Mites: how quickly does treatment work?

[wildiris]

My duprasi picked up mites somehow, and I treated him using the method recommended on this forum (thank you!). It’s been almost 48 hours since I dosed him with the tiniest possible drop of Frontline, and I thought the scratching had slowed down, but I just caught him in the midst of a scratch fest. In your experience, how long should it take for the mites to die off and stop biting him? Or is he just still itchy from old bites? TIA!

[betty]

Hey wildiris - mites can be picked up from hay and other plant material very easily so there is that part first.

Secondly - mites (just like fleas and other parasites) aren't just on the animal themselves - they are in the whole environment. So I'm not sure if you also - at the same time as treating your little one - totally disinfected the whole enclosure, everything in it (or what was or will again be in it) and everything around it. Also getting rid of any hay or other substrates or freezing them at least to kill off any other bugs or mites that could have been the source.

If you haven't done the most thorough of cleans like this - then the mites might never go away regardless of the treatments on the pet as you are only killing off a very small percentage.

However, thirdly - I didn't think Frontline was the usual mite treatment used for small animals, so I would certainly consider checking the 'drop' site to see if it is red or sore because of that. I have always heard of Ivermectin being used for gerbils - so not sure what the differences are. Was it a rodent version of Frontline you used or was it recommeded by a vet or other gerbil breeder? Certainly worth knowing if another treatment is suggested as safe for gerbil use.

[wildiris]

Thank you betty for such a thoughtful response! I did indeed do a deep clean, per the instructions in this admin post: gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/11597/oh-mites

I also got the Frontline idea from that post, and I did run it by my breeder as well. Her response was that she prefers kitten Revolution, but it would do in a pinch, as I was not able to get to a vet before the weekend and wanted him to be comfortable ASAP.

Pretty sure the mites originated with house mice in the walls of my old building, so I treated the perimeter of my apartment and will scatter diatomaceous earth in case of stragglers—and keep him off the floor to be safe. A shame, as he loves his playpen! I also froze all his toys. I will keep an eye on him and seek professional help if the problems continue.

[betty]

Great tips there wildiris - and I am hearing more and more about the Diatomaceous Earth (DE) right now for infestations - so great to hear that someone else had tried it as a solution too.

I'd not heard of kitten Revolution, so that is a new one on me at least - will take a look online.


Fingers crossed for you both.