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Rat mites

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  • 06-26-2007, 03:28 PM
    jglass38
    Rat mites
    So last night I found that one of my rats (a male that hasn't been too healthy ) had rat mites all over him. Since its a closed colony the only place it could have come from is the bedding I bought last. I sprayed him with Reptile Relief which has been tested and is safe for rodents. Today I have to change all the bedding as I saw a few here and there on a couple other rats. I wrote to Bob Pound at Pro Products (the makers of Provent A Mite) to ask whether PAM could be used for rat mites. His response indicates that even though PAM is not approved for use with rodents and recommending it would be against the law, that it has been tested and does work without complications for the rodent or the animal that ends up consuming it. Here is his response:


    We have done clinical studies with our product on rodents. We found that it didn’t cause any acute or chronic health problems for the rodents or anything that ate them (reptiles, raptors and mammals were used) when applied per the same method as it labeled for use with reptiles. Since rodent bedding is changed frequently, in order to make the application more cost effective, we treated cotton balls per the label method and rate, then inserted about 20 cotton balls per habitat. The rodents would use the cotton to make a nest. Every time they went in and out of the nest, they would be treated. This resulted in a 100% effective control of all ectoparasites on the rodents. When the cages were cleaned, the nest was removed, put aside and replaced in the clean cage. We found the nest to remain effective for at least 30 days.



    We did try to use several other formulas using a more common isomer of permethrin, as they are much cheaper than the one we use. We found a high rate of chronic health problems in both reptiles and raptors that were fed the contaminated rodents. Breaking the formula down into its components, we found that these other molecules of the active as well as two other ingredients found in almost every other formula were the cause. Because our formula is considerably more expensive to manufacture than other formulas & methods presently EPA approved for treating rodents, along with the very high cost to submit our product to be approved for this use, we decided it was economically unfeasible to do so. For this reason, we can’t recommend our product for this use as it is not labeled as such.
  • 06-26-2007, 03:44 PM
    muddoc
    Re: Rat mites
    Jamie,
    We ran into this problem about 2 years ago. We brought one of our rats to the vet, and they recommended a "Fronline" type treatment. By this I mean the liquid drops you put on a dog for flee control. I can't remember the brand name, but I believe it may have been Frontline. At any rate, it worked like a charm. We did however, keep from feeding any of the animals that were treated to any snakes for a 30 day period of time.

    I will not question PAM, but I do know that reptilian mites and mammalian mites are host specific, and I think the treatment for each would be different. I would think that the PAM would not be very effective. However, if you try it, I would love to hear about your results. On that note, I would think that if you treated any animal with PAM, you would want to refrain from feeding that animal and any other animal that has contact with that animal to your snakes, as I don't think that your snake ingesting PAm would be good. Just a reminder in case you didn't think of it.

    Good Luck,
  • 06-26-2007, 03:48 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by muddoc
    Jamie,
    We ran into this problem about 2 years ago. We brought one of our rats to the vet, and they recommended a "Fronline" type treatment. By this I mean the liquid drops you put on a dog for flee control. I can't remember the brand name, but I believe it may have been Frontline. At any rate, it worked like a charm. We did however, keep from feeding any of the animals that were treated to any snakes for a 30 day period of time.

    I will not question PAM, but I do know that reptilian mites and mammalian mites are host specific, and I think the treatment for each would be different. I would think that the PAM would not be very effective. However, if you try it, I would love to hear about your results. On that note, I would think that if you treated any animal with PAM, you would want to refrain from feeding that animal and any other animal that has contact with that animal to your snakes, as I don't think that your snake ingesting PAm would be good. Just a reminder in case you didn't think of it.

    Good Luck,

    Tim,

    As far as the difference between reptile mites and mammalian mites, I have to defer to Bob on that one. There isn't a person out there with more knowledge of ectoparasites. He did state that his research showed no risk of feeding prey items that had their enclosures treated with PAM. I will let you know how it goes.

    Jamie
  • 06-26-2007, 03:50 PM
    slartibartfast
    Re: Rat mites
    There are a couple of species of rat mites; you can get one on a piece of clear scotch tape and check under a microscope to see what you have. The most common ones are actually lice. We got some mouse lice in our hospital rats, presumably from bedding as we don't keep any other rodents there.

