# Rats have mites.



## BeesBella (Sep 21, 2009)

Now my rats have been getting used to me, they have been wanting cuddles more and I noticed yesterday that they were both quite bald, I looked at their skin and it was yellow with orange things crawing around so I went to [email protected] and got some spot-on for rats and put it on them, but they seemed to like the taste and they kept licking each other ! Will this harm them ? They still seem ok this morning but I am really worried.

Also, my hamster cage is on top of my rat cage, is there a chance my hamster could also get mites, I have checked him and I can't see any.

I am really annoyed at the woman I got them from for not looking after them properly, first with ReiiReii's absess and now with this !!! Grrrr !!! Some people shouldn't have pets, esp if they cba to take them to the vets.

Also while I was at [email protected] the guy gave me a free bottle of liquid vitamins...what are they and do my boths (both ratty and hammy) need them ?

~X~


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## rosie75 (Sep 14, 2009)

Personally I would get the mite drops from the vets.
I have found it very effective in the past, and costs very little
Make sure all cages are cleaned out thoroughly too.
The first rat I had came to me with mites, I took him back to pet shop who then took him to the vets and also paid the bill
We've had once such incident since and the mite drops irradicate them immediately
I presume the hammy could catch them but I have never met a hammy with mites, so can't be sure, would probably be best to play on the safe side though


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

They would be rat lice - only caught from other rats so maybe they had them when you got them? They won't transfer to your hamster. The spot-on won't harm them. Vitamins might be an idea for the rats foir a little while as they might be a bit below par after the lice, but rats love so many different foods it's easy to get vitamins into them naturally via different foods.

By the way, yellow/orange skin is normal for adult male rats! It's known as "buck grease" but it always reminds me of Red Leicester cheese!

ETA: the spot on should do the trick, do beware of taking rats to vets with mites or lice unless it is a very rat-knowledgeable vet - not-so savvy vets always want to inject Ivermectin (which isn't necessary as it can also be used as a drop-on) and has been known to be overdosed on some occasions.

If you do go to the vet, be sure to take the empty spot-on tube so the vet knows what they've had, as being treated soon afterwards could result in overdosage.


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## rosie75 (Sep 14, 2009)

I only need to ask for the drops at the vets, I don't need to take them.
Don't all vets do this?


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

rosie75 said:


> I only need to ask for the drops at the vets, I don't need to take them.
> Don't all vets do this?


No - most rat owners use the Beaphar spot-on from pet shops (which is a very good product). Breeders and those with a lot of rats usually buy a bottle of Ivomec or Easimec but it's very expensive and comes in industrial quantities!


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## BeesBella (Sep 21, 2009)

MerlinsMum said:


> No - most rat owners use the Beaphar spot-on from pet shops (which is a very good product). Breeders and those with a lot of rats usually buy a bottle of Ivomec or Easimec but it's very expensive and comes in industrial quantities!


Yea that's the one I got. Hope they will be ok, do you think their hair will grow back, they look so bald bless them !


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

the hair should grow back i have 2 boys that were abandoned.they were very thin,had mites and were bold in places.
after 2 weeks or so you could see a huge difference.
i used beapher spot on i always have and never had problems and all mine lick it which is good as it helps spread the spot on all over.
if it was dangerous they wouldn't make it for small animals.


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

get a small-animal shampoo too, they are usually insecticidal, cheaper than getting spot ons each time. just a quick scrub and rinse in the bath does the job  most of mine hate being shampooed but love playing in the bath soo they put up with it, also easier to do with females as they won't sit still for spot on-ing.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

owieprone said:


> get a small-animal shampoo too, they are usually insecticidal, cheaper than getting spot ons each time. just a quick scrub and rinse in the bath does the job  most of mine hate being shampooed but love playing in the bath soo they put up with it, also easier to do with females as they won't sit still for spot on-ing.


Most insecticidal shampoos dont work to treat the mites or lice, they just act as a repellant and preventative...Ivermectin or Selamectin works better.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

spoiled_rat said:


> Most insecticidal shampoos dont work to treat the mites or lice, they just act as a repellant and preventative...Ivermectin or Selamectin works better.


Just for the record - the Beaphar spot on is Selamectin. Before this was available in pet stores, it was very very hard to get the right treatment for rats with mite or lice, hence the awful possibility of vets injecting Ivermectin... it was what the drug company recommended, so they were highly reluctant to try it as a drop-on which would have been 'off label use' .....and not normally tried unless you had a very good listening rat-interested vet.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

I was under the impression selamectin was not approved for small animal use?

Its the active ingredient in Stronghold and also Revolution.
As far as i know it is still a POM-V, and not available from pet shops etc.

Its still suitable, and does provide cost-effective treatment if you have a fair few rats.

Beaphar spot on contains Ivermectin, available in shops due to the newish regulations of the Small Animal Exemption Scheme, i know when i sell it, i have to include:

`This veterinary medicine is marketed in accordance with the Small Animal Exemption Scheme` 

which is mildly annoying!


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

spoiled_rat said:


> I was under the impression selamectin was not approved for small animal use?


OK my mistake, sorry - I thought selamectin was in Beaphar. There are a lot of these "-mectins" around, another one is Moxidectin, but they are all in the Ivermectin family.


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

MerlinsMum said:


> ETA: the spot on should do the trick, do beware of taking rats to vets with mites or lice unless it is a very rat-knowledgeable vet - not-so savvy vets always want to inject Ivermectin (which isn't necessary as it can also be used as a drop-on) and has been known to be overdosed on some occasions.
> 
> If you do go to the vet, be sure to take the empty spot-on tube so the vet knows what they've had, as being treated soon afterwards could result in overdosage.


I know from experience the effects of that - my idiot vet killed my first mice using a spot on for mites. They gave them the one for rabbits and said one drop would be enough. They started taking convulsions and died about two hours later when I was rushing them back to the vet. Having checked that they had experience with mice before taking them I didn't find this out until it was too late and I was researching natural methods online when I discovered what they had done. Needless to say that I have never taken my mice back to that vet.


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