Tiny white mites?

Ralph the hamster

Ralph the hamster

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(I swear in my real, non-hamster life I am a fully competent, independent, successful woman. I have never asked so many questions in my life!)

We moved his habitat onto the floor so he could start going in and out of his play pen. He had a wild time and even let me pet him!) Now that I'm sitting on the floor to care for him, I have found tiny white bugs on my phone screen, and I have itchy welts on my legs. I think they're carpet/dust mites based on that. Will they harm him? He doesn't have any signs of mange or mites. If we have to treat the carpet chemically we will obviously moved him.

Do I need to empty and sanitize his cage? Take him to the vet to make sure? Also I leave in two days for a week and my partner will have to deal with all of this for me 😡
 
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That’s a real shame when you’ve just got him coming out.
It’s hard to say whether they would harm him or not, it is possible they might bite him but I honestly don’t know for sure, there are so many different types of mites. I would keep him off the floor until you’ve got rid of them though to be on the safe side. I don’t think you need to clean the cage but I would keep an eye on it just to be sure there’s nothing in there & keep an eye on him for any signs of itching or irritation.
 
There are so many different kinds of mites. They may not get into the cage. I agree to just try and resolve the carpet issue and keep an eye on things. If they are carpet mites they may not transfer/survive to a cage environment.

They could also be mould mites maybe? I think carpet mites are maybe bigger. What size would you say they are? Speck of dust size or sugar grain size?

You could try putting some kind of waterproof sheet on the floor when letting him out and see if they still get on your phone then.
 
I think first of all you need to identify these little insects. I don't call them mites because i don't know what they are.

I'd contact a pest control company with a photo to find out what you are dealing with. You may need professional help anyway.
 
You can actually take a sample to a chemist I believe to have them identified. Pest control place might be better though.
 
When I checked on him this morning they were everywhere and he had a bald patch I didn't see before. Took him to the vet, got medicine, cleaned and disinfected the cage, and threw out everything that could have had eggs. He did not enjoy the vet but he calmed down right away on the way home and sniffed my fingers thru the carrier. All new bedding and triple-cleaned cage and hopefully he's on the mend. Poor guy.
 
I'm really sorry to hear this. I hope you managed to get rid of them all. He may need a few days to get over the cage clean and may be less inclined to be sociable for a week maybe.
 
So do you think they originated from the cage or got into the cage?
 
Maz said:
So do you think they originated from the cage or got into the cage?
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I think both are possible? Hard to tell. They were on the underside of the cage as well so I'm saying outside I guess. The vet said what they were but it wasn't dermodex.
 
Ok, an update. Frank is back to being fluffy and bite & mite free. The medicine they gave him is preventative for a month so we'll see if he stays good. We moved him to the kitchen to be off of any carpet, since the kids and I were leaving for a week and it would be quiet.... but he can't stay in Grand Central now that we're home. He isn't coming out when I call him but it's only been 2 nights that I have been back. We're going to move him back "home" tonight, spot clean his cage, and add back more bedding & structures (his vet suggested keeping things pretty minimal while we monitored his recovery, so he's been roughing it with only 6" of bedding, one wheel, and two hides, rather than his usual luxury). Hoping it isn't too stressful and he's happy to be away from three kids constantly asking for food. Wish us luck!
 
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