My Ratty has mites & Lice and now I have it

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I am new to the Ratty Shack.. Thanks for having me.. I have been fighting an ongoing problem for several months with mites and lice on my dear lil one, Lily.. It has now been biting me.. In spite of constant washing of my home and my poor little girl.. and I added Beaphar spot on (It says to add again in 4 weeks) but it came back quickly after a week.. I had washed her prior with Pyrethrin 0.50% based shampoo for dogs, Is it safe to give her more of the Beaphor Spot on treatment again, before the 4 weeks? and also I do I get rid of it on myself.. I have tried everything.. with washing with Borax Solution, daily and scrubbing my room with bleach (Without my ratty, of course) and I had sprayed my room with Permethrin spray 1/20 solution.. I'm on my wit's end with it all.. Please help :'(
 
LucyLu said:
I am new to the Ratty Shack.. Thanks for having me.. I have been fighting an ongoing problem for several months with mites and lice on my dear lil one, Lily.. It has now been biting me.. In spite of constant washing of my home and my poor little girl.. and I added Beaphar spot on (It says to add again in 4 weeks) but it came back quickly after a week.. I had washed her prior with Pyrethrin 0.50% based shampoo for dogs, Is it safe to give her more of the Beaphor Spot on treatment again, before the 4 weeks? and also I do I get rid of it on myself.. I have tried everything.. with washing with Borax Solution, daily and scrubbing my room with bleach (Without my ratty, of course) and I had sprayed my room with Permethrin spray 1/20 solution.. I'm on my wit's end with it all.. Please help :'(
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Oh dear I am sorry.

Lets go back over this carefully okay?

1) Are you dealing with mites or lice? Take a look at this article I did up just to address this issue.

http://lilspazrats.wikispaces.com/Healt ... rasites%29

2) Bearphar Spot-on seems to have WRONG directions on its packaging (I have heard this several times now). With ivermectin (which is what it is) it ONLY kills hatched adult bugs. So you need to treat every 7-10 days 3 times. You also need to scrub your cage carefully, wash any fabrics in hot hot water, throw out or freeze any cardboard or wood items in the cage for at least 48 hours.

With Ivermectin, the first dose kills the hatched adults already there. Then you have to wait for another cycle to hatch out and then your rat is re-infested so you dose again a week after the first dose, then again a week later to catch the last of the 3 life cycles. Only then will it work the way its supposed to.

3) Next you have to figure out where your buggies came from. If you haven't brought home any new rats in the last month or so prior to knowing you had buggy issues, then you might have infected bedding. If you use paper or wood-based beddings then you will need to freeze them 48 hours before use to kill off any stowaways.
 
I think she came with it when I first got her... I took out all the pine shaving and only apply paper towelsit wasn't so bad as it is now.. I have washed her so many times and changed the cage daily since June/2013. I truthfully haven't been able to enjoy her.. I have held her with gloves and pet her too.. I was supposed to get another rat for her in December but the infestation has gotten worst.. I have noticed when you said the Beaphor don't have their directions right.. maybe that the problem.. I didn't consecutively applied in the 3 times with in weeks.. I waited, with washings in between.. My Lily is such a sweetheart.. and so loving.. Just recently I ended up with the mites or lice.. still don't know which.. I don't see anything but my eyes are bad anyways (another problem lol) I will used the beaphor as you suggested.. sounds more efficient.. Now How do I get rid of it on myself? I'm in distraught with it all, really.. it's been a constant battle for over 7 months.. Oh BTW, I checked your pics on the link.. she doesn't have any noticeable skin damage.. just little red dots.. here and there
 
Rat lice or mites will not stay and feed on you. To them you taste ICKY. So if you are getting bitten by something is it possible you have fleas instead? The cat/dog flea WILL feed off of you and your rats.

If its just lice or mites don't worry, enjoy her, no gloves needed. No baths, just treat her properly and you should be fine :D

I get in buggy rats ALL the time, I just treat them with selamectin (you have Stronghold over in the UK but you have to get it from a vet unlike Spot on)
 
I don't see any visible bites.. just some red dots here and there.. I have no other pets, and I don't see any fleas.. On my body: I feel like I have tiny crawling insects on my body, at night only.. I think it's body Lice (Scabies) and I am so upset over it; I have tried everything.. and on Poor Lily too.. I haven't been able to enjoy my little girl... and I don't want to give her away as I was suggested by my friends..
 
Scabies and rat lice are not the same.
You should take her to a vet so she can be properly treated and you should see a doctor for your own scabies.
 
