Mites

Question
Hi Sheila, HELP! As you know I have several hamsters that I've homed from a local rescue. I am just sick; the last one I adopted appears to have mites. I say that because of his constant desperiate scratching. I took him to the vet, there was no sign of fungus, and no visible bugs but his skin was all irritated. I think one of the others might have it now and I'm terrified that it's going to spread. The vet said it is likely mites and is treating him like it is. I am very careful to wash between hamsters and they each have their own bin with toys, so they are never in each other's space. Their cages are very close together however. The exception is the scale, which I was changing tissues out of between each weighing. Can the mites get into the environment?? I thought you can see them. How do they travel....fast like fleas??? I've read different things and they seem to contradict each other. I have separated the two cages away from the others and I'm holding my breath. How long before I would know if it's all gone wrong?? Any suggestions. Devastated, KJ

Answer
Hi

Sorry to hear you are having problems with mites.  The problem is that mites can come on bedding etc. and they are pretty much impossible to see. Also, all hamsters have them to a certain degree, but there are triggers that cause them to multiply.  Often when a hamster is very old or their immune system is run down you find that mites/mange become an issue, but a healthy hamster is usually OK.  Also, sleeping in bedding that is infested will definitely cause them to be passed onto the hamster.

What type of hamsters are they affecting?  If these are Syrians, then treatment is relatively easy in that a couple of doses of Ivermectin are needed - this is usually applied externally to the back of the neck and repeated a few weeks later to kill the next generation of mites.  This can be bought either from a vet (although it can be expensive as you end up paying a consultation charge for one drop of medication!) or you can buy it in the form of an anti parasite medication made by Beaphar - but do make sure it is the one designed for hamsters as they have several available.  It is also worth seeing if you can get a different type of bedding to try or for a few days just put in some paper towels.  The cage will need cleaning daily as it will soil easily, but this might help eliminate a possible cause.  'Normal' bedding can be reintroduced once the situation is under control.

However, if these are dwarf hamsters then the treatment is very difficult.  This is because when treating Syrians you only need one drop of Ivermectin and therefore trying to determine the safe dosage for a dwarf is almost impossible. A lot of vets I have heard of won't risk treating them.  I checked with Beaphar and their small animal anti parasite medication isn't safe for dwarf hamsters.

A danger is that if they scratch themselves and break the skin then they are prone to infection, so it is important to keep the area clean, and it might worth applying something like aloe vera (there are some varieties that are made specially for animals.  I tend to snap off a leaf off my aloe vera plant and use this when necessary as it is totally natural) as this is good for skin irritation, or teatree cream (this is sold in pet shops but check the make you are getting is safe for hamsters) as this is a natural antiseptic.  Whilst these won't kill any mites they might calm the area down and make it a bit easier for the hamster.

What medication has your vet prescribed to treat them?  Any treatment for mites must be repeated as the first dosage kills some of them but they can lay eggs in amongst the fur and therefore at least one follow up treatment is always needed 2 or 3 weeks later to try and kill off this generation.  There are some bedding sprays that you can use to kill parasites - again, make sure it says it is safe for hamsters in case it is too strong, but this might be an option too.

Whilst hamsters can pick up mites from bedding etc. they often all have mites to a certain degree.  When a hamster gets old or their immune system is run down they can become over-run with mites.  I think that a hamster would have to come into direct contact with them to catch them - rather than just in a cage next door.  All of my hamster cages are in very close proximity to one another and I've not been aware of several getting them at the same time.  However, this could be a possibility.  However, when more than one (such as dwarf) are living together they both tend to get them at the same time.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila