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Old 07-16-2015, 10:34 AM   #1
Kiki_3173
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Default Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Kernel, my white long haired Syrian, has been scratching, losing hair, and has a few scratches and scabs so we went to the vet today. The vet took several skin scraping & pulled a few hairs to check for mites, but didn't see anything on the slide. He said, based on our discussion, he'd like to treat for mites and if that doesn't work, go from there. The vet suggested that I do a full cage clean just in case.

So, since I have a somewhat "natural" cage theme going, I was wondering what the going "rule" is about wooden items is? Do I throw it all out just in case or can it be sanitized?

Also, what would be the best way to sanitize his cage?
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Old 07-16-2015, 11:53 AM   #2
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Hi Kiki. Treating for mites won`t do any harm although if the slides didn`t show anything after samples were taken, I would be questioning why? It could be an allergy, an immune response to something or hormonal. Either way, if the treatment is just a spot on by the vet then I suppose it`s better to treat than not. Although mites or mange and other parasites do usually show up under a microscope.

Cleaning the cage/tank should just be a case of removing Kernel into a safe place to play where you can see him and dump everything from the cage into a bin or a bag. If you really want to do a full clean that is but I suspect that`s your plan due to Kernel`s itching!

You can use a capful of bleach or antibacterial washing up liquid and hot water. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a towel or kitchen paper. Add fresh substrate and nesting. You don`t need to soak it, just give it a good scrub.

Wooden items as they are can be soaked in a mild vinegar or hot water, but it could take a few days for them to dry naturally, so if you want to wash them/soak them, you could use a cardboard box or a shoe box as a substitute until the wooden stuff is completely dry?

Hope this helps. x
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Old 07-16-2015, 01:40 PM   #3
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Thanks for the response racinghamster! The vet gave him an ivermectin shot just in case and we will go back next week to get another. He also said it could be an allergy since I changed to a new stubstrate (one that has aspen, which Kernel has never had before). So, I'm going to go through with the ivermectin shots and a FULL cage clean, just in case, and go back to his old substrate he was on before. I'm hoping this all works...I know the other things that could be causing his hair loss are much harder to diagnose and much harder to treat. I figure if we rule these out...well, we'll at least know a bit more.

As for the wooden items...I have TONS that he's been on and around...from wooden houses to platforms to bridges. I don't mind cleaning them, as l'd hate to have to chuck all of that in the trash (not cheap). Do you think it's worth it? I also have a very nice seagrass hammock, but I guess that'll have to go in the trash bin too
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Old 07-17-2015, 01:20 PM   #4
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Wouldn't putting them all in the freezer do the trick? I do that with new wood items just in case they have woodworm or any other minute bugs! I also do it with hay things. 48 hours should do it - surely nothing could survive the deep freeze.

I'm not an expert on this but I'd have thought freezing would kill them - although I know head lice can survive hot and cold temperatures lol! They kind of hibernate a bit and then come awake again. I'll check this out with mites.

Apparently freezing will kill adults but to kill eggs it needs to be -70 degrees! I read somewhere else that baking wood items at 230 degrees c for 2 to 3 hours works, but I'd have thought it would get burned!

I think I would want to chuck everything - which would be a real shame if it isn't mites.

What you need is a definite diagnosis really. Could it be an allergy? Have you changed substrate or food recently?

Anyway if he is saying treat it as mites then I guess binning everything and starting from scratch would solve it.

The thread I read about baking said hoover out the cage before cleaning with a mix of half a cup of bleach to a gallon of water, because it said bleach doesn't kill the mites or their eggs, it just disinfects their droppings etc, so hoover it out first.
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Old 07-18-2015, 12:59 AM   #5
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Just noticed you mentioned changing the substrate? This can sometimes cause a reaction in hamsters so yes, I would switch back to what you were using and perhaps don`t do full cage cleans too often, or just remove half and replace with fresh and mix with the current? Doing so may reduce the incidence of itching, allergy or stress.

