If you guys have read one of my older threads, I had a problem with a bunch of my new colony dying. Well the good news is that about 3/4 of the population survived and I had no ASF fatalities. The other rats seem to be doing great and have even produced a couple of litters.
But now the bad news; I was checking the water supply yesterday because I knew it was about to run out and I kept feeling like I was getting bit my Mosquitos or something were biting my legs. I looked down and noticed 7 or 8 black dots on my legs that appeared to be fleas. I picked them off and drowned them and went back and started checking my colony for fleas or mites or anything. I couldn't see anything actually on the rats, even the light colored ones.
I checked the ASFs and couldn't find anything either and they're all light colored. But when I stand within like 5 feet of my two racks I get about 7 flea like things that jump on my legs.
We do have two cats that have the occasional problem with fleas but it's never been anything extremely bad, just the occasional flea. But the thing is, all the cats stay upstairs and do not have access to where the rats are.
So I don't really know what's going on here. It doesn't SEEM like the rats are infested with them but they are tiny and rats are kinda hard to check for fleas. I'm not even sure they actually are fleas or fur mites or what. I've looked up fur mites but there's no really distinctive pictures.
I tried to take a picture of them but my camera won't that close up.
Any insight as to what's going on here? I haven't added anything new since the deaths of the last ones. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.