# mites



## live4fun162 (Dec 30, 2010)

How common are mites in hedgehogs? Like is there a way to prevent them? regular baths or something???


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

I can't really say how common they are, but I have seen A LOT of posts here about hedgies with mites.

Wood can harbor mites so it's a good idea not to have any wood made object in your hedgie's cage. Also, don't expose your hedgehog to other hedgehogs you don't know well as they might have mites. If you do get a second hedgie, make sure to read about quarantine in case the new one has mites.

You can read this thread that talks about Revolution use. I've read some people using it as a preventive measure.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2628&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Do you have any reasons to think your hedgie might have them?


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## lpercz (Dec 23, 2010)

Sookie's house is a wooden treasure chest from Michaels with a hole cut in it for her. This is what the breeder had told my step-mom to get (Sookie was a surprise xmas gift) and the breeder also housed her hedgie's in these houses. Apparently, the breeder never visits this site. However, I do check it every day and clean it when it gets nasty (like, every other day unless she poops in it) with a sponge and dish soap. So far so good. If I feel it's getting to be too much I think I may put enamel inside to secure the wood. But we're not there yet. I dont want to get rid of it unless I have to because I drew a masterpiece on it 

I'm also thinking about getting something to put on her as back up. Like this Revolution stuff.

So I'm pretty clueless on mites too, live4fun162. I'm also a pretty new owner so you may not want to take my advice at all.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Hedgehogs can usually fight off mites on there own, their immune system keeps the eggs from hatching (according to my vet). It's when they are already sick or have attempted hibernation that they tend to get them. Wood is ok until your hedgehog has had mites then you have to throw out all the wood stuff in the cage. Hedgehogs can also get mites from any type of shavings which is another good reason to use liners.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Yes, hedgehogs always have some mites on them, but stress or illness can cause a mite bloom.


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## Netterz (Jan 2, 2011)

Here's some info from another hedgehog site I ran across a few minutes ago...



> Mites: Mites are perhaps the most common of all hedgehog problems. Some wood shavings harbor mites. There are some vets who believe hedgehogs always have a few dormant mites. Whatever the case may be at some point you may have to deal with mites in your hedgehog. Mites can actually be life threatening to hedgehogs by causing a secondary anemia. Mites must be dealt with immediately by a veterinarian and you should never ignore them or try to treat them at home unless you are certain you can kill every mite and eliminate every egg safely and you've been instructed how to do so by a veterinarian. Some signs of mites are: tattered ears, lethargy, weight loss, dry flaky skin, loss of quills (hedgehogs shed quills all of the time, 2-3 a day are not a concern, more than that over a period of a few days is cause for concern), itching, and redness. An Aveeno Oatmeal Bath will help soothe itchy, irritated skin immediately. The only way to diagnose mites is to take them to the vet and have a skin scraping done. The vet will scrape a few of the top epidermis (skin) cells and look at them under a microscope. This is generally painless and very inexpensive. Your vet will probably treat your hedgehog with either Ivermectin (topical, oral, or injected under the skin), which requires a 3 dose regimen over a 3 week period to rid your hedgehog of all mites, or Revolution. Revolution is our choice because it seems to kill ALL of the mites and it's a one time topical treatment as opposed to a 3 dose treatment of Ivermectin. Some hedgehogs were believed to have been having adverse reactions to Ivermectin (especially young hedgehogs exposed to the injected version) and in our case it did not kill all of the mites and eggs. Revolution has been safely used on pregnant and nursing mothers as well as babies as young as 4 weeks with no adverse reactions reported. When using Revolution we use the dog formula rather than the cat formula. Aside from treating the mites on the hedgehog you will have to thoroughly clean the cage, throw away all wooden boxes, or toys, all nest materials, wash all blankets and liners in hot water, and if you're using wooden shavings you will want to throw the remaining shavings away and start with fresh shavings from a different supplier.


That's a lot of reading SO just to some it up, it's very hard to prevent mites but there is a solution called Revolution (like mentioned above) that a vet can provide to prevent mites and you put it between your hedgies shoulder blades. Below is some more info on this website on Mites...

http://hedgehogcentral.com/mites.shtml
http://www.fairfaxhedgehogs.com/Hedgehog%20Sickness.htm

Also if you do go with Revoution....you might also want to check out this thread on dosage but if you end up going to the vet's they may give you some other information on dosage...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2628


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Just wanted to mention, there's a thread on the Health section about how dangerous Ivermectin can be. Some hedgehogs have died after being treated with it.

Revolution is very safe and can only cause a mild skin irritation as side effect in some cases.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Also skin scrapings are not very reliable they often show a false negative because there were no mites in the place where the skin scraping was done. Usually a vet knows this and treats the hedgehog for mites anyway. As mentioned Ivermectin is not safe.


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## live4fun162 (Dec 30, 2010)

thank you for all the information everyone!


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## Crescent (Aug 9, 2017)

went on vacation for a month and had a babysitter for my hedgehog. When I came back she had like a bald patch on the middle of her back with no quills. Her skin was dry and flaking off as well. I don't know if this is mites or not but I can't take her to the vet 100%. Is there anything I can do? Also I just bought her a little wooden home and was wondering if it's a good idea to allow her to sleep in it with these conditions. I don't know what to do because all the forums say to take her to the vet but I can't do that. Please help! Also in the pictures I just changed her bedding to test out if it was a bedding problem and I can't tell.


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## SquirtleSquirt (May 9, 2016)

Please check the date of the post this is 6 years old. 
Also why can't you take her to a vet? She needs to see a vet immediately.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I know this isn't what you want to hear but she needs to see a vet. The skin looks irritated in places and she actually looks underweight. There also looks to be quill loss in other areas. Unless she's scratching a Lot it's probably not mites. It could be a bacterial or fungal infection. Either way even if it is mites you'll need to take her to a vet for treatment, there are no home remedies. 

Why can't you take her to the vet?


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## TheBeanTeam (Feb 5, 2017)

Hedgehogs are not meant to have bald spots like that. You need to go to a vet now, because something is wrong. If you do not have access to a vet a hedgehog is not the pet for you.


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## Esme&concha (Jul 2, 2017)

Crescent said:


> went on vacation for a month and had a babysitter for my hedgehog. When I came back she had like a bald patch on the middle of her back with no quills. Her skin was dry and flaking off as well. I don't know if this is mites or not but I can't take her to the vet 100%. Is there anything I can do? Also I just bought her a little wooden home and was wondering if it's a good idea to allow her to sleep in it with these conditions. I don't know what to do because all the forums say to take her to the vet but I can't do that. Please help! Also in the pictures I just changed her bedding to test out if it was a bedding problem and I can't tell.


Start your own forum, and you should definitely take her to the vet ASAP!


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