    Frontline did the trick...not the concentrated drops, but the spray-on form, which is a much lower concentration. I put on rubber gloves, sprayed it on my hands, and then rubbed each rat. We had a litter at that time who still had their eyes shut, and I rubbed a small spot on each of them as well. There were no apparent side effects, and the lice were gone by the next morning. I also changed the bedding and misted the new bedding with Frontline spray as well, just to cover all the bases.
  • 06-26-2007, 03:53 PM
    muddoc
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jglass38
    Tim,

    As far as the difference between reptile mites and mammalian mites, I have to defer to Bob on that one. There isn't a person out there with more knowledge of ectoparasites. He did state that his research showed no risk of feeding prey items that had their enclosures treated with PAM. I will let you know how it goes.

    Jamie

    Thanks for the clarification Jamie, as I have never talked to Bob before. Sounds good not having any risk of feeding prey items to your snake after use.
  • 06-26-2007, 03:55 PM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    I love me some Frontline, both the spray and the drops. I used the spray on each of my friend's rats, and we haven't seen itching, scabbies, nothing for 2 months. I would get some of that since the rat who is mostly affected is immunocompromised right now. Something harsher than the Frontline may just do him in if he gets too much into his system.
  • 06-26-2007, 03:57 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by muddoc
    Thanks for the clarification Jamie, as I have never talked to Bob before. Sounds good not having any risk of feeding prey items to your snake after use.

    In the end its the word of one guy. However, when that guy is Bob Pound it carries some weight. I'm not quite sure what the difference is between Frontline and PAM. I would venture a guess that they are both Permethrin based products. For me I would feel more comfortable with an approach that has been tested (even though its not approved) and that doesn't include applying anything topical to the animal than with a try and hope method like rubbing Frontline on the rats.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:04 PM
    lord jackel
    Re: Rat mites
    A word of caution there are 2 treatments being discussed in this thred - and they are not the same and could have disasterous results.


    1. is PAM (pyrethin based) - as stated by Jamie and Bob this has been tested on rodents (who were fed to snakes) and found to be safe. It is water soluble and breaks down fairly quickly. On a personal note I have a pyrethin sprayer in my rat room that sprays a metered does of pyrethin every 15 mins. I have had this setup for several years and have been feeding these same rodents (that have been exposed to it) without incident (in both the rats nor my snakes and lizards). My rat room doubles as my garage and for the past several years I have never seen a live critter in it...I do have to sweep up dead spiders, ants, and such all the time but nothing alive. They have these same setups in restaurants it has been tested on humans, reptiles, rodents and other mammals and found to be safe (pyrethin that is not the "extras" that may have been added).

    2. is Frontline (Fipronil based) - is another good parasitic but is NOT meant for ingestion. It has long term effects and does not break down in the presense of water. It is toxic to both humans and animals in larger doses (only about 15% is actually absorbed by your dog when you use it on them and frontline suggests you wear gloves when treating your dog). This treatment will also get rid of mites and lice but I agree with Tim that if you are going to use this treatment that you abstain from feeding those treated rodents for at least 30 days from treatment.

    Just wanted to make sure that others that read this thread don't try and combine the treatments or mis-understand the treatment options.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:07 PM
    muddoc
    Re: Rat mites
    Very well put Sean.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:15 PM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    From what I have read on pet rat sites, the best treatment is "Revolution" for cats or kittens. Not sure how it compares to frontline, but it's supposed to be very safe for the rats and it stays in their system for 30 days so it breaks the 3 week life cycle of mites.

    My adult rats are pets so I don't mind using such treatments on them. I have 2 males that are seriously mite infested. I didn't realize it was mites and it didn't seem so bad before, but it's pretty serious now. I've ordered Revolution and am just now waiting for it to get here in the mail from Australia. Requires a prescription here but apparently they can ship it from Australia without a prescription. 1 drop between the ears/back of neck and that should take care of it.

