muddledfloof
New Born Pup
Hi all,
Just been health checking my piggies and noticed some static mites, confirmed via microscope assessment (yes I am a nerd). Sadly both my boars have quite the infestation - I'm not sure why I haven't spotted it sooner, and I am gutted. Thankfully they seem to be ok, skin isn't red or inflamed and they only appear to be slightly more itchy than usual. I am going to book them a vet appointment (RIP my bank balance) asap to get a proper health check and treatment, and hopefully that will help.
Thinking ahead, how can this be prevented? They are seasonal pigs, outside from May to September and inside the remainder of the year. They live in a very large cage, have lots of "outside" time and get a very balanced diet (nuggets + veg daily). They live on fabric bedding, which I wash with Kavee disinfectant and detergent on a hot wash. They only natural "Substrate" they have is timothy feeding hay (we use the natures own brand, we buy from Jolleyes in the UK).
Clearly they have gotten these mites from the hay, which is heart-breaking because I was led to believe that natures own is a very good hay brand (and I note it is recommended on the forum here under the UK hay providers section). I always check the bags of hay for visible mites before giving, but mites are hard to see. I currently store the hay in the plastic bags they come in, should I be emptying them into something else? do I need to freeze or heat the hay? Do I need to change the hay brand? (I hope not, I have just bought a 2 months supply as I buy in bulk).
Also are there any spot on treatments that can be purchased to prevent mite infestations for my piggies in the future? Like how cats have a monthly flea spot on, is there anything similar for piggies, or something I can bathe them in regularly to prevent mites? Also what disinfectant do you recommend for fabric bedding and the plastic cage materials?
TLDR: how do I prevent my pigs recontracting static mites
1) do I need to be doing something to the hay (better storage, heating or freezing it to kill mites?)
2) Can the pigs be treated with a spot on/regular shampoo to prevent infestations?
3) What disinfectant should I use for the cage (plastic) & fabric beddings?
I would really appreciate the help - thanks in advance.
Just been health checking my piggies and noticed some static mites, confirmed via microscope assessment (yes I am a nerd). Sadly both my boars have quite the infestation - I'm not sure why I haven't spotted it sooner, and I am gutted. Thankfully they seem to be ok, skin isn't red or inflamed and they only appear to be slightly more itchy than usual. I am going to book them a vet appointment (RIP my bank balance) asap to get a proper health check and treatment, and hopefully that will help.
Thinking ahead, how can this be prevented? They are seasonal pigs, outside from May to September and inside the remainder of the year. They live in a very large cage, have lots of "outside" time and get a very balanced diet (nuggets + veg daily). They live on fabric bedding, which I wash with Kavee disinfectant and detergent on a hot wash. They only natural "Substrate" they have is timothy feeding hay (we use the natures own brand, we buy from Jolleyes in the UK).
Clearly they have gotten these mites from the hay, which is heart-breaking because I was led to believe that natures own is a very good hay brand (and I note it is recommended on the forum here under the UK hay providers section). I always check the bags of hay for visible mites before giving, but mites are hard to see. I currently store the hay in the plastic bags they come in, should I be emptying them into something else? do I need to freeze or heat the hay? Do I need to change the hay brand? (I hope not, I have just bought a 2 months supply as I buy in bulk).
Also are there any spot on treatments that can be purchased to prevent mite infestations for my piggies in the future? Like how cats have a monthly flea spot on, is there anything similar for piggies, or something I can bathe them in regularly to prevent mites? Also what disinfectant do you recommend for fabric bedding and the plastic cage materials?
TLDR: how do I prevent my pigs recontracting static mites
1) do I need to be doing something to the hay (better storage, heating or freezing it to kill mites?)
2) Can the pigs be treated with a spot on/regular shampoo to prevent infestations?
3) What disinfectant should I use for the cage (plastic) & fabric beddings?
I would really appreciate the help - thanks in advance.