# Mice Lice



## flutterbybutterfly (May 31, 2010)

Hi all

I have had a few problems with my newish mice and its partly my fault. I think where they came from they were kept in a really hot room/building and the backrooms at the shop are cool, still warm enough to wear a tshirt and not get goosebumps but i now find out my other half has been leaving doors open all day and freezing my rodents.

My mice went from doing great to suddenly losing their weight overnight andfeeling cold and hunched up, it was only today i found out my other half was leaving doors open but yesterday i had a small syringe and fed them all warm lactol and Dioralyte fluids replacement and within 10 minutes they were all back to normal, running about and munching seedy treats.

Then today they were all huddled up and cold again (both groups) and they have those blasted mice lice, i dont know that they are mites as such, they are more louse like and white and tiny tiny, the mice look dusty!!! Even more annoyed as half the females are pregnant.

What treatments are there out there for lice/mites? Is there anything over the counter as i dont want to go to the vets every time a single mouse has mites/lice because i dont want to take all of them in (they will insist on seeing all of them to give me enough medication).

For now, they have been cleaned out, cages disinfected, all toys removed for now and a huge nest to keep them warm, a huge pile of food and seeds and lactol soaked bread and i also diluted some frontline almost to almost pointlessness and wiped a tiny bit on them, it was a do or die think really, i've only been back from the shop and ani als since midnight!!

I lost one of my males, really hacked off about that, he had a perfect band and was lovely.

What does everyone else do because i want to have a dilute spray to spray all the animals in the room because the blighters spread like wildfire!!

Cheers


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I think the parasites are likely to be sapping their strength.I have my shed door open 24/7 at this time of year with no ill effects.I use frontline spray on mine,available only on prescription in the u.k but easily obtainable on ebay from other countries.It's good as it stays on the coat and will kill parasites that hatch after the original treatment.That said as it's urgent any over the counter product that is safe for cage birds will do for now.If you don't have to many you could buy spot on but it's not practical for lots of mice.Or if you know any g.pig breeders then you might be able to buy a decent amount of ivermectin from them.You can do a lot of mice with frontline spray.


----------



## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

I use an Ivermectin spot on for cage birds and it goes a very long way (and is excellent!). It *IS* quite expensive though and as I'm not at home right now, I can't remember the name of it.


----------



## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

If you can find the kind of ivermectin spray used for cattle (Iver-On in the US), you can dilute it 1 part medicine to 5 parts water and it works well. It is pricey but it lasts for basically ever since it's meant for giant animals like cattle and on top of that, you dilute it.


----------



## Kallan (Aug 16, 2009)

Xeno spot-on is good, one tube of the 50 stuff will do 2 mice at least. They come in boxes of 9 pipettes so that's 18 mice covered.

Also Stronghold - one drop from a 15 mg pipette is enough for a mouse.

You can get Beaphar spot-on from Pets At Home and probably other pet shops - it's the same as Xeno but prescription free (but slightly more expensive).


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I do think that in some cases you get what you pay for and the better products get rid of the problem .Some of the cheaper over the counter stuff doesn't and you have to buy more of it,so not as cost effective as you would first think.


----------



## flutterbybutterfly (May 31, 2010)

Sorry, left my computer at work!!

The frontline did the shop, i was terrified! Im probably abit too honest but like everyone, i muck up sometimes, i worked on a farm last time ihad mice and got some frontline and i diluted it LOADS, but seriously, at 1:5 ... within 2 minutes of spraying my tank of growing on males (about 20 mice) were all having fits or dead. I cant think of it without welling up as i felt so guilty, they were feeders to be fair but not a nice way to go and i couldnt use them due to the meds!!

Thats why i was so scared...

That said, i used cat/dog frontline diltuted and with the cleaning out and bleaching, mice were back to normal by morning  i forget how scraggy and awful mice go very quickly, im more used to hamsters who hide it to last minutes.