    If you do have mites you should treat all the rats as they probably all have them, showing symptoms or not. If you only treat the ones showing symptoms the mites will just hang out on the others and re-infect the treated ones after the treatment wears off.

    www.petshed.com
  • 06-26-2007, 04:16 PM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    Having been taught by the people who make Frontline (Merial) they have performed very large trials based on safety and ingestion. Dogs can ingest over 30 vials of Frontline and be absolutely fine. I don't remember the exact trial or the numbers involved, but I do know that the side effects, if any, were minimal and generally only caused upset stomach and maybe diarrhea. Try that with your locally available Bio-Spot junk or any of the Hartz products(pyrethrin/permethrin based). Yay seizures ;)
  • 06-26-2007, 04:18 PM
    Laooda
    Re: Rat mites
    Doesn't oral Ivermectin treat rat mites too?
  • 06-26-2007, 04:19 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SatanicIntention
    Having been taught by the people who make Frontline (Merial) they have performed very large trials based on safety and ingestion. Dogs can ingest over 30 vials of Frontline and be absolutely fine. I don't remember the exact trial or the numbers involved, but I do know that the side effects, if any, were minimal and generally only caused upset stomach and maybe diarrhea. Try that with your locally available Bio-Spot junk or any of the Hartz products(pyrethrin/permethrin based). Yay seizures ;)

    I think Bob was pretty clear that when he researched and tested with other, cheaper and more common Permethrins that he saw problems. I am only talking about the formula used in PAM.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:20 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Laooda
    Doesn't oral Ivermectin treat rat mites too?

    Not particularly feasible in a large rat colony though.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:20 PM
    Laooda
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SatanicIntention
    Try that with your locally available Bio-Spot junk or any of the Hartz products(pyrethrin/permethrin based). Yay seizures ;)

    Bio-Spot almost killed one of my dogs.... :mad: Sorry for the hijack!
  • 06-26-2007, 04:30 PM
    jessie_k_pythons
    Re: Rat mites
    I had a rat give me lice... not fun at all. be careful.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:38 PM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    Yep Laura, I can't stand Bio-Spot or any of the other supermarket-available flea products/collars. They don't work and usually cause alot of damage. People like to use those dog products on cats and wonder why their cat is foaming and seizuring on the floor...

    Jamie I think you misread my post. I was responding to Jackal's post when he said it's not safe to be ingested, when in truth, it is.

    Sometimes Ivermectin can work, but my vet has told me that the mites are getting more and more resistant to it(as I found out with one of my rats). I treated one female for 3 weeks straight, once daily dosing, cage cleaned more than once a week and she STILL had lice at the end. Went and borrowed the bottle of Frontline spray and after one application, the lice and nits were gone.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:38 PM
    lord jackel
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SatanicIntention
    Try that with your locally available Bio-Spot junk or any of the Hartz products(pyrethrin/permethrin based)

    Yep...all these (and most commom cheaper dog/cat formulas) contain methoprene which is an insect growth regulator and has been tied to seizures, death and other nasty issues with mammals.

    Stay away from the adders...as Bob (from Jamie's post) pointed out he tested several formulas with this (the most common one) adder and found they have issues. These issues are document for small animals and sick animals (I think they are still on the market cause it seems large health dogs/cats can deal with the poison) Personally I wouldn't use any.
  • 06-26-2007, 04:41 PM
    lord jackel
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SatanicIntention
    Jamie I think you misread my post. I was responding to Jackal's post when he said it's not safe to be ingested, when in truth, it is.

    And you mis-read my post...I was referring to your snake ingesting treated rats with the active ingredient in Frontline. There is a huge difference between your dog ingesting some and a 50gram rat.

    Here is the study by the way:
    Mohamed F, Senarathna L, Percy A, Abeyewardene M, Eaglesham G, Cheng R, Azher S, Hittarage A, Dissanayake W, Sheriff MH, Davies W, Buckley NA, Eddleston M., Acute human self-poisoning with the N-phenylpyrazole insecticide fipronil--a GABAA-gated chloride channel blocker, J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2004;42(7):955-63)
  • 06-26-2007, 04:50 PM
    monk90222
    Re: Rat mites
    http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.h...2-00b0d0204ae5

    That is the link to the "flying insect kit" that I use in my garage/rat room.
    I had a mite problem from one bag of petco aspen...Since I started using this spray (every 15 min) I have no mites or actually insects in general in there....
  • 06-26-2007, 04:51 PM
    monk90222
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jglass38
    Not particularly feasible in a large rat colony though.

