2) Could she have contracted mites from her bedding? I currently have her on pine. Ideally I would use Carefresh (which I used exclusively when I had rats), but it's SO expensive. ugh. If pine inevitably causes mites, though, I will definitely be switching to something else.

Thank you for reading. I feel bad for my little girl, she must be so uncomfy.

 

[3CsMommy]

Any bedding *can* have mites, esp. if it comes from a store that sells small animals. I have some kind of mite thing going on in my Ball Pythons' tanks right now that's driving me nuts because, while they're not snake mites, I have a hamster and a mouse that could end up with them. There's a spray for bedding etc. called Provent-a-mite that's come highly recommended in the herp communities I'm in. Not sure what it would do for Hedgies or if there's a mammals-specific treatment for them, but that spray might work for her non-food stuff like her igloo and wheel.

 

[Nancy]

I wouldn't risk an over the counter med. The safest mite treatment is Revolution.

Yes mites can come in on shavings but can just as easily on Carefresh or any commercial bedding. The best option is cloth liners, either polar fleece cut to fit or specially made liners.

 

[ABBY W.]

I am actually dealing with the same thing. My new hedgie, Popple, has mites. He got his first treatment of Ivermectin yesterday. You can also get pet shampoo with Pyrethrin (less than 1%, though) in it and wash him with that. We are going to do it on alternating weeks, Ivermectin one week, bath with pyrethrin shampoo the next until we don't see any mites. You will also need to wash and disinfect everything in her cage, because the eggs can stick to anything.

 

[Free2Dream]

I am actually dealing with the same thing. My new hedgie, Popple, has mites. He got his first treatment of Ivermectin yesterday. You can also get pet shampoo with Pyrethrin (less than 1%, though) in it and wash him with that. We are going to do it on alternating weeks, Ivermectin one week, bath with pyrethrin shampoo the next until we don't see any mites. You will also need to wash and disinfect everything in her cage, because the eggs can stick to anything.

Isn't ivermectin dangerous to use in hedgehogs? When I signed the contact with Annabelle's breeder, there was a line about never using ivermectin treatments because they can be deadly. She did say that Revolution as a topical treatment is fine, though.

Thank you for the info, guys. I guess I assumed Carefresh wouldn't come with mites since it's a paper product and not directly from the tree, like pine or aspen. argh. I am going to call the vet and make an appointment today.

 

[Kalandra]

It isn't the trees that are the problem, it is more likely the dirty warehouse the products sit in before being shipped off to the store. Who knows how long these products sit in a warehouse or what other products are stored near them, or how dirty that warehouse may be. Perhaps it was sitting near something infested and the mites migrated to the carefresh....

Revolution is the better choice, but there are still a lot of vets that prescribe ivermectin. In some areas, revolution is not available. If giving ivermectin it seems to be preferable to give a topical version rather than a shot. There have been too many reports of symptoms that seem to be from overdoses to injections than to topicals. With that said, try to convince your vet to give you Revolution. Most will if you insist.

 

[Free2Dream]

OK, I called the vet and made an appointment. I didn't know you could request a topical treatment of ivermectin - the only experience I have with it really is from deworming my horse semi-monthly, which is done orally. I am still going to insist on the Revolution though, just to be safe and to honor the contract I signed with the breeder.

I couldn't get an appointment until next week, though. My work schedule doesn't seem to jive with the exotic vet's hours.

 

[ABBY W.]

Ivermectin given topically is safe and much less expensive then Revolution.

 

[Nancy]

Ivermectin given topically is safe and much less expensive then Revolution.

No, it's not completely safe. Topically is safer than injection but Ivermectin does carry a risk regardless of how it is administered.

One of the problems with Ivermectin in any form is dosage is critical. It is very easy to overdose Ivermectin. Revolution on the other hand, is just about impossible to overdose and a drop or two extra of Revolution will cause no harm but with Ivermectin could kill.

 

[Adhafera]

Definitely go to the vet and get Revolution! And yes, they could have come from the bedding. We had an experience with that with Snowball....ugh, what a pain!