Mites or skin flakes?

[pika4444]

My hedgehogs skin has been very dry and I've noticed him losing quills. I've given him an oatmeal bath and put flaxseed oil in his food and on his back. I read mites look like small white things near the tips of the quills but I can't tell if that's what he has.

[pika4444]

Also he could be quilling I'm not sure. He's about a year and 2 months old.

[Gabby56]

It could just be quilling... Are the bulbs at the end ? (. Small ball shape at the base) if so mites chew and this would suggest quilling instead if the bulb is there. Black paper also shows mites.. if the flakes move it's nights if not bad skin. I actually rubbed coconut or baby oil on my boy as his skin was so bad just a bit of the towel as I dried him after a bath. He didn't have mites but I used revolution just as a precaution before realising he had a fungal infection causing him to go almost bald! I used athlete's foot cream inns toothbrush every other day for two weeks to cure him. However that was rare and I'm guessing quilling is the case . Hope that helps x

[nikki]

They don't quill at that age and having the bulb doesn't mean anything, that's an old wives tale. You can't always tell if they have mites by looking at them. Is he itching? It could be mites, dry skin, bacteria or a fungal infection.