    I have some of these Invermectin syringes if you need them Jamie...
  • 06-26-2007, 04:52 PM
    lord jackel
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by monk90222
    http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.h...2-00b0d0204ae5

    That is the link to the "flying insect kit" that I use in my garage/rat room.
    I had a mite problem from one bag of petco aspen...Since I started using this spray (every 15 min) I have no mites or actually insects in general in there....

    This is the same thing I am using (mentioned in my earlier posts)...Awesome product. :carrot:
  • 06-26-2007, 04:53 PM
    monk90222
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lord jackel
    This is the same thing I am using (mentioned in my earlier posts)...Awesome product. :carrot:

    I agree. I even put the deoderizer can in to it in the winter when the bugs are all gone...
  • 06-26-2007, 04:55 PM
    lord jackel
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by monk90222
    I agree. I even put the deoderizer can in to it in the winter when the bugs are all gone...

    Never tried that...good idea I will have to try it this year.
  • 06-26-2007, 05:49 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by monk90222
    http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.h...2-00b0d0204ae5

    That is the link to the "flying insect kit" that I use in my garage/rat room.
    I had a mite problem from one bag of petco aspen...Since I started using this spray (every 15 min) I have no mites or actually insects in general in there....

    Look at the big brain on Charlie! Thanks bud. I am going to order one of these now just to have. I have some flies in the rat room since the AC unit isn't sealed particularly well. Also that little mite problem.
  • 06-26-2007, 05:56 PM
    Reptilian
    Re: Rat mites
    Where do you get Frontline in a spray? I've only heard of the drops...
  • 06-26-2007, 05:57 PM
    Freakie_frog
    Re: Rat mites
    Be careful there Jamie I use those in the barn in a smallish room it would be very potent.
  • 06-26-2007, 06:03 PM
    Fearless
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Flagg
    From what I have read on pet rat sites, the best treatment is "Revolution" for cats or kittens. Not sure how it compares to frontline, but it's supposed to be very safe for the rats and it stays in their system for 30 days so it breaks the 3 week life cycle of mites.

    My adult rats are pets so I don't mind using such treatments on them. I have 2 males that are seriously mite infested. I didn't realize it was mites and it didn't seem so bad before, but it's pretty serious now. I've ordered Revolution and am just now waiting for it to get here in the mail from Australia. Requires a prescription here but apparently they can ship it from Australia without a prescription. 1 drop between the ears/back of neck and that should take care of it.

    If you do have mites you should treat all the rats as they probably all have them, showing symptoms or not. If you only treat the ones showing symptoms the mites will just hang out on the others and re-infect the treated ones after the treatment wears off.

    www.petshed.com

    Revolution can be obtained here without a prescription, you must get it from the local vet but he doesnt need to even see the animal. I used to work for this vet and he did several clinical tests on it before it was actually available and appears to be very effective on controlling parasites but not sure how it would do with ingestion in a snake cuz a tiny bottle will stay in the animal for at least 30 days before it needs to be reapplied.
  • 06-26-2007, 08:19 PM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Fearless
    Revolution can be obtained here without a prescription, you must get it from the local vet but he doesnt need to even see the animal. I used to work for this vet and he did several clinical tests on it before it was actually available and appears to be very effective on controlling parasites but not sure how it would do with ingestion in a snake cuz a tiny bottle will stay in the animal for at least 30 days before it needs to be reapplied.

