persistent mouse mites.

Question
QUESTION: Hi Natasha,
I read what you had answered to someone else regarding mouse mites. However, what if the 8-1 is not effective? I have a mouse who's been scratching constantly and as a result, now has bald patches on her shoulders. We used the 8-1 Flea and Tick as directed, but she just continues to scratch.
I cannot afford a vet visit for this poor critter. It's $73 just for them to look at her. That's not including any treatment.
Do you have any other suggestions?


ANSWER: Dear Alison,

Unfortunately, I don't think there is anything else over the counter to deal with mouse mites. A vet would have access to a drug called Ivermectin, which is put as a drop of liquid on the mouse. I have heard it is possible to get this for horses, but it would be dangerous to try to figure out the dosage for a tiny mouse.

First, did you use the stronger spray for rodents or did you use the bird spray that I recommend for fragile mice? Did you treat all the mice? Did you clean the cage and throw away paper or wooden objects, washing plastic or glass ones?  Did you do the treatment twice, 7-10 days apart?

if the answer to these questions is yes, then I recommend treating again. You can treat once a week, though only if completely necessary.

It's also possible that the litter you are using is contaminated.  The way to resolve this is to freeze the litter for 24 hours before using it.  Of course if you are freezing a large amount it should be longer than that, since it will take a while for the center to get cold.

The other issue is, of course, what if it isn't mites? Only a vet can tell, because they can put a skin sample under a microscope.  

I hope freezing the litter and treating again wil resolve your issue.  I wish the best of luck to the little mouse.

squeaks, Natasha




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for you response. I have another question, if you don't mind:
I just realized that I did not shake the bottle for either of the 2 treatments she received. Could this affect the treatment?

I did purchase the spray for rodents, not birds. Can it be diluted with water to make it milder?

I am going to wait a couple of days before a do another treatment and in the meantime, freeze her bedding.


Thanks for your help!
Alison  

Answer
Dear Alison,

Yes, shaking the bottle is *very* important.  Probably the water separates from the insecticide.  

I actually learned this from unfortunate personal experience.  I have learned through sad experience to test everything I put on the mice, on myself.  I don't recommend this because I don't want to poison anyone, but what I do is put a drop on the inside of my lip (I do NOT recommend this.  And I already did the test, so you know).  So I did that-- without shaking the bottle-- and it didn't hurt. So I put it on my naked mouse (she had lost her fur due to mites).  But I shook it this time.  Well, this is how I learned that one ought to start with the more dilute bird spray.  She was in a lot of pain, squeaking and jumping.  Her skin was already very compromised by previous poorly-advised treatments of other chemicals.  It was so sad.  So I tried it on my lip again-- this time I shook it-- and it hurt.  The experience with this poor little mouse, the tragic details of which I won't describe, was what made me decide to volunteer for this site.  I had gotten a lot of bad advice which put my mouse through a lot of pain. So I wanted to help other mice not go through that.

Of my other mice, four didn't care about the spray at all, and one was in some pain.  This is why, in mild cases, I recommend the bird spray.  But your case is not mild.  Diluting it would also make it less effective. Hopefully your mouse doesn't have super sensitive skin.  You should probably treat twice again.

I hope this solves your problem.     

best of luck.

squeaks,

Natasha