Scaly leg mites, HELP! (continued) (pics)

[flip9109]

mine didn't seem to even know they had them.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

The extent of that toe nail I think it's more likely to be contributing to her lameness than the mites. Mites give them lameness when the lifted scales get infection under them.

If your mixing Tea Tree oil yourself you need to aim for about 5%. Not more than that and you need to check what the oil is, not all bottles are 100% to begin with. I'm sure what you did was fine, just too strong is hard on the legs. Weak would be safe, it just might take longer, but it will work as long as you keep them oiled. the advantage of Tea Tree over just oil is that it kills the eggs so your treatment is faster.

 

[flip9109]

how often do we need to apply? about how long will the oil last on them?

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

It's not about how long the oil lasts. All the adults are killed by the oil as they breath only though their skin, so they suffocated. You need to retreat when the eggs hatch out before those mites get to egg laying age to break the cycle.

That is the reason to add something that will kill the eggs too in my mind. See instead of doing this again and again for 8 weeks you can quit sooner. It's best to be sure, so do them a couple days in a row, then once a week twice. That way if you missed a spot it will not make you start over by reinfesting. That's also why I like to be sure the tea tree is about 5% so I tend to track down the ointment, even though it's more work and messy it seems. But you can sue the oil and mix it yourself, just do the math.

 

[flip9109]

thank you very much