Giday to you all

I have recently made an unfortunate discovery about housing my guinea pig (Marmot) with Fluffy the rabbit in the subtroppical climate in downunder Crescent Head.

They were getting on well and appear to enjoy each other's company. However as I now know the rabbit can handle mites with out any real dramas but the guinea pig knocked himself about and broke the skin on his back by scratching with his back legs.

I now keep them seperate, clean the bedding out more regularly and wash them with some medicated shampoo from the vet. Marmot is comming good but it was sad not to see it comming.


Troppo Bob

How come you don't wash them both with the shampoo, and rid them of the mites all together so you can put them back?..

Giday Justin

I do give them both a regular scrub.

However the advice from the Vet is that because the mites are so small they are not easy to spot and the rabbit shows no distress with a minor bout of the little critters but the guinea pigs go down hill more easily even with a minor infestation.

The climate here contributes the growth of the mites.

I am setting up new accommodation for all the furry animals and it is possible that they can share again when I have all precautions set up adequately.

Troppo Bob

Ahhh I see .. that's a tough situation youve got there.. listening to your vet would probably be your best option.. ive never had an animal aroudn that type of climate.. sounds like a lot of work. hope everything goes well.

Justin David

I had a rabbit once that would get earmites. It was a real job. It was like a stalatite would form in his ear...just this spiral flesh that would form and go up. I could treat it and it would go away for awhile but always come back. Most of my rabbits have never had the issue. Hardest rabbit I ever had to deal with that way was a lop-ear. I kind of thought the fact the canal was covered by the ear might be the reason for the increased problem.
quack

This mite help! Mite not!

It is a strange quirk of nature that small mammals at the bottom of the food chain do have such a hard time surviving even minor injuries and infestations by parasites. But by comparison it seems true. They easily go into shock. Perhaps that is really for the benefit of the creatures at the bottom of the food chain. To be eaten, they must be killed. Why should being killed be a long painful process? There is Japanese saying that fits here I like. Death may be beautiful but dying is not. Maybe that’s why I have supported Hospice for many years. At least I can do magic for them and get them some attention.

As magicians, our problems are keeping the stars of our show alive. Sometimes it would help if maybe they tried harder. We are not real smart using animals with short life spans to start with. Maybe that’s why we are magicians? Facts just challenge us.

Sevin (white powder) in a sock is a good idea. Be sure to do the cages as well.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Giday everyone

Marmot has been isolated for a few weeks and is doing well.

The new accommodation is all set and they are moving in today.

This Mite situation has been a valuable learning experience for me (but a bit rough on marmot). I will now be making a better living enviournment for the furry animals and I expect we will all go from strength to strength.

Thanyou all for your insights.

Talking about relative positions on the food chain. Here at Crescent Head Surfing is a major passtime. From timeto time I am reminded of the fact that I am surfing in the home of sharks. I guess the fury animals feel like this most of thier lives.

Troppo Bob

Sevin in a sock...How is it applied then, just powdered onto fur? I thought that any cat product with pyrethins (sic) would be okay to use.

Any comments?