I got a rat yesterday and i just noticed today that he has some red little bugs on him... they arent fleas that I know. Does anyone know what they are? and how can I get rid of them?
2007-02-18 07:38:48 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
i have heard i could use some advantage/advantix for dogs or cats on the rat.. would this help with whatever the bug problems on him is?
2007-02-18 07:49:26 · update #1
If you can see them, little cigar-shaped, reddish-brown ecto-parasites are Lice. Mites, you can't see. You can only see the damage they do to the skin.
These are the Rat Fur Louse and since they are species specific, you should not fear them infesting you. Although, I have to admit, just talking about them is making my skin itch.
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_4.php
He has them because his immune system is below par for some reason. A healthy animal would be able to shake off the affects of a few lice. It might be that he has them due to an illness that he already had/has from the pet store, or another rat is sick from the same rat enclosure and it's louse infestation was passed on to his cage mates. Lice and their nits can also lie dorment in bedding and they might be in the bedding that the store uses. Rat-keepers suggest freezing the bedding for a couple of days after bringing it home from the store. This kills the buggies.
Treatment must be done quickly. If left untreated, if he isn't sick already, the stress of enduring these biting, itchy, parasites will surely stress him out enough to get a flare-up of Mycoplasmosis.
Lice and Mites on Rats:
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php
More info:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Lice+and+Mites+on+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAscYqL80.x8jy71l3_Mj6BgazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsuRZXHyX3jz_HHQlFel4xgazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Lice+and+Mites+on+rats
I treat my rats with Ivermectin, as do other rat-keepers:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Ivermectine+used+to+treat+rats+with+lice&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAscYqL80.x8jy71l3_Mj6BgazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsuRZXHyX3jz_HHQlFel4xgazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Ivermectine+used+to+treat+rats+with+lice
Ask your vet about the Advantage/Frontline. The stories I've heard on my many rat-only forums has scared me away from using these products on my rats.
Bathing your rat with an oatmeal shampoo will sooth the skin, might drown /suffacate some of the lice, but it won't get rid of them completely. Do not attempt to use a cat/kitten flea shampoo as it has been proven to be an unwise choice for rats.
Get a confirmed diagnosis from your vet and get your boy treated. You might want to notify the store and tell them they have a louse infestion with their rodents.
Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats
(Rattery, Rescue, and Rat-care Expert)
http://spazrats.tripod.com
"My life has gone to the rats"
2007-02-18 13:17:44 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like lice. I would get stuff from the vets to treat him as anything over the counter isnt strong enough. As for advantage(spelling?), I vaguely remember using something like that for my rats a few years ago. It wasnt the cat or dog one though, it was for rabbits and small animals. Cat/dog strength would be too strong and could kill the rat. You have to be very careful how much you give them. One extra drop can be enough to kill. I nearly lost one rat because an extra drop fell on him during treatment and he had severe neurological symptoms. You also cant use the rabbit stuff if the rat is under 14 weeks.
2007-02-18 17:21:16 · answer #2 · answered by kiffie 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It sounds like your pet has lice or mites. I have attached a couple of websites that may help you get rid of those pests safely.
You can always contact your vet for help.
Good Luck
2007-02-18 18:20:24 · answer #3 · answered by Cathy O 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lice
2007-02-18 15:46:05 · answer #4 · answered by bluebonnetgranny 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the vet can recommend something, it could either be lice, or mites. ask your vet and about the proper care for this, and the diagnosis
2007-02-18 15:50:27 · answer #5 · answered by ferrets4ever 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
call your vet or go in and let them look at it. i wouldn't recommend using anything that strong on him without consulting the vet first.
2007-02-19 00:05:57 · answer #6 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