The mice look great andmost are pregnant  I might get a bigger Cage and move all 9 in together, i love colonies and have had nothing but good experience but i wont sort any mice untill i have the litters at an age to sort out 

That you for your information, it makes me think im not the only one to experience these lice things (What are they, lice or mites? they are barely visable and white..)

What causes them? Could they have been carrying them, i havent had the mice long and im thinking with the times i've had them before was when i got new mice...

Thanks, Gem


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

they sound like mites but it doesn't really make a difference.You have either bought mice that were already carrying them or introduced them in bedding such as hay.Are you sure it was the dog frontline you used.I've been using it for years,undiluted and had no side effects,not even on pinkies.Regular cleaning helps prevent a big build up of mites.They breed in the litter not on the animals.I spray my mice twice yearly as a precaution but it's not necessary if you have good eyes and are vigilant.I also spray my shed with duramitex twice a year which kills them in the cracks and crevices but is more suitable for outside use.Don't blame yourself,I also learnt from having an outbreak and I didnt recognise the problem before their health was affected.If you have reptiles it might be worth checking whether they have mites.Not sure if they are always species specific but I do know reptiles are affected.


----------



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

The Iver-On, diluted 5 to 1 with water, has been working well for me.


----------



## Maplewood Stud (Jan 2, 2009)

sarah whats the frontline u use x


----------



## flutterbybutterfly (May 31, 2010)

The mice are lookin great, they went downhill overnight!!

My reptiles are kept at home, nowhere near rodents nad always wash well between places, snake mites wont affect the rodents, completely different and much more nasty, if they get on your hands, you can watch them try bury into your skin!!! Gross!!! much bigger, rounder and black.

The mice lice things were white and all sat in the tips of their fur. It may have been the shavings i guess but not affected any of my other rodents and they were all cleaned out on the same day with same shavings, the sealed [email protected] bale.

Either way, they are all lookin great now 

Gemma

And btw, it was the farm strength frontline much watered down that i had trouble with


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

just the normal spray for dogs that you get from the vets.Anything that moves here gets frontlined.It's safe on the pinkies although I don't actually spray them,they get covered from the mothers.I put groups in a container and do them.Glad the parasite problem is cleared.I think weather conditions are good for parasites this year,I've removed two ticks off of the dogs in a week.Very unusual.


----------



## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

The white things you're describing sounds like you were seeing the eggs that were stuck onto the fur. Glad you're sorted now though.


----------



## LimaMikeSquared (Jul 14, 2010)

I had a lice problem about a week into keeping them, I gave them some dried mealworms - I think this is where they come from, especially if they have been hoarding them away.

I use Nature's Way reptile mite stuff in a diluted solution and Ardap on the tanks after cleaning them out. I am still keeping up the regular cleaning and spraying of the tanks and mice in case there were any eggs or tiny hatchlings. These lice were like dust sized specs and red/brown in colour. Hopefully this will do the trick.

Is it possible that out of control mites/lice can kill the mice? Mine went how the OPs did, fine one minute and literally overnight huddled in a corner - not moving or drinking or eating.

Hopefully I have my last female all sorted now - She has one of my Mum's Breeder Feeders to keep her company, she now a pet/future nanny.

Julie x


----------



## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

heavy infestations can kill as they are blood suckers.


----------



## LimaMikeSquared (Jul 14, 2010)

That may explain my lost male then - Glad I decided to have a last stroke after finding him as it was only when I was stroking him the lice were coming to the surface of the fur.

The female looks pretty much clear now which I am pleased about. I'm hoping that she might be a pregnant mousey.

Thank you

Julie x


----------



## neurozool (May 22, 2010)

I use Ivermectin Pour On for cattle. It is the same as Iver-ON but cheaper- I got a bottle for $16. I dilute it 1:5 (1 ml gets 5 ml water) You need to shake it from time to time. You only want about 0.01 cc to get sprayed on each mouse (not on the face at all) I also treat the bedding with it in a tub about a week before I use it. I bleach the toys and tanks as well. I don't really see much issue on the does though- they clean each other- it's the bucks I have seen mites on! I despise bugs that I cannot see!


----------

