A little bug photobombed my picture!

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Thu 09 Mar 2017, 11:20 pm

I was taking pictures of the new girl and all the sudden, I saw this little bug hopping around in her fur! It was black and very tiny. My first thought was mites, and I thought "Well, it was probably just a mite, nothing too serious". Then, I showed my dad the picture and he said it looked like a flea. Shocked

Opinions? Is it necessary to see a vet if it's a flea, or can ivermectin treat that? She's not scratching constantly, and seems happy. Confused

A little bug photobombed my picture! Img_4016

A little bug photobombed my picture! Img_4015

A little bug photobombed my picture! Img_4014

by **scaredymouse** on Thu 09 Mar 2017, 11:44 pm

It's not a mite but it most certainly *could* be a flea. It's possible It's just one flea. On occasion I find one flea and nothing ever comes of it. However, fleas are serious business.

Tell me again, do you have any other furry pets? Check all the animals in your house for fleas, check your body for any visible bite marks. If you can't find any fleas or bites, I wouldn't worry just yet.

I've never had to treat for fleas but I'm pretty sure its detailed in the sticky that covers mites. What happened to the bug that was on the mouse?.

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Thu 09 Mar 2017, 11:56 pm

@scaredymouse wrote:It's not a mite but it most certainly *could* be a flea. It's possible It's just one flea. On occasion I find one flea and nothing ever comes of it. However, fleas are serious business.

Tell me again, do you have any other furry pets? Check all the animals in your house for fleas, check your body for any visible bite marks. If you can't find any fleas or bites, I wouldn't worry just yet.

I've never had to treat for fleas but I'm pretty sure its detailed in the sticky that covers mites. What happened to the bug that was on the mouse?.

She just came home hours ago, so it would probably be from the pet store. I doubt anything from our other pets could've transferred to her already. However, we have 2 dogs, one that is treated for fleas on occasion as a preventative, and also treated if we notice any on her. Our other dog has terrible reactions to flea collars, medicine, you name it, last time we used a flea collar on her, she acted as if her back legs weren't working! We totally stopped use of it on her. However, we haven't noticed any fleas on her at all, for years. She is mostly an inside dog. Then my dad has a ton of reptiles. Lizards, turtles, and tortoises. He hasn't noticed any bugs on them, though. In my pet room, I currently have 10 mice and 1 syrian hamster. Then there's the rabbit that's in my care temporarily, but he stays outside, so that's obviously not the problem. The little bug was pretty jumpy so it was hard to track, but I'm pretty sure it just went back in her fur.

by **Peachy** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 12:05 am

Looks (and sounds) like a flea. Ivermectin should take care of it, and you should be treating for mites anyway.

My mice haven't had fleas, but my gerbils did. I didn't know how to treat gerbils, but usually emptying the bedding took care of it easy peasy. My cats sat on their bin and must have dropped some fleas in while grooming. Rolling Eyes

We treat monthly, but this year we plan to spray the yard too, so hopefully the other pets won't bring fleas inside!

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 12:17 am

@Peachy wrote:Looks (and sounds) like a flea. Ivermectin should take care of it, and you should be treating for mites anyway.

My mice haven't had fleas, but my gerbils did. I didn't know how to treat gerbils, but usually emptying the bedding took care of it easy peasy. My cats sat on their bin and must have dropped some fleas in while grooming. We treat monthly, but this year we plan to spray the yard too, so hopefully the other pets won't bring fleas inside!

Wait, so I need to treat 10 mice with that stuff? Shocked

I've never bought it before so I'm not sure what to buy, does this work: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-ivermectin-pour-on-250-ml?cm_vc=-10005 ?

Is it easy to do?

by **Peachy** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 12:35 am

Mites are so, so common in mice that didn't come from someone reputable... so yes, ideally any mice that come into your home get treated with ivermectin as a part of quarantine. Often, even if they aren't showing symptoms yet, mites are still there. Ivermectin will take care of any infestation as well as work as a preventative for up to 6 months.

That's the right stuff, that you linked to. In the thread regarding this (hair loss, itching, and whatever) there's a link to the same product on Amazon as well as instructions on how to use it. It is pretty simple" but we'd be happy to help if you need anything clarified. Smile

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 12:42 am

@Peachy wrote:Mites are so, so common in mice that didn't come from someone reputable... so yes, ideally any mice that come into your home get treated with ivermectin as a part of quarantine. Often, even if they aren't showing symptoms yet, mites are still there. Ivermectin will take care of any infestation as well as work as a preventative for up to 6 months.

