Mites

[HedgieSpirit]

Shortly after buying Chloe I noticed that she was a very itchy hedgehog so I took her to the vet to get treated for mites. Her first vet visit went very well. Everyone loved her at the vet's office and couldn't believe how social she was :D During that visit she got a skin scraping and shot. The second visit did not go so well... :| I'm pretty sure Chloe remember the vet's scent and the unpleasant shot that came with her smell. As soon as the vet picked her up, Chloe bit her! :laugh: Silly girl. Well tomorrow she goes in for her third (and hopefully final) shot. They are doing another skin scraping to see if she will need further treatment. *crosses fingers* I'm hoping that since I cought the infestation early on (she was only 5 weeks old) it won't be too hard to get rid of...So wish us luck at the vet's tomorrow! Hopefully everything will go well and the vet will have good news for us!

[Sarah+Sonic]

Revolution is being regarded as a better choice then ivermectin for mites-for several reasons. I would show articles to your vet next time(Tigs book). Also, most hedgehogs are itchy, but it can be quilling/growing, dry air/skin, diet related, etc. My vet told me many skin scrapings are inconclusive/unreliable,especially as the hedgie is resisting it. ;) There is also the theory that all-most hedgehogs carry mites at all-most times, only getting outbreaks during stressful times-like moving to a new home, or getting sick,etc...

Also, aren't the shots a week apart? If shes 5 weeks now (she shouldnt even be WEANED, let alone sold) When did this start? When did you get her? Was a breeder selling 5wk old hedgies?:(

[HedgieSpirit]

She did not resist her first skin scraping and I saw the mites under the microscope for myself. She definately has mites and lots of them. She is not 5 weeks old now, on Sunday she will be 9 weeks old. Sorry for the confusion about that. Yes I did get her at 5 weeks. At the time I was a bit uneasy about it but the breeder insisted she was ready. Since he was the only person with hogs available less than 5 hours away, I believed him and took her home. Since then I keep reading not to adopt them before 6 weeks of age. But Chloe is doing fine. She eats fine and the vet says she is growing. The man I got her from is not a regular breeder so he should not be selling any more hedgies too early.

[HedgieSpirit]

I just got back from the vet and it didn't go much better than the second visit. Chloe wouldn't unroll for the vet and was huffing alot so she could not get a good skin scraping. Chloe got her third shot and we have another appointment in two weeks to try another skin scraping. On our first visit, we mentioned Revolution and since Chloe is one of her first Hedgehog patients, she was unfarmiliar with it. We started the invermectin because it was readily available that day and we wanted to start treatment ASAP. I'll mention Revolution again and give her some articles about it during our next visit. I am very pleased with our vet, she is very willing to learn from Chloe and consults experienced hedgie vets before treating her.

[Lauren]

I agree with Revolution is the way to go. I just got over about a month ago my first mite infestation with my herd. I just called the vet up and didn't even have to bring them in becuase I was able to see them on the hedgies. We were able to just go and pick up the Revoultion and put a few drops on each hedgehog. Once putting the drops on the hedgies we cleaned everything in their cages and washed everything with bleach. After that one-two drops on each hedgehog, knock on wood, the mites are gone.

Taking your hedgehog to get skin scrapings doesn't always work either. I would say if you deffidently think your hedgehog has mites (by realizing the right signs that mites cause) then you should just call your vet and have them get you some meds. Getting the skin scrapings is very stressful for them too, and its better safe than sorry (as we know the Revolution doesn't cause any long term effects on hedgehogs). Anyways good luck with getting her mites taken care of and I would really go for Revolution, its VERY effective in getting rid of them in usually one dose sometimes two.

[Q-Bert's Mom]

Lauren, have there been any long term studies done on Revolution and hedgehogs? Has it been proven that there are no long term effects on hedgies? I'm asking because I have been treating my guy, Q-Bert, with it this year and I've been in contact with a vet recently that thinks it may cause liver toxicity. I was just wondering if you (or anyone else for that matter) know of any studies with Revolution and hedgies. I'd definately be interested in reading about it. Thanks so much!

[nannyogg]

There aren't any long term studies done in a scientific environment, but we have used it on our herd in 1999, 2000, and 2003. I used it on all hedgies in our herd each time, including immune compromised (cancer patient), pregnant/lactating mothers, and weanlings. At no time has there been any increase in any particular type of problem noted. Our herd size was approximately 40 to 60 each time, and some hedgies were with us through all three times (and some are still with us- our oldest was born in June of 1998). I also know of one person who either didn't hear what their vet said or their vet majorly screwed up the calculations and gave megadoses way beyond what is actually needed. She later placed about half a dozen of those animals with people I know, and all the ones we followed lived very normal (some much longer than average) lifespans. So, there is certainly some field evidence that suggests it isn't related to increases in any particular types of problems.


Tig

[HedgieSpirit]

Where can I find an article about it to give to my vet?

[Lauren]

On Tig's website there is an article that she wrote. http://hedgehogvalley.com/mites.html

[HedgieSpirit]

Alright, thanks. I'll be sure to print that off and show it to my vet.