While my guess would be that most people don't go around handling wild birds and rodents, here's yet another reason not to: Mites. I'm quite convinced they're taking over the world. We have a lovely little songbird that has built a nest on our treehouse porch....we love watching the babies hatch, and grow. What we don't love? The parent birds that sit on our clothesline and transfer mites to it. We don't love the mites that get on the clothespins, and in our clothes. We don't love washing our laundry multiple times to try and get rid of creatures that can go up to a month without feeding and are nearly impossible to see. Mites have caused me to act like a crazed bird-hater. Every time I see one of those cute little birds anywhere near our things, I go into a thoughtless rage....trampling everything in my path, yelling like a maniac....doing anything to scare them away.
We thought we had gotten rid of the mites in the chicken coop. Now they're back....
and they brought friends!!!
Zombies will not take over the world. Mites will. Prepare yourselves....gather
information.
You're welcome. For the warning, I mean.
~Hannahoo--
"AGHH!!! Is that mite?!?!?!?!"""""""""""""" "
P.S. Contrary to my previous research, mites actually do suck human blood. Again, you are welcome.
Can I ask which wild rodents you are handling? Are they by any chance chipmunks? I'm asking for a friend who would really like to get into chipmunk-handling...of course, she doesn't actually have hands, which might be a problem. She'd like me to ask if you think she could hold them in her teeth. She's obviously not overly concerned about the mite problem. I think she might be suffering from a bit of a chipmunk obsession, unfortunately...
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, your very informative post has left me both concerned and somewhat itchy.
Just as my tickodermaphobia was going into remission, too..
*sigh*
*scratch, scratch*
Love, Jess
Founder and member of ITCHIES (Individuals That Could Have Insects Everywhere, Seemingly)