Mold a BIG Issue - Black Mold = Toxic Update

[LA]

Ok to backtrack a bit. All of a sudden my rats went from healthy to everyone at some point breathing poorly. The only one that hasn't done it is Olivia. I had Hazel on meds, it came back, I put all of them on echineacha when Hazel sounded worse, she got immediately better. During that time Ruby sounded bad but it went away. Then Willow, Pearl has had sneezes and breathing problems since I got her which I figured was from basically living in a basement for most of her 8 months of life with Olivia. We noticed Hazel got worse when it was very humid regardless of the fact that we had ac. Move to a couple of weeks ago. We started noticing in the bathroom beside the toilet some black mould. Cleaned it up, it came back, there is a tiny hole in the wall as well near there. And on top of that, we decided to rearrange our livingroom and when we did both our allergies went nuts. We thought it was dust and stuff and maybe it was a part of that. Wayne walked over to where our TV stand had been and the carpet was a little damp. Where this area is, is along the same wall where the mould is in the bathroom (about 10 feet away). So we are thinking it's mould. Wayne has a strong constitution, and normally things don't bother him. Now he's really worried that it's mould and he's more concerned because some mould can be deadly. So needless to say we are making a doctors appt this week.

Has anyone had problems with mould before? I would assume that if it bothers us it would bother the rats because their sense of smell and whatnot are way better then ours. This could have been our problem all along.

Either way, we are calling our landlord this week and going to the doctors.

 

[user 78]

If the mold continues to come back even after you've really, thoroughly cleaned the area, then it's in the walls/floor. With the carpet being damp, you could have water damage under there which is just the best place for mold to grow. If your landlord is a nice one, ask for someone who will come out and check under the carpets and in the wall. They'll only take a small piece up of each, but it'll let you know how extensive the damage is. It'll also just be something the landlord will have to do at some point because if there is water damage eventually it'll rot the wood of the place.

 

[jorats]

Mold is definitely a harmful trigger. And it can be deadly. We did have a problem in out old apartment. I cleaned it up as best I could but it kept coming back so we moved. Hopefully you can get it cleaned up.

Highjacked!
I noticed I totally highjacked the thread, this one is about mold issue but my information on Avix Booster can be found HERE.

 

[LA]

Ok to update. Wayne came home to tell me that we had black mold and it's toxic, it causes memory loss and insomnia (something wayne and I have been both fighting for months) AND causes respitory problems in animals. Anyhow my parents are away for another week on holidays so we have moved into their house well probably for the week. We are going to be calling our landlord AND the health unit as well. I have been here for probably 30 minutes and I can already breath better. The girls of course are with us too, but it poses a problem, my parents have a cat and we are not sure what's going to happen. We both have to work for 6 hours tomorrow so I am a little nervous. We are waiting to see if the girls sound better in a couple of days or so.

 

[jorats]

Oh god, that's scary especially since it's already made a difference in your breathing.
Your girls are in a R695 so I don't think there's any worries for your girls and the cat. Can you put the girls in a bedroom and keep kitty out?

 

[LA]

Well problem with that is my parents are in the process of renovating and there aren't any doors. If I feel uncomfortable with it we will take them to my work tomorrow. Yes they are in the R695.

Also Wayne reminded me that Decker (the cat) was owned by the same previous owner of Summer, River and Jacqui. So he's used to rats, that was almost a year ago. So here's hoping.

 

[Zooy]

Phone the health unit. We had black mould in our last apt and it made my roommate sick.
The cats got really sick as well.
Probably one of the reasons why my rats aren't as healthy as could be too.
Black Mould is horrible.

 

[jorats]

Also Wayne reminded me that Decker (the cat) was owned by the same previous owner of Summer, River and Jacqui. So he's used to rats, that was almost a year ago. So here's hoping.

Oh sweet!! I didn't know it was your mom who got the cat.

 

[LA]

Yep. After we got the rats a home, she told me she was looking for a home for her male, neutered, declawed, 2 year old cat. My parents lost their cat a month before that or so. I told my mom and she jumped at it. He's such an awesome guy.

 

[jorats]

Funny how things work out like that... like it was meant to be.

 

[MumsyRat]

I've never given my cats a 2nd thought when it comes to rats. I might be a bit concerned about a cat that was semi-feral but I would be extremely surprised to hear of any house cat doing damage to a rat. My 4 cats never hurt my rats - and don't forget mine are free ranging!

I hope the mold problem is corrected quickly!