Ectoparasitic Skin Disease in Gerbils
Mite infestation is usually not a serious problem in gerbils, but treatment is necessary to prevent the infestation from becoming a torment to your gerbil. There are different types of mites that are capable of living on a gerbil. There are the non-bloodsucking demodex mites, which may irritate the gerbil just by sheer number, and bloodsucking mites, which can cause extreme irritation due to the bites, anemia due to blood loss. In addition, the excessive scratching can lead to lesions, opening the door to opportunistic bacteria infecting the skin.
If treated promptly, mite infestation need not become a serious health concern. Also, it can be prevented by practicing good hygiene and maintaining a clean living area for your gerbil.
Symptoms and Types
A mite infestation will sometimes be visible to the naked eye as white or dark specks of dust on the hair follicles, but not always. Other symptoms which may be more easily identifiable include:
- Frequent itching or scratching, especially on back and rump
- Rubbing against the cage wire
- Inflammed or reddish skin
- Rough and dry skin
- Dandruff-like or dirt-like dust on the skin
- Hair loss (alopecia)
Under normal conditions mites are present in small numbers and do not bother their host. However, their numbers can increase when a gerbil is stressed, has decreased immunity due to old age or other illnesses, and/or is unable to keep the numbers reduced by normal grooming.
Other causes that have been found are a proximity to birds, as some types of avian (bird) mites will cross over to gerbils. Avian mites may have been acquired while the gerbil was residing in the pet shop, or they can be acquired in the home environment. Some of the ways in which gerbils may catch avian mites are by living in a home in which pet birds also live; proximity to fowl of any kind (such as in homes with small farms); and when their cage is proximate to a window that is in turn close to an outdoor bird nest.
Mites can also come into your gerbil's environment through infested food or bedding materials. It is recommended that food be frozen before use to kill any mites (or other insects) that may be in the food, and clean bedding materials thoroughly before use.
You may be able to make an initial diagnosis by wrapping a clean, white paper towel around your gerbil for a few minutes and then looking at the paper for the presence of red or black “dust.” If possible, it will be useful to collect the mites in a jar or closed container so that you can take then to your veterinarian for a determination of the type of mite you are dealing with. In some cases, you will be able to see the mites moving through the fur or across the skin's surface when you part the fur.
Your veterinarian will take skin scrapings and hair samples from your gerbil for a microscopic examination. An infestation will be diagnosed by identifying the mites or eggs that are found to be residing on the skin or hair. The clinical symptoms that are observed may also help in making a diagnosis of ectoparasitic infestation.
The ability to create a disease where a disease might not normally be found, usually due to an ill timed or unlikely weakness
The rear end of an animal
Any type of arachnid excluding ticks
Anything that is designed to kill those organisms that are known to cause disease
Term used to indicate something that involves birds.
A condition of the blood in which normal red blood cell counts or hemoglobin are lacking.