>> I've rescued lots of petstore gerbils, and most do fine once you've
>> got them healthy and happy..........
>> Despite quarantine of very strict measures I got ANOTHER mite infestation
>>that took me a long time to quash....sigh] >>
>
>How can you tell if a gerbil has mites? I rescued one that had her tail
>chewed up. The tail healed and the hair grew back, but she still has weird
>black marks just above the base of her tail. She doesn't seem itchy.
They are either pinpoint dustspecks that you can barely see move,
tiny black or red things that do move. You handle the animal, they
get on you...and the bites really ITCH and may raise welts on you.
Believe me, if you have mites, you know about it fast.
Wrap an animal loosely in a white paper towel, leaving their head
stick out, and watch around the head on the toweling. If they have
mites you'll see them jumping off onto the paper towel within a
minute....
Pyrenthin spray (available at pet stores) in 0.66% active ingredients
will kill them, as long as you're really thorough about cleaning and
spraying and keeping at it. Bird mite spray is only 0.33% active
and will work but not as well.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
[#CO 07 AGS]
Colorado Springs, Colorado
