Susanne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote > >And they sure *do* infest our gerbils, if we don't >intervene. >
Have you asked yourself where they come from? They almost certainly come from bedding or food material. Hay is by far the most common source. I would recommend never using hay or straw with gerbils because the risks of disease and parasites are increased many fold if you do. Consider a new source of food as it may be contaminated by mice, rats or other vermin that are introducing mites. As for Ivermectin, this will be effective only against bloodsucking parasites. Mites usually live on detritus like dead cells and do not normally drink blood as part of their life cycle like fleas or lice. -- Julian [EMAIL PROTECTED] National Gerbil Society http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
