Gerbil has mites!?

My gerbil has mites but i can't get the medicine to cure it. My guardians just gave me a little chuckle when i told them that it needs medicine. Does anyone know of a way to get rid of mites without the medicine? By the time I could find a job and then raise the money my gerbil will already be dead. Any information or websites about mites would be greatly appreciated.
Answers:
I have used ivermectin for my rats that had mites and lice. You can buy it for about 20 bux at pet stores that carry horse products. It is made for horses and comes in a really large tube. Take a toothpick and a "small" dab about the size of a pinhead and place it in some bread, roll it around until the bread is smushed. Give two doses about ten days apart.

Ivermectin is the drug your vet would give your gerbil in the form of an injection.

The website i listed is a little dense, but if you look towards the middle of the page where it says Antiparasitics, you will find some information about ivermectin.

I hope this helps.

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I think the only way is a injection from the vet my rat had mites and they were eating away his ears it was horrible after 3 weeks they were back to normal it wasn't cheap but it was worth it !

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Ivermecin is only about $8 from a vet. You may need to pay for an office visit, too. Maybe if you called a vet and found out the exact cost and were willing to pay for it, your guardians would be more open to the idea. Now, some of the Petsmarts have an in-store vet office, so you could perhaps bring your gerbils in at the same time as you were buying food.

Here is instructions on how to treat mites. If you can't get the meds, you could try the rest of the treatment without the meds, but it can be very hard to get rid of them. One live mite and you have to start all over again as they multiply.

http://www.agsgerbils.org/gerbil_tales/i...

PS - mites can spread to people and make your belly itch, badly -- use head and shoulders shampoo as a body wash to get rid of them on you. This is another really good reason not to let the problem go untreated!