I`m not sure I would allow another Ivermectin injection if this vet is only doing so as a precaution. It`s a nerve agent. It`s usually used as a spot on (topically) on the skin. Injections are more direct, but they are also the point of no return if the hamster takes a bad reaction to the stuff once it`s in the body, so I would give this some thought before returning. x
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Old 07-18-2015, 02:43 AM   #6
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Good point RH - it could be an allergy to the new substrate. What did you change to and from?
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Old 07-18-2015, 04:58 AM   #7
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Quote:
Originally Posted by racinghamster View Post
Just noticed you mentioned changing the substrate? This can sometimes cause a reaction in hamsters so yes, I would switch back to what you were using and perhaps don`t do full cage cleans too often, or just remove half and replace with fresh and mix with the current? Doing so may reduce the incidence of itching, allergy or stress.

I`m not sure I would allow another Ivermectin injection if this vet is only doing so as a precaution. It`s a nerve agent. It`s usually used as a spot on (topically) on the skin. Injections are more direct, but they are also the point of no return if the hamster takes a bad reaction to the stuff once it`s in the body, so I would give this some thought before returning. x
Thanks for the info racinghamster! I have put him entirely back on the substrate he was on before. I usually try not to do a FULL cage clean. I've been doing about 1/3 of the cage and his nest if needed.

Interesting info about the Ivermectin. Do you think I should ask him to do it as a topical instead of an injection? Or should I just forgo the 2nd dose all together?


Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
Good point RH - it could be an allergy to the new substrate. What did you change to and from?
I had him on Kaytee Clean & Cozy (just the plain brown color...no scents or dye) and I switched to the Kaytee Clean & Cozy with aspen. It has blue Clean & Cozy substrate with aspen mixed in with it. He's never been on aspen substrate before, so maybe it is an allergy. I've gone back to the original substrate he was on. I've also taken out any and all wooden items in his cage as well as any platforms for now. The only types of items in his cage are ceramic or plastic.


I've attached some pics so you can see the thinning. He is a long hair, flesh eared, red eyed, white. You wouldn't know he was a long haired hamster by looking at the pics...all his beautiful tufts are gone
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_0765.JPG (95.5 KB, 20 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_0764.JPG (87.8 KB, 16 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_0766.JPG (95.5 KB, 16 views)

Last edited by Kiki_3173; 07-18-2015 at 05:06 AM.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:49 AM   #8
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

I may be wrong here but when I was around 18 years old my family and I adopted a pet quality Cardigan Welsh Corgi and he had Demodex Mange mites very badly and though he was not Long haired he had hair loss in the exact same areas that Kernel has in those photos. Our Vet required us to bring in Wee Willy Winky several times at different times of the day and once during the evening to do skin scrapings because he said the mites can be very seclusive at different times and temperatures where a scraping will not detect any mites. Especially if the animal has been treated or has just began to have an infestation of these kind of mites.
The first sign of this type mange mite is a thinning of the fur around the eyes which makes the face look like it has a mask on it. Then slowly the thinning hair appears on the sides and neck of the infested animal.

Though Ivermectin will work, the better and far safer medication for any type mites on Hamsters is Feline Revolution for kittens and small cats under 5 lbs. It is the choice of Rat and Mice breeders and showers, and it stays active in the hamster for 1 month, but can be reapplied as often as every two weeks. I have lost way to many Syrians to Ivermectin due to as was stated above by RH a major reaction to it EVEN when applied topically by a licensed and certified Small animal Vet. In the USA you can also use a cat flea product called Fiproguard Flea and tick spray for Kittens and cats sold at any Petsmart store to kill mites on Hamsters both large and small. It uses Fipronil which is the same ingredient found in Frontline topical flea treatments.

It is illegal in Canada so if in Canada Revolution is the best for you there. With all these other safer products out there I will not go back to Ivermectin for mite treatment.

