# Quilling, Mites, Dry Skin or General Scratchy!?



## brtngrl13 (Dec 11, 2010)

I have been all over the boards trying to find something/someone that can help me with my little hedgie. A week or so again, she began losing about 5-8 quills a day. She is a little over 7 months old so I was pretty sure it wasn't quilling, then I noticed when I had my little bundle wrapped up she was dandruffy. Knowing that hedgies are notoriously dry skinned and it has been a long, dry winter, I upped her bathing and even threw in some Aveeno to help soothe her. However last night, as I put her back into her cage, I noticed Miss Tiggywinkle was kicking furiously at her little head. I immediately thought mites (because I'm a worst case scenario type of hedgehog parent). But she doesn't have the concentrated quill loss and I haven't been able to see any movement from the little buggers when I shook her out onto a dark cloth. Any suggestions for things I can try before I run her out to the vet needlessly? Don't want to put off the treatment if all signs point to mites, but also hate the idea of freaking the little one out with a trip to the vet because she has dry skin. Thanks for the help!


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

I've been experiencing a lot of the same things with my hedgie, Liam: dry skin, limited quill loss (no more than 5-10/day), dandruff looking flakes, some scratching. I don't think he has mites either, since he went to the vet recently, got a clean bill of health, and nothing in his environment has changed since then. 

A lot of people on here use flaxseed oil, either during bath time (applied directly to the quills/skin) or on top of their food. You can buy it in capsules at a grocery store or drug store, and then just use one capsule at a time. When I give Liam a bath, I squeeze one capsule over his back, and rinse. It helps a lot, at least temporarily. 

Because Liam's skin has gotten worse recently, I've started giving him Sunshine Factor (a dietary supplement) daily with his food. It's supposed to be very good for dry skin. He's only been on it for a few days now, so I'm not sure how well it is working yet. You can get it online from lots of retailers. 

I might be wrong, but I think that the "dark cloth" trick isn't a definitive way to know if there are or aren't mites. But I haven't had to deal with them before, so I'm not positive. Someone more experienced will let you know.  

Hope your girl starts feeling better soon!


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## vbno1 (Mar 27, 2011)

there is a injection treatment for mites but it has killed hedgehogs so i suggest not having that done if it is there is some home treatments for mites i think can some one fill in my blanks?


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

vbno1 said:


> there is a injection treatment for mites but it has killed hedgehogs so i suggest not having that done if it is there is some home treatments for mites i think can some one fill in my blanks?


Revolution is the ONLY known safe treatment of mites at this time.

Ivermectin(shots/oral) is not safe as it is easy to overdose a hedgehog.

There are no proven home treatments.
You are better off just going to the vets and getting your hedgehog treated with revolution if you suspect mites. It's near impossible to overdose and is effective.

Many times, it is a guessing game at whether a hedgehog really has mites or not. Skin scrapings at the vets can give false negatives. Watching flakes of skin on black cloth is not very effective. But since Revolution is so safe, many tend to chose to treat them with it as a precaution, and as a process of elimination.


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## vbno1 (Mar 27, 2011)

Immortalia said:


> vbno1 said:
> 
> 
> > there is a injection treatment for mites but it has killed hedgehogs so i suggest not having that done if it is there is some home treatments for mites i think can some one fill in my blanks?
> ...


thanks for filling in my gaps


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## alexdud25 (Oct 31, 2010)

Same story with my ShadowBaby!! He is about 8 months, has recently had 2 mite treatments, counted nearly 60 quills lost in the past week, dandruff like skin flakes...His ears aren't at all scabby and the quills aren't coming out of one particular area. His poo is fine, his activity and water/food intact is normal.....He has a vet appt on Monday. Hoping to get some answers!


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Your baby looks like a wee angel. I hope all is well soon.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I changed Snarfs diet to include canned food and omit salmon oil at the same time I added SunshineFactor, so I am not sure what is doing what... BUT after one month his skin looks amazing and his quill loss is down to under ten per day. It may rake a few weeks to see any change from the SF.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

You could always get some Revolution that way mites would be off the list and you could narrow it down more. Usually at that age it's due to quilling but I know you said you're not sure if this is it so there could always be another culprit. Is their any bald or sparse areas in her quills? Can you see any new growth coming through? 5 to 8 quills isn't too many if it was a quilling, I think at times mine would drop close to 15-20.

Have you been using soaps in the water? I ask cause soaps are very drying and may add to it, I know you said you added oatmeal but wanted to ask just in case because I have heard of people using soap before the rinse and it can be harsh on their skin. Have you recently changed anything (Laundry soap, added a new food or treat etc.) that may be causing an allergic reaction? Does your hedgie like eating insects as treats? (I've found that with my two their skin is in better condition when they are getting a few mealies a night but amount and frequency depends on the hedgie). 

You may already know these things but just wanted to throw it out there in case it helps . I know how frustrating it can be trying to narrow something down when there could be so many possible causes. Hope your little one gets back to her non itchy self soon


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