    Maybe if you know the vet, but I doubt any of the vets around here would just sell it to someone off the street without forcing them to bring in the pet for a visit.
  • 06-26-2007, 09:04 PM
    littleindiangirl
    Re: Rat mites
    What are the symptoms of mites on a rat? I know in kittens and dogs they are found mostly in the ears, or around that area. What am I really looking for?
  • 06-26-2007, 09:07 PM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    Why not? It's available OTC but only vets sell it(sometimes Petsmart/Petco does too). I can walk into any vet and buy Frontline/Revolution, etc without them needing to see the animal. Now, they DO need to see the animal to sell you heartworm preventative, so they can test them for pre-existing heartworm infestation. If they don't test, and the dog has a massive load of heartworms, the huge amount of worms dying could cause an embolism. But anyway! So no, vets don't require that the animal be present when you're buying flea/tick products.
  • 06-26-2007, 10:46 PM
    monk90222
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jglass38
    Look at the big brain on Charlie! Thanks bud. I am going to order one of these now just to have. I have some flies in the rat room since the AC unit isn't sealed particularly well. Also that little mite problem.

    Don't forget that it will also kill feeder crickets.....(think uro, crestie...)
  • 06-26-2007, 10:47 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by monk90222
    Don't forget that it will also kill feeder crickets.....(think uro, crestie...)

    I don't mess with feeder insects much. Uro gets vegetables and fruit and the Crestie gets CGD.
  • 06-27-2007, 12:15 AM
    slartibartfast
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SatanicIntention
    Why not? It's available OTC but only vets sell it(sometimes Petsmart/Petco does too). I can walk into any vet and buy Frontline/Revolution, etc without them needing to see the animal. Now, they DO need to see the animal to sell you heartworm preventative, so they can test them for pre-existing heartworm infestation. If they don't test, and the dog has a massive load of heartworms, the huge amount of worms dying could cause an embolism. But anyway! So no, vets don't require that the animal be present when you're buying flea/tick products.

    Erm...Revolution is a heartworm prevention. Maybe you're thinking of Advantage?

    Anyway...I like and trust Frontline. My friend who is a herp keeper at the Tulsa Zoo says they've been using it for years on all their reptiles on a regular six month cycle with no issues. She's a big fan of it. I also used it to treat mites on a snake I bought. Awesome stuff. :-)
  • 06-27-2007, 09:48 AM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    *smacks herself upside the head* Duh... I totally forgot that is was a heartworm preventative. I don't use it as such, and wouldn't have to worry about getting a dog/cat tested before buying it. I just tell them it's for my rats and it's no biggie :)
  • 06-27-2007, 09:54 AM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    Revolution is also for heartworm. Perhaps that is why not. I read the Revolution website, it's not available OTC.

    CAUTION
    US Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.
  • 06-27-2007, 09:55 AM
    TekWarren
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jglass38
    So last night I found that one of my rats (a male that hasn't been too healthy ) had rat mites all over him. Since its a closed colony the only place it could have come from is the bedding I bought last. I sprayed him with Reptile Relief which has been tested and is safe for rodents. Today I have to change all the bedding as I saw a few here and there on a couple other rats. I wrote to Bob Pound at Pro Products (the makers of Provent A Mite) to ask whether PAM could be used for rat mites. His response indicates that even though PAM is not approved for use with rodents and recommending it would be against the law, that it has been tested and does work without complications for the rodent or the animal that ends up consuming it. Here is his response:

    I don't mean to dispute the information you got but I did have a bad experience using PAM on mice a while back. I applied PAM to the bedding and to the best of my judgment gave it ample time to dry. If I remember correctly within 24hrs I had dead and dieing mice. I changed the bedding and washed out the bin as soon as I noticed and *most* of the sick mice recovered for me well and where still used in successful breeding. I posted about it when it happened if you want to try and find the discussion. Again I admit I could have done something wrong but I will never put chemicals within direct access to my rodents again it was not pretty :(
  • 06-27-2007, 09:59 AM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TekWarren
    I don't mean to dispute the information you got but I did have a bad experience using PAM on mice a while back. I applied PAM to the bedding and to the best of my judgment gave it ample time to dry. If I remember correctly within 24hrs I had dead and dieing mice. I changed the bedding and washed out the bin as soon as I noticed and *most* of the sick mice recovered for me well and where still used in successful breeding. I posted about it when it happened if you want to try and find the discussion. Again I admit I could have done something wrong but I will never put chemicals within direct access to my rodents again it was not pretty :(

