# mites - oil bath help



## Kansai_Gal (Jul 26, 2010)

Hello, I'm a new hedgehog owner and the hedgehog I just bought has at least one mite (because I saw it run across her skin.) There aren't any quills missing so I suppose it's a mild case so far. I gave her her first bath in a bit of water and olive oil and while a lot of sources seem to recommend trying this method for mild cases, I'm a little foggy on the specifics. 
Should I rinse it off tomorrow with just water and repeat the oil treatment? How often should I repeat? How long should I repeat?
-or-
Should I alternate with a kitten flea/mite shampoo (after testing a bit on her skin)? How often should I repeat? How long should I repeat?

Also, would it help to not keep /any/ bedding in the cage? I made a C&C cage and so far only have a tiny bit of shavings in with her. Would it be alright to keep the cage bare save for a wheel and some paper bags to hide in? (I am ok with cleaning it often.) I understand it would be a bit boring, though.

I also bought something for use in my house that will attract and trap mites. It's a cloth that smells a bit when you put your nose up to it. Would it be alright to put that in the cage with her, assuming I put it in a tupper with drilled holes or something so she can't touch/chew on the actual fabric (I don't want her getting sick from chemicals, even though a suggested use is putting it under a pet bed) or would the smell likely be too unpleasant? (It's not something I would like to keep smelling indefinitely but it's not too bad to me, mostly like pine and car air-freshener. I do realize that I have a dull sense of smell and different sensibilities.)

I read that mites can have a life-cycle of up to 30 days. After the cage is scrubbed, and the hedgehog is treated for X days, how long would it be before I could put in the mat and toys?

Obviously I'll head to a vet if there is quill loss or scabbing, but aside from a bit of scratching in her carrier and the mite I saw, I don't see any skin problems.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

If your hedgie has mites, it's best not to give oil bath or anything. Flea aren't mites so a flea treatment isn't the right thing. The safest treatment is a kitten dose of Revolution. But I think you should bring her to the vet to have confirmation and a wellness check up. The vet will give tou the dose for the Revolution.

I would keep my hedgie on fleece bedding instead of wood (that harbours mites) and wash it often. Maybe someone with mites experience can come in an suggest how much often.

I would definitely not use some sented stuff that kills/traps mites neat her. They have a pretty fragile respiratory system. Specially since I suspect this might be tea tree oil which is toxic for hedgehog.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Avoid Ivermectin/Ivomec at all costs. If your vet suggests it, REFUSE. This treatment is given via injection and has killed a number of hedgehogs, and made others very sick. Those who died did not go quietly; they died violently and suffered greatly. Avoid this mite treatment like the plague.

If you need to be convinced, read this. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6

Revolution - kitten dose, as was previously stated by FiaSpice - is the safest treatment.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Id go with fleece bedding also and wash often. If it were me I'd just make sure to change everything out everyday and wash down everything while giving the treatments. If you seen it run across the skin it almost sounds like maybe it is fleas. I would second taking the hedgie in just to get checked out and the vet should be able to tell if its fleas or something else. Definitely stay far far away from Invermectin its bad stuff and has ended tragically for lots of hedgies. Revolution is the safest choice.


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