Mites and Flee's

[keithandmerlin]

Hi! I was just wondering if there's any mite or flee spot ons that are good for gu's and if there is a link to the product?

Not that my degus have them! I was just wondering if its good to keep them protected?

[moletteuk]

Preventative treatments for degus aren't normally applied. Mites and fleas aren't all that common in otherwise healthy degus in the UK. I would say that overgrooming and alopecia are more common issues, so keep an open mind if you do see any skin problems. If you do need a spot on treatment I think the Xeno ones you get from the vet are the best ones.

[randomname]

Hi keithandmerlin, I'd agree with moletteuk - most small animals don't need preventative measures, but if you spot anything, a vet's visit is best. I know that over the counter treatments for cats & dogs are at best ineffective & at worst, can kill (Bob Martin's I'm looking at you!) so I would never trust any shop bought treatment. (Google for pictures if you have a strong stomach) Plus when applying, you need to part the fur & apply to the skin - much easier to do with a vet's help. I rescued a guinea pig years ago with mites, she was scratching so bad she was having fits. In 20 years, she was the only critter I've known to have them. Vet used Xeno, was all gone next day. I think they're fairly rare in little ones.

[dops]

i got very worried as I found a bat collapsed in the garden, so I moved her into a shoebox and brought her inside. As I was on the phone to the Bat Society, I noticed she was crawling with fleas or lice! I was dreading suddenly finding my degus crawling also, so tried to dispose of everything that had touched the bat, and it has been a few days and there has been no sign on them so I think I'm in the clear.

[moletteuk]

glad you haven't seen any more signs of them...did the bat make it?

[dops]

sadly she didn't, a lady from the Bat Society came and said she was a pregnant female (at which I got very excited of course) but they took her away for monitoring and feeding and she passed away a day later I think.

[moletteuk]

Awww what a shame

[deguconvert]

I am so sorry to hear that! That is really too bad. I love bats! I love to sit and watch them coming out in the evening, flying about and hunting insects. They are so cool!

[Bexi87]

Jun 13, 2016 16:14:21 GMT deguconvert said:

I am so sorry to hear that! That is really too bad. I love bats! I love to sit and watch them coming out in the evening, flying about and hunting insects. They are so cool!

Bats are my favourite animal (always have been) and I never meet anyone who likes them! Finally a kindred spirit

[moletteuk]

I love them too, we have loads here Ian had a slight 'contretemps' with one in the loft on Friday - he was really not expecting to come accross a bat in the loft, we never have before, but the bat seemed to be just as startled. I wasn't home, but apparently at 10 miles away, it's a wonder I didn't hear him roar as the bat flew straight at him lol!

[Emziedee]

I never had much of an opinion until I went to the Maldives and saw them flying with around 3 foot wing span! I took great close up photos of their face when they were hanging in the trees that I'll try dig out, they looked like little dog faces! Not the squashed noses I'd seen in movies.

I did get panicked once when there were a few of them circling and swooping around my head once at the park.. it was because I had coconut oil in my hair and the little flies were attracted to the smell which then attracted the bats lol! I was running around screaming. My boyfriend still tells this story.

[yasmin]

I'm also a very fond of bats. In summer I lie on the couch at dusk and look out the window up into the sky to see if I can spot bats flying around. (I am also on the lookout for UFOs. lol )
I remember that at a Bon Jovi concert here at the Civic Centre Arena in Ottawa (decades ago), there was a poor bat flying around confused during the show and swooping over people's heads. The audience loved it.
Also, another of my fondest memories is having drinks with a couple of our very close friends in their hotel room at the RimRock Hotel in Banff – they had a balcony and we stood there watching bats soaring and swooping after bugs against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. Magnificent!

[deguconvert]

There was a summer camp I attended every year as a child, that I loved. My first couple of years I was fascinated with the giant butterflies that would come out at dusk, and fly above our heads while we were enjoying a bonfire and camp songs. I was nine years old when a counselor finally told me they were not butterflies. I was kind of freaked out the first couple nights after the revelation, but then my enthusiasm grew and continued to do so. I still look for them at night during the warmer months.

[Karma]

Bats scare me if they are close .... highest risk of rabies transmission ... no touchy them for me!! otherwise they are awesome!!

[Emziedee]

I found the pics on our cam. Look at this cutie!

[yasmin]

WOW - Is that a Flying Fox?

[Bexi87]

Aww look at his little face!

[Emziedee]

yasmin right!! That's what they looked like! And they flew around in the daytime looking down at you sunbathing LOL

[moletteuk]

I'm grateful the UK ones are generally smaller and do not have rabies or suck blood!!!

[deguconvert]

Stunning!! Not very many bat species are blood suckers. Most eat insects, nectar, or fruit.