Mange transmission in captivity

[Critter_Queen]

I have a question. Now that I have Miranda (my mangy female) and Max (my mangy male) can I keep taking in newbies? Everyone will be treated with Ivermectin by the end of today (all 11 of them because everyone stays in our rehab room together)...would treating any newbies prevent them from contracting the mites??? I would like to begin taking calls again, but don't want to spread mange in the process...

Anyone know???

[Mars]

Sorry no great wisdom from me. :thinking But I've passed your question along to a friend who know way more than I do. Hope to hear back this weekend. Meanwhile hang in there. :)

[halo]

Ahah! U are talking to a mange experiencer. ( I didnt say expert) I just healed up 2 that were mangy and I have 10 total babies. This is what I learned. First, mange doesnt jump to other squirrels in other cages. They are transmitted thru bedding and contact. Even though I did keep mine well away from the others. It doesnt take long for the Ivomec to work but Im sure u know that u have to dose them every 2 weeks 3-4 times. Do not put another baby in with them until they are healing up and the crusty cob webby hair has gone away and new hair is growing in. When u add another go ahead and dose them. Also, if u are nervous about all the others and any new ones u bring in go ahead and dose them, I definately would be safe then sorry. My rule of thumb is if they have hair, they get Ivomec!! Even without mange in the house. And personally I wouldnt let a few mangy squirrels keep me from taking in more babies.

Hope this helps :D

Halo

[squirrelfriend]

Make sure to wash up and change your shirt after handling a mange case then going on to other squirrels. also change any other clothing that might have come in contact with the squirrel while feeding. When dealing with Tilty's condition I didn't find that it spread from one cage to the other either.

[Mars]

Just heard back from Irene Ruth and she says pretty much just what our own good people have said with a few more details.

"Once the mangy squirrels have been treated with ivermectin for the mites, the next step is to be meticulous about cleaning. All bedding should be washed in very hot water ( bleach would be good too) and the caging taken outside and washed with bleach and hosed down completely. Do this 3 or 4 times to be safe.
The mites can't fly and aren't good jumpers so they need to be in contact with the victim to latch on.They can be transferred when hairs fall off of the victim, or when the mites are rubbed or scratched off onto other surfaces.
The mites have to have a host, so cleaning should be done with that in mind. I have had mange and its SO annoying. The mites will be attracted to any living thing but can't survive long on any but certain species ( EX: feather mites can't live on mammals) On humans, they can survive about 2 weeks, but trust me its the longest two weeks you'll ever experience, and the bites itch even after the mites are dead.
So, yes, new animals can come into the facility, provided that these precautions are taken. A second dose of ivermectin for the original hosts should happen 2 weeks or so after the first, and continued cleaning with mites in mind.."

Hope this helps.

[Critter_Queen]

Thanks for the info everyone! I appreciate it very much!

However, since my room isn't all that big (the rehab room) I'm going to err on the side of caution (and my own sanity) and just close up until June. I have 11, that's plenty to keep me busy. And to be honest, I have so much going on in life right now that adding the trouble of trying to keep newbies from getting mange would likely burn me out completely. It did spread to the others in my rehab room, and it was likely because I used the same towel for everyone when I pulled them out to eat.

On the flip side of this, my mangy ones are getting better and my "barely" mangy ones are not getting worse. (have one or two nearly hairless spots but that's about it, no scabs or anything yet...caught it WAY early for them, thank God) Miranda gets rubbed down with each feeding. She LOVES it. We've managed to get most of the scabs off her ears (so she can move them now, they aren't stuck to her head!) and 98% of 'em off her eyelids, face and nose. Her body is covered in tiny scabs, too, but those will take a bit longer to get off because she does have a considerable amount of fur still.

Again, thanks for all your help and advice. I appreciate it very much! But I think I'm gonna take a mini "vacation" from rehabbing until I can get what I have cleared up. :)

[thundersquirrel]

mange is easy to treat if you know the weight of your squirrels. if any new ones start getting crusty ears, you can treat them then. i wouldn't want to put that toxin in a squirrel unless it actually has mange.

[Critter_Queen]

Ivermectin is also a very effective wormer, not just a mange treatment. That's why I'm going to use it on everyone from now on at admission once stable...everyone should be wormed anyway...and this way they get some mange meds to boot. :)

[ebaytoad]

Today I saw a squirrel with what I think is MANGE....poor baby looks just like in the pictures...I'm not sure if I can help him, he looks so unhappy and one eye is nasty looking...I am trying to learn all I can and see what I can buy to help but how to get it to him,he runs and do I want mange bugs around Sweetie Pie...any thoughts? I can't bare to watch I have to do something

[4skwerlz]

Today I saw a squirrel with what I think is MANGE....poor baby looks just like in the pictures...I'm not sure if I can help him, he looks so unhappy and one eye is nasty looking...I am trying to learn all I can and see what I can buy to help but how to get it to him,he runs and do I want mange bugs around Sweetie Pie...any thoughts? I can't bare to watch I have to do something

Mange is simple to treat, even on a wild squirrel. You can buy Ivermectin at the feed store (or Tractor Store). Put a tiny bit, the size of a small grain of rice, on a peanut, and toss it to the squirrel. If you can, repeat the dose once a week for a total of three doses. But even one dose will likely save her life.

The eye is another issue. Can you buy/borrow a Hav-a-Hart trap?

[ebaytoad]

Wow thanks for the quick response, I'll be back to give an update!

[Critter_Queen]

When we treat captive squirrels we treat them once every TWO weeks. Be careful with Ivermectin as it is highly toxic if overdosed.