Hedgehog Central banner

Mites!

4K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  gracefulchaos01 
#1 ·
So as you may know, we all think Shelby has mites. The vet says she will be good then it will get horrible, then it will be ok and gone. Is this true?

4 days ago, her skin was improving, and then last night I took her out, and it horrible and it has red blotches and losing a TON of quills, and flaky skin with gunk at the beginning of some of her quills. So I think after this "stage" of dry, horrible skin she will be ok?
 
#2 ·
I had two hedgehogs that had mites- Molly had a severe mite infestation and Mason caught it from Molly, so he was treated quickly. Mason didn't have nearly as many problems with the treatment as Molly did. He didn't lose quills or anything.
With Molly, she lost a lot of quills (to the point where she had bald patches) and she had red sores with pus and discharge. She also had dry skin. The vet gave me cream to put on the sores.
It turned out that Molly also had ringworm. So I don't know what role the ringworm played in her symptoms. Mason didn't have ringworm and he didn't have any dry skin.
Did your vet test for ringworm or other infections? If she is losing a lot of quills and her skin looks yucky, I would suggest having her tested just in case.
 
#4 ·
Ringworm can't kill hedgehogs (at least that was how I understood it). But ringworm won't go away unless it's treated and you can catch ringworm from your hedgie.
I got Molly from a pet store as I felt bad for her as the cage she was in was far too small and didn't have a wheel, etc.
If I remember correctly, they started treating her for mites and I think at that time the vet also decided to check for ringworm as she was in pretty rough shape. I do remember treating Molly for ringworm and mites at the same time.
 
#6 ·
Revolution treats mites but not ringworm. I can't remember the medication that was used for ringworm as it was a couple of years ago now. I do remember that it came in a syringe and I had to inject the medication into a mealworm and have Molly eat the mealworm to get the medication. It sounds gross, but it was actually kind of fun shooting up mealworms.
 
#7 ·
Just for future reference, it'd be best for you to keep discussions about one health issue all on the same thread. :) There's no need to create multiple threads to update about the same issue or ask more questions. It's more helpful to have the history & see what's already been covered.

I agree with Melanie that it may be a good idea to go back to test for skin infections, just in case. Make sure you're cleaning her cage daily and changing bedding daily until you can get things resolved.

Edit: Like I've said before, Revolution ONLY takes care of mites and other external parasites. Skin infections, whether they're bacterial, fungal, or yeast, all require different medications. From the sounds of her skin, personally I would head back to the vet to get her tested for other issues.
 
#9 ·
Honestly, what you're describing doesn't sound like mites to me. Yes, I could see mites getting worse before getting better - damaged quills continue to fall out, even after mites have been killed. And it's possible that eggs will start to hatch before the second treatment, which could cause a regression. I don't remember if Lily's got super bad before we had an improvement though. I do remember her losing tons of quills, and that continued for quite a while into treatment. But that was due to damage from the mites. I don't recall her skin looking anything like what you're describing.
 
#10 ·
Like I said, Mason had mites and he didn't have any skin problems. He didn't even lose that many quills compared to Molly. If Molly was looking the way you are describing your hedgie, I would have brought Molly back to the vet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lilysmommy
#12 ·
A fungal or bacterial infection probably won't kill her but it will make her extremely uncomfortable, think how you would feel if you were itchy all over and had skin like hers. What they could do is cause her to scratch so much that she ends up with sores or scratches out an eye etc. Its not something that can be left untreated.
 
#19 ·
Huh, that's not my experience at all. My girl immediately stopped losing huge numbers of quills, like by the first night after her first dose, which I thought was odd... But she has continued to do well, and I've only seen a few quills lost within the two-week ranges between doses. The only real issue I had is that Revolution seems to dry my girl's skin out, but oil solves that.
 
#20 ·
As Nikki said, there is no way around this. You need to take her back in to the vet to have her tested for skin infections. Don't try any home remedies, and don't use oil. I'm not sure why you keep asking if this kind of thing will kill her. Regardless of how dangerous it is, it's definitely not comfortable for her, and you've already been told numerous times that it requires vet attention and treatment. I understand you may just want to know more about the issue, but that's information the vet can give you once you get her back in and find out what's actually going on. I don't know what more we can tell you. Take her to the vet.
 
#21 ·
My baby girl Sonic has mites. She has had her second dose of medication ( I'm assuming that it is Revolution). Before I brought her to the vet, I noticed she wasn't being active and her skin looked crusty. After her first dose, she started acting like a Super Hedgie!! Like a cat on catnip! Within a week, her quills started falling out, and now it is to the point that when I clean her cage every couple of days, there is about 30-50 that I am finding on the newspaper. I can tell she is feeling better, so I hope it's like you said "bad before better". The vet said she will need 3-5 shots. Is that right?
 
#22 ·
just FYI, if your hedgie is getting shots, she is not getting Revolution. Revolution is a topical treatment. For mites there is a treatment called Ivermectin and it is given through a shot. I would speak very closely with your veterinarian about the dangers of Ivermectin and why it was chosen as the mite treatment. Revolution is safe for hedgehogs and treats most mite infestations with no problem, or danger to the hedgehog. My veterinarian advised me the only reason she would use Ivermectin would be for certain types of mite infections that Revolution simply cannot treat, such as ear mites. Ivermectin has been known to kill many a hedgehog and it happens, from what I understand, at the 2nd or 3rd dose. Something about the medication building up in the system. I'm not exactly sure the details, but I do know that for many hedgehogs, Ivermectin = death. So, speak with your Vet about this, discuss your treatment options, and ask for a full guarantee that the Ivermectin will not kill your hedgehog and if it does, will you be fully reimbursed for the cost of treatment, necropsy, and cremation of your beloved pet? I found this to be an effective strategy for pushy vets.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top