    I think a mistake that people use with PAM is spraying too much. A couple short bursts and you are done. The bedding (or whatever substrate if you are using it with reptiles) should never feel wet and should dry within seconds to minutes. Now I am not saying you made a mistake. Could have been a freak occurence although the extensive testing done by Pro Products should have assured that it wouldn't happen. As of this morning all the rats and even the pinks are still fine. I'll check them later today.
  • 06-27-2007, 10:05 AM
    mistino
    Re: Rat mites
    I just wanted to add to the topic of Frontline and Revolution. When we had our problem I took 1 of our rats to the vet to make sure I was right about what I was looking at. I told them that the best thing I could find on the pet forums was the revolution for cats. So they gave me some and told me to put 1 drop on each of the adults. When we were there they put some on the one I brought up there and the next day no lice or eggs were on the rat. So it worked great but then I started checking and the revolution actually gets into the blood stream where the frontline only gets into the oils of the skin. So the frontline fads away faster when the animals clean themselves and revolution does not. So we started to worry about feeding the offspring to the snakes and decided not to feed them until 1 month later.

    Now we only treated that one rat and decided not to do anymore. Keep in mind that at the time we probably had about 60 breeders( 2 racks out of 4) with lice and not to mention all the babies. So then we talked to someone else about the problem and they told us to us the No Pest Strips(this is not the sticky strips) that you can get at Home Depot. We went and bought those and put 1 of them in our room and no more lice. And we have not had any since then as I keep a strip in my room all the time now.
  • 06-27-2007, 10:05 AM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    Well I just called the closest vet, they have Revolution, and they absolutely refused to sell it to me even after I told them it was for rats and not dogs or cats.

    Vets are a**holes. They don't care about the animals, all they care about is getting their money for the visit.

    As for the frontline and advantage, do they actually work on mites or just fleas and lice? Revolution is advertised for mites and the other 2 are not. I actually have frontline on order, ordered before I heard about revolution, and that might get here today so I'm wondering if I should use that on the really bad males right away. But if I use that then I probably can't use the revolution for a month once it comes in.
  • 06-27-2007, 10:46 AM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    Frontline actually gets into the hair follicles not just into the oil on the skin.

    And Flagg, the vets in your area are twits :) If that makes you feel any better.
  • 06-27-2007, 11:01 AM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    I just got off the phone with Pfizer customer support and they tell me that Revolution absolutely is a prescription product in the US, and she kept stressing how it is regulated by the FDA and prescription is required.

    So Becky, you are lucky that you can get it so easily, as apparently it is not supposed to be sold that way.

    I'm just glad there are overseas vendors that aren't controlled by the US government, and I hope I don't get screwed by customs.
  • 06-27-2007, 11:17 AM
    TekWarren
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jglass38
    I think a mistake that people use with PAM is spraying too much. A couple short bursts and you are done. The bedding (or whatever substrate if you are using it with reptiles) should never feel wet and should dry within seconds to minutes. Now I am not saying you made a mistake. Could have been a freak occurence although the extensive testing done by Pro Products should have assured that it wouldn't happen. As of this morning all the rats and even the pinks are still fine. I'll check them later today.

    I think you are absolutely right as I remember more about applying it and using to much.
  • 06-27-2007, 11:19 AM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TekWarren
    I think you are absolutely right as I remember more about applying it and using to much.

    I think this is a good lesson for any application of PAM. It is extremely effective in small amounts. A can of PAM should last a LONG time. A couple short bursts are all it takes. I treat every incoming animal that goes into quarantine.
  • 06-27-2007, 02:45 PM
    slartibartfast
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Flagg
    Vets are a**holes. They don't care about the animals, all they care about is getting their money for the visit.

    <rant>
    That remark is completely out of line, spoken by somebody who has no idea of what a good vet is worth. It is against the law for a vet to sell Revolution to patient they haven't seen. This is true of all prescription medications. We had a sting last year where some folks from the veterinary medicine board went around to all the different clinics trying to buy heartworm prevention without a current client-patient relationship...several clinics got busted and had to pay big fines.

