# cant get rid of mites! help



## george (Aug 24, 2010)

we give all our mice a mite spray once a month but have discovered they all seem to have mites this morning. two have since died. 
we have cleaned all there cages, homes, food bowls, everything basically. and given them a longer mite spray untill they were wet.
they all look very ill , ears back, and some are sqeeking and look as if they are trying to kick something off them. or as if they have just been biten by an invisable mouse and then jump across the cage.
tratallen tells me that mice dont die from mites so there must be something else wrong. is it something im doing? could the spray actually be killing them? ive tried to find a mite liquid but had no look. the spray i use is for small birds


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

mice will die if there is a heavy infestation.The mites suck the blood .The trouble with over the counter products is that they kill the mites on the animal but don't break the life cycle of the mite.They don't lay their eggs on the mice and like fleas a large part of their life is spent off of the host.Either get a stronger product such as frontline spray or ivermectin from the vet or treat the mice with what you have and buy a good household flea treatment and spray the environment including the cage,otherwise more eggs will hatch and the cycle will begin again.Soaking the mice in pesticide is not the way forward and is the reason why they are squeaking and jumpy.They are probably all ready weakened from the mites and the treatment may have finished off the weakest.


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## The Village Mousery (Aug 1, 2010)

you can get ivermectin with out a vet now i got mine over the post after sarah's awesome advice know i shouldnt post links to other sites but i'd love to share this...

http://www.pharmaqwebshop.co.uk/product ... roductID=5


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Clean out the cages 3-4 times a week. The less bedding you give them, the fewer places the mites have to hang out.

Wash all toys and tanks/bins each time, as well as spraying the mice every other day with ivermectin. In 1-2 weeks you should have no mites. The bedding changes REEEEALLY help. Because each time you change it, you are throwing away more and more mites, so there are less and less on your mice.


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

SarahC said:


> mice will die if there is a heavy infestation.


I didn't know that mice could actually die from having mites!

The only time I ever saw a mite on my mice, I used one drop of Ivermectin and never saw them again. I now use the same "one drop treatment as a preventative and never see them, despite using Hay.

The treatment I use is, incidentally, the same brand that Artuntaure posted.

Well George, let's hope that SarahC is right (and she usually is  ). At least you know what you're dealing with.

Better luck soon
x


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## The Village Mousery (Aug 1, 2010)

its expensive stuff, but lasts ages since you only need a drop on each mouse unless they weigh over 60g then its 2 lol


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

Artuntaure said:


> its expensive stuff, but lasts ages since you only need a drop on each mouse unless they weigh over 60g then its 2 lol


Yep!
It's false economy to save money buying a cheaper product that is less effective.

I don't like sprays for mice. I know plenty of people on here that use them but I prefer not to.
x


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## george (Aug 24, 2010)

all advice taken on board and done. thanks everyone! and thanks for the link, we're going to get some of the invermectin drops.
god, breedeing mice is more difficult than i thought lol. oh well, its worth it.


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

Fabulous advice, its good to know the names of the new products. When your mice are clear of the infestation, get a cat flea collar and hang it somewhere in the shed.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Iver-On works very well when diluted five parts water to one part product. Three drops right behind the shoulders three times at one week intervals, along with regular cage changes, does nicely. Flea-off is good for spraying bedding and cages, and I use it on my hands and forearms if I am treating meeces so the little buggers die if they try to hop onto me. Store the diluted mix in a refrigerator, as well as the opened bottle of product. Learning of this product is one of the best things I've learned in this Forum.

Meeces that have been badly bitten can go completely berserk when sprayed with a liquid product because it stings like hell in the broken skin where the bites are especially where it's scratched a lot. Injectable Ivermectin can also be dliuted and given in drinking water; it's been a while since I did that since the Iver-ON Pour On is so much easier.


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## neurozool (May 22, 2010)

Diluted iver-on is the way to go, but I don't know if it is available in Europe.


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## The Village Mousery (Aug 1, 2010)

it isnt, i reasearched it all ready, you have to import it from america. With delivery anywhere up to 4 weeks... Easyer and cheaper just to use ivermectin like i linked above.. on another note i ordered mine from the site above and it arrived the next day great service.


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## DomLangowski (Oct 2, 2008)

We always used Johnsons insecticidal spray extra, Its cheap and works a treat, one puff every clean out day and no mites, I think it also kills eggs so they don't come back.









Click for link


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## laoshu (Sep 16, 2009)

where is the cheepest place to buy ivermec in bulk? I keep buying the 10 ml bottles but they dont last long when you have alot of rodents.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I order Iver-on and injectible invermecton online from either Canada or Australia. They have never asked to a prescription and one small bottle for $20 for Iver-On and $40. for the other form. There's enough to least for a couple of years or until it reaches it's expiration date.

Dom: I've never heard of that product. I'm gonna look it up. Thanks for the info!


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## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

My friend got me a tube of ivermectin that is used for horses. Is there any way to use this to treat for mites in mice and rats? I had a really bad infestation of mites a while ago because I purchased a rat that carried them. My sister and I both ended up getting a really bad infestation. I ended up culling my entire rat colony save for one rat. I treated her with flea spray and cleaned and bleached all but two enclosures. I see very few mites now but occasionally see one or two crawling around. I'm going to clean and bleach one of the cages but it will be near impossible to completely clean and bleach the other cage (the one the remaining rat is in because it is a large rat rack. I can bleach the tubs but that's it.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread with my own mite problem but figured I could get some advice on how to get rid of them once and for all. And is there any way to prevent them once they are gone? Are there any sprays you can use on the cage/bedding when you clean or any preventative you can use on the mice/rats directly?


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

All the treatments on here work, but there has to be some effort from you, its easy to kill adult mites but its all about breaking the life cycle of the mite. here are numerous differnt types of mite, however if you take the advice on here and clan the cages 4 tims a week you will break the cycle and win of all types. You say its difficult to clean out one of your cages, sorry but change the cage so you can clean it out properly.


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## Seawatch Stud (Feb 8, 2009)

I use Wilko ant powder when I clean out my boxes. A sprinkle of it in with the sawdust (yes sawdust ooh!) and never have to treat my mice as they do it themselves as they burrow through the sawdust(yes sawdust gasp!). I never get mites in my stock as a result. My mice are in excellent health and conditition and win on a regular basis so there are obviously no nasty side effects to this method. Prevention is better than cure.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

My Mice are the same seawatch they never get mites and are very healthy when I clean there tank out they go straight into another I have spare living quarters for all the mice there scrubbed out with hot water disinfectant and there toys etc


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

It's amazing how many different ways there are for keeping our mousies healthy. There's a product that I first saw as a spray for reptiles. (yes! reptiles-yah!) the shop person said it worked for meeces and was safe. Whenever I get a bit infestation I use one product for the topical treatment, another on the bedding and housing, etc., and a third on my hands and forearms to prevent me from spreading mites form cage to cage, and it also keeps the nasty suckers from getting a taste of moustress. (yes! moustress! aack!)

The spray is also sold for use with dogs and at Petsmart it's marketed as De Flea, and comes in a bigger container, thus is less expensive. I don't have the bottle in front of me or I'd tell you what's in it. I think it's great to have transfer cages ready at changing time as it cuts down on a lot of nonsense like moustress letting her meeces crawl all over her while she readies the tank. (yes! tickles, ooh eee aah!)


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