That's the right stuff, that you linked to. In the thread regarding this (hair loss, itching, and whatever) there's a link to the same product on Amazon as well as instructions on how to use it. It is pretty simple" but we'd be happy to help if you need anything clarified.

Ok. I will buy that medicine probably this weekend and start treating 10 mice lol. Scout is probably going to be the hardest because at the moment, he hates me. Laughing

It's not anything super urgent, right? It can wait a few days until I get to the store to get the medicine? Also, is the treatment of the toys and such necessary for all my mice? Or just the new girls that I spotted the flea on?

Edit: I'm also a bit scared to treat Holly. She's just so much more fragile and seems weaker than the other mice, I'm not sure her body can handle it. She's healthy, just sooooo tiny and fragile. Can she handle the medicine?

by CallaLily on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 7:59 am

Honestly, I've only ever treated the mice. I never treated toys or bedding. Pardon

Holly should be fine. You'll be diluting the ivermectin (1 part ivermectin, 5 parts water) and just putting a drop in between their shoulder blades. I've been treating my 3 new girls and I found it easiest to pick them up in a tube and put the drop on their back like that. I don't know if it's just these new 3 behave or if using the tube has made it easier for me. Not that it was ever hard, just mice can be squirmy. I use syringes like these, but mine are leftover from the vet. In the past I messed up the dosage and treated my mice with 0.05 ml instead of the 0.01 that the directions say and I never noticed any problems from that mistake, so I really think Holly will be ok.

And they'll be fine until your order comes in.

by **Peachy** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 6:41 pm

What CallaLily said. Smile

I think treating the environment is more important if you're dealing with lice than with mites. Eventually, any mites that are in the environment will make their way to the mice and die off.

The previous forum's owner said that this ivermectin treatment has been used on little hairless babies, so adult mice should be able to handle it without any issues. If you're still concerned it'd be a good idea to consult with a vet.

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 7:48 pm

So my parents and I are kinda freaking out. Lol.

I was able to get it today. However, I wasn't permitted to buy it myself since I'm a minor. My parents had to buy it for me and they asked for their date of birth. It was all locked up in a glass case too. There are warnings all over saying this is a restricted drug by the state of California and should only be used as explained on the packaging. It also says you need to wear gloves when working with the drug, and avoid contact with skin, as it can cause irritation. My dad keeps telling me "Try it on 1 or 2 mice first just to make sure it won't hurt them" and "You don't want to hurt them while trying to help them". All this is freaking me out and I'm scared to even try it. Worry

I also feel it might be illegal....? As it says that the drug is restricted by my state and should only be used on cattle as directed.

by CallaLily on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 7:56 pm

It is safe for the mice as long as you follow the directions on the page I linked above. I've treated all my mice with it. Many others have too.

But all that said, if you and your parents are too nervous to use it, you could probably return it and just take your mice to the vet. Just make sure they don't try to use oral ivermectin - only topical.....or more likely they'll use Revolution and that's ok too.

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 8:04 pm

@CallaLily wrote:It is safe for the mice as long as you follow the directions on the page I linked above. I've treated all my mice with it. Many others have too.

But all that said, if you and your parents are too nervous to use it, you could probably return it and just take your mice to the vet. Just make sure they don't try to use oral ivermectin - only topical.....or more likely they'll use Revolution and that's ok too.

I really don't want to take them to vet if they don't need it. I will probably use it, I'm just a little scared to. But if most of the people here have used it and it was fine, I'm sure it'll be ok. It says to rub it into their fur with your finger - should I use rubber gloves? Or is it safe to use your finger as long as you wash it off afterwards?

by CallaLily on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 8:29 pm

Honestly, I just wash my hands after handling it but you could use gloves if you wanted to be extra careful.

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 8:47 pm

Oh man that stuff smells NASTY. Sick

For now I'm just going to put it on the girl I saw the flea on. I think just every week when I clean their cages, I will put a drop on each mouse when I take them out. (For 3 weeks). But I want to treat this girl right now, since I know she has bugs on her for sure.

by **AnonymousMouseOwner** on Fri 10 Mar 2017, 9:14 pm

Ok - I treated my new little girl, that I named Willow.

I accidentally got 2 drops on her though, she'll be ok right? I tried to wipe some off but it already soaked into her fur so it didn't really work. I couldn't really spread it around well either because she was squirmy, tiny, and quick, and just wanted to get away. I was able to keep her distracted for a few minutes but definitely not 10 minutes like the health packet said. She started to groom herself after probably 2 or 3 minutes. With all that said, will it be ok for her and effective?

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