    I really really dislike that attitude, and will be leaving you Reputation to reflect that. None of the vets I work for are rich...we just have flipping high operational costs that you, as a whiny client, have no idea of. Approximately 3% of our gross intake actually comes out as profit...the rest goes back into the business...better equipment, rennovations, etc. Don't like it? Feel free to walk on....we'll see you later, and for more money, when your animals are horribly ill from conditions that could have been treated easier and cheaper if they'd been seen by a vet sooner. :)
    </rant>

    You may now return to arguing the merits of off-label use of various insecticides.
  • 06-27-2007, 03:42 PM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by slartibartfast
    <rant>
    That remark is completely out of line, spoken by somebody who has no idea of what a good vet is worth. It is against the law for a vet to sell Revolution to patient they haven't seen. This is true of all prescription medications. We had a sting last year where some folks from the veterinary medicine board went around to all the different clinics trying to buy heartworm prevention without a current client-patient relationship...several clinics got busted and had to pay big fines.

    I really really dislike that attitude, and will be leaving you Reputation to reflect that. None of the vets I work for are rich...we just have flipping high operational costs that you, as a whiny client, have no idea of. Approximately 3% of our gross intake actually comes out as profit...the rest goes back into the business...better equipment, rennovations, etc. Don't like it? Feel free to walk on....we'll see you later, and for more money, when your animals are horribly ill from conditions that could have been treated easier and cheaper if they'd been seen by a vet sooner. :)
    </rant>

    You may now return to arguing the merits of off-label use of various insecticides.

    I'm entitled to my opinion just as much as you are. YOU are obviously biased in this case.
    I've called dozens of vets, none of them will even SEE my rats, so how am I supposed to establish a "current client-patient relationship" when they can't even be bothered to see my pets?

    In my experience, vets are money-hungry, cold and ruthless. Perhaps you have a different experience. Whatever. If you decide to take my comments personally, well that's your problem. They weren't directed at you. Are you a vet?
  • 06-27-2007, 03:54 PM
    Flagg
    Re: Rat mites
    Oh, and I agree with your comment that I "have no idea what a good vet is worth." I've never met a good vet, so I agree , I have no idea.
    Perhaps rural vets are better than those in larger cities and their suburbs.
    Perhaps there's just a larger concentration of questionable vets in the cities so it's harder to find the good ones.
  • 06-27-2007, 04:05 PM
    SatanicIntention
    Re: Rat mites
    Oh gosh yes, come here to Waco and the majority of the vets will give you the shirt off their back. They are very nice and inviting here, very willing to help.

    I have a friend in Austin, however, who had to take one of her rats to the emergency clinic one night because of pneumonia. These rats are her children and she treats them as such. These people at the vet office stuck the rat in a rubbermaid container, put the oxygen tube on and left her there... Didn't give her fluids, didn't keep her warm, didn't give antibiotics, and most importantly, they didn't OBSERVE their PATIENT. They were busy cooing over puppies... Ugh. My friend had to make the decision to euthanize her girl, Pnut, because these people didn't do a darned thing to care for her. Pnut easily could have survived if she had been in the care of a competent vet who actually cared. THEN these people have enough gumption to charge my friend $1200... for OXYGEN and for being there during emergency hours... And she still didn't get to take her little friend home...

    Now my vet will go out of her way to help my rats, my friend's rats, my friend's snakes/cats/etc. She took my dwarf rat, who isn't any bigger than a large mouse, to DALLAS, for emergency surgery AND cared for her over the weekend... And hasn't even charged me for it!

    Sometimes you just have to find the right vet. And if they move, you move with 'em, LOL.
  • 06-27-2007, 04:53 PM
    jglass38
    Re: Rat mites
    Just got home and all rats, pinks to adults are fine. I sprayed the bedding 24 hours ago with PAM. I checked the one who was infested the worst and couldn't find any on him alive. I can't stress enough though, go easy on the PAM. :)
  • 06-27-2007, 04:59 PM
    lord jackel
    Re: Rat mites
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jglass38
    Just got home and all rats, pinks to adults are fine. I sprayed the bedding 24 hours ago with PAM. I checked the one who was infested the worst and couldn't find any on him alive. I can't stress enough though, go easy on the PAM. :)

    This is great to hear...how is the little boy doing getting any better?
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