However for treating the wood toys and stuff you can go to Tractor Supply Company and buy Pour on Ivermectin for Cattle and Swine and dilute the mix 1 part ivermectin to 6 parts water and soak the wood stuff in that mixture. The bad part of wood toys and mites is they lay their very tiny microscopic size eggs in every crack or unsealed edge, and even Boiling hot water will NOT kill the eggs. Because of this any toys or houses you treat with whatever medication will need to stay out of Kernels cage and in a freezer or direct Hot sun light for no less then 14 days, but is better to go 21 days so the eggs can hatch and the newly hatched mite nymphs can be killed before becoming of reproductive age. This is one reason I don't use wooden items in my cages any more.
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Old 07-18-2015, 10:12 AM   #9
Kiki_3173
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy's Hamsters View Post
I may be wrong here but when I was around 18 years old my family and I adopted a pet quality Cardigan Welsh Corgi and he had Demodex Mange mites very badly and though he was not Long haired he had hair loss in the exact same areas that Kernel has in those photos. Our Vet required us to bring in Wee Willy Winky several times at different times of the day and once during the evening to do skin scrapings because he said the mites can be very seclusive at different times and temperatures where a scraping will not detect any mites. Especially if the animal has been treated or has just began to have an infestation of these kind of mites.
The first sign of this type mange mite is a thinning of the fur around the eyes which makes the face look like it has a mask on it. Then slowly the thinning hair appears on the sides and neck of the infested animal.

Though Ivermectin will work, the better and far safer medication for any type mites on Hamsters is Feline Revolution for kittens and small cats under 5 lbs. It is the choice of Rat and Mice breeders and showers, and it stays active in the hamster for 1 month, but can be reapplied as often as every two weeks. I have lost way to many Syrians to Ivermectin due to as was stated above by RH a major reaction to it EVEN when applied topically by a licensed and certified Small animal Vet. In the USA you can also use a cat flea product called Fiproguard Flea and tick spray for Kittens and cats sold at any Petsmart store to kill mites on Hamsters both large and small. It uses Fipronil which is the same ingredient found in Frontline topical flea treatments.

It is illegal in Canada so if in Canada Revolution is the best for you there. With all these other safer products out there I will not go back to Ivermectin for mite treatment.

However for treating the wood toys and stuff you can go to Tractor Supply Company and buy Pour on Ivermectin for Cattle and Swine and dilute the mix 1 part ivermectin to 6 parts water and soak the wood stuff in that mixture. The bad part of wood toys and mites is they lay their very tiny microscopic size eggs in every crack or unsealed edge, and even Boiling hot water will NOT kill the eggs. Because of this any toys or houses you treat with whatever medication will need to stay out of Kernels cage and in a freezer or direct Hot sun light for no less then 14 days, but is better to go 21 days so the eggs can hatch and the newly hatched mite nymphs can be killed before becoming of reproductive age. This is one reason I don't use wooden items in my cages any more.
Thanks so much Nancy's Hamsters! What great information. Yes, I thought the hair thining around Kernel's eyes was odd looking & not something I've seen before, but certainly I will absolutely bring it up next Thursday at his next appointment.

As for the Feline Revolution & Fiproguard Flea and tick spray for Kittens and cats...I'd assume these have to be administered by a vet???

I LOVE the wooden piece I have for his cage, but it's becoming a daunting task just thinking about trying to sanitize all of them But thanks for the suggestion about pour on Ivermectin. What kinds of products do you use in your cages now (ceramic, plastic, resin)?

Last edited by Kiki_3173; 07-18-2015 at 11:08 AM.
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Old 07-18-2015, 10:36 AM   #10
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Default Re: Cage cleaning for possible mites??

I saw these two products in the pet store as I was getting Chinchilla sand for my Chinese hamsters cage...what do you all think? Could the Alive & Well be beneficial (in terms of boosting his immune system) for Kernel or would it proabaly pose more problems?

Oasis Alive & Well for Hamsters

Oasis Vita Drops for Hamsters
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