Its also possible its psychosomatic if you don't actually see anything on yourself. Mites are microscopic so you won't feel them crawl on you. Whenever I get a rat with lice on it (visible bugs) then I do get the creepy crawly feeling and am sure they are crawling over my skin but they really are not...its just the power of the mind. :)

You're probably just fine :)

Did you look at my pics in the article? Mites are scabs from the scratching but you cannot see the actual mites, and its usually over the shoulders neck. Lice are visible and start propagating on the rump and back, you will see them move slowly through the fur if you part the fur and watch.

You cannot catch either of these from your rats.
 
As others suggested, take her to a good vet experienced in treating rats.
I would suggest that you have her treated with revolution as it works well.
Revolution is available from vets.

See viewtopic.php?f=26&t=28715

Also clean, wash all cloth, freeze anything wood for 72 hours.
It is important to freeze new bedding for 72 hours after purchase to kill any parasites that may be in it.
 
If it's scabies, it could have come from your rats. Your description doesn't sound like mange though and it's not very common. Do you have long scabs? What do her ears look like?

Scabies (sarcoptic mange in animals) is the one mite that can be transferred between species. Ivermectin is the right treatment for your rats, you need to get meds from the doctor. (Revolution/Stronghold is good for fur mites that are more common but useless with mange.) You may need to treat all members of the household - human and animal. The good news is, once you treat with the right drugs (the right way), they should go away in no time.


BTW, don't use pine - it's not safe. Aspen, paper, fleece are all safer alternatives.
 
I just realized you are from the USA not the UK? Bearphar Spot-on was only sold in the UK before, so I was confused. You should look for Revolution (cat or dog) instead as that is a one drop treatment that is used topically and cures all lice and most mites (not the sarcoptic one).
 
Well it's been 2 weeks now.. It must have been Fleas or Lice.. not sure really.. they are tiny to the naked eye... First I cleaned everything, froze everything (Thank God it's winter here) I used Adam's Flea, tick and lice Shampoo on my Ratty and used 8 in 1 flea spray (has Pyrethrins)... I clean her cage, daily.. Washed Ratty every 3 days... I did the Borax solution bath for myself.. One cup borax, 1/2 cup peroxide, and 1/2 cup of dish detergent in a tub of water, soaked into for 20 minutes (completely immersed). For the rooms I vacuum, washed it down with ammonia and washed mattress too, covered with Vinyl mattress cover (Keeping my ratty away from all cleaning products) and aired it all out.. For preventive measures, I had used Borax mixed with Salt and sprinkled it all over (outlining the room, on window sills and between the mattresses.. and for the furniture, I used Alcohol in a sprayer and in another sprayer filled with part ammonia, borax,and water, sprayed on all fabric furnishings.. I faithfully did this for 2 weeks.. and the infestation is completely GONE! Woooooooo Hoooooooooooo!
 
I read a really interesting article about how to naturally kill fleas, mites and lice on animals. My rat got mites and I tried this and it worked amazingly. http://www.naturalginesis.com/. This was the only thing that successfully worked. It's wonderful! There are several enzyme based products there that have worked on my animals. I also dust their cages and their fur occasionally with Diatomaceous Earth. If you aren't familiar with this, you may want to read about it.
 
The commercial sprays and shampoos are all extremely toxic. That Natural Ginesis stuff isn't and actually works. You have to dilute it, but all of that is mentioned on the site, uses, etc. Can be used on people, kids, rats, dogs, etc.
 
I would be incredibly careful using diatomaceous earth around rats. Their respiratory systems are like tissue paper and too much diatomaceous earth will surely cause problems. Even a mild dusting can cause problems with humans, and rats are mush smaller and much more delicate. It will kill bugs very quickly, though, just get the best quality stuff you can find. The crystalline form is what causes damage, but no DE on the market is 100% crystalline-free. I treated my apartment with DE and I NEVER see bugs. Ever. The place is a dessicated death zone. But when I was treating my ratties for possible mites, I chose to use Ivermectin, because DE is just not something I want that close to their lungs.
 
Please do not use DE on your rats. Their respiratory systems are so sensitive as it is, they dont need the added problems that inhalation of DE will cause.
It is not necessary when effective medications for lice/mites exist (like revolution).
 
Just curious cause I was poking around the threads...anyone tried diatomaceous earth? I just wonder if it is safe or if the diamond are small enough to work on little lice/mites.
 
Sheldon said:
Just curious cause I was poking around the threads...anyone tried diatomaceous earth? I just wonder if it is safe or if the diamond are small enough to work on little lice/mites.
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Please read the 2 posts above you discussing why NOT to use DE.
 

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