Mites in paper bedding fix?

[MYSTIC_ONYX]

I switched from fleece liners to Kaytee Clean and Cozy about a week ago. My boys loved the bedding, and it seemed to be helping odor and making them forage. Its the confetti stuff, with the paper crinkles. They love it! But i noticed pluto itching a lot. I saw he had scabs on him on his back. And he had little white and yellow specs. We are going to treat them, but how do i make sure that the mites arent in the bedding? How do i kill them so the bedding is safe? Any help is appreciated!!!

 

[Nyn]

I think my course of action would be to, after the first drops in the neck for the mite treatment, clean the cage thoroughly and remove all bedding. Wash the cage with very hot water and then clean and put new bedding in. Where I am from, we need to do 4 weeks of neck drops to have a good treatment. Every time after a treatment I would change the bedding and then after the 4 weeks are up check if they are still getting the scabs. Keep a little eye out on your ratties too. All ratties have mites, but if the mites become too much they get scabs. It could be that their immune system is lower and therefore they have more issue with the mites then usual. Is the bedding really dust free?

 

[MYSTIC_ONYX]

I think my course of action would be to, after the first drops in the neck for the mite treatment, clean the cage thoroughly and remove all bedding. Wash the cage with very hot water and then clean and put new bedding in. Where I am from, we need to do 4 weeks of neck drops to have a good treatment. Every time after a treatment I would change the bedding and then after the 4 weeks are up check if they are still getting the scabs. Keep a little eye out on your ratties too. All ratties have mites, but if the mites become too much they get scabs. It could be that their immune system is lower and therefore they have more issue with the mites then usual. Is the bedding really dust free?

Oh sorry, I didnt get any notifications that you replied! We treated the rats, and I cleaned the cage with soapy water, then dried it and changed all the bedding. I treated them and kept them in a small cage ( i think its a kaytees small cage) while i cleaned their big cage. And no, sadly its not 100% dust free. I could see pretty much no dust though, more impressive than i thought. Weirdly only one of my rats (pluto) was scabby and ichy. My other rat, beans, doesn't have any scabs, and i haven't noticed any itching, other than normal grooming. I treated him of course cause he should have them too.

Also, when i cleaned their cage, i soaked all the plastic things in their cage, and threw away the disposable things. (Homeade toys, wicker balls, and some old food my rats hid.)

 

[Nyn]

No worries! I think that is a good way of doing it! When my ratty got mites it was also only 1 that had the scabs. My vet told me it was most likely because he had a lower immune system for some reason and that most likely the mites from the other rats found him to be more yummy. But she said to treat them all the same nonetheless.