help - mites on rats! how do you get rid of them???

i got an email just now from a friend:

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My ratties have mites! I thoroughly cleaned their cage tonight, washed them off with water, then wiped them down with garlic oil and put it in their ears, too. But the little suckers are still on them! They are COVERED! I don't know what happened! But in the meantime, everything I've read says to give them Ivermectin, which my mom has and can bring by next weekend. It is liquid heavy duty strength. Do you know of anything else I can do to get rid of them? I feel so bad I don't know how they got in there!
Thanks for any help you can give me!

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what advice can you give her? becky? jo? anyone with experience?

I wouldn't really know... Sorry hun, I want to say PAM, but that is only used for reptiles.. Has anyone tested it for rodents?
Again I'm sorry about your friends rats, I hope she can get them mites cleared up soon!

Why would she put garlic oil on them? Cooking rats tonight? ;)

Ivermectin PASTE needs to be used, it's only 1.87% for the whole tube that treats a 1000lb horse. They each need a grain of rice sized dose every day for 2-3 weeks. You can use that or Frontline SPRAY(not the concentrate drops) or Revolution for Kittens(they all need weighed so a specific dosage can be given, but it treats for 30+ days).

Tell her to get the paste or the Frontline spray and don't use the injectable stuff made for cattle/goats. Too high of a dose and tastes freaking awful.

What kind of bedding is she keeping them on? Carefresh is notorious for having mites in it. I get aspen and have never had problems. She may want to freeze the bedding before using it. Did she bring a new rat in that wasn't quarantined?

Mitch, PAM will either kill rodents or give them irreversible neurologic problems. There are alot of other alternatives that are meant for treating mites on mammals that are safer.

nope... she's always had the two (they are pets) she has no idea where they came from.

thanks becky. i sent her your response. you rock girlfriend!!!

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Mitch, PAM will either kill rodents or give them irreversible neurologic problems. There are alot of other alternatives that are meant for treating mites on mammals that are safer.

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Oh okay, like I said I didn't really know, but thanks for informing me, I learn something mew everyday here, sorry Aleesha! :(
EDIT
Oh and thanks Becky for letting me know :)
END EDIT

hey mitch, it's how we all learn! :hug:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

hey mitch, it's how we all learn! :hug:

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Thanks Aleesha! :hug:
Did you get what I said before?
When are your snakes coming from Adam?

yup i did... :D

i have no idea. i told adam to take care of his son and himself and worry about my snakes later... cause real life HAS to come first! :hug:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

yup i did... :D

i have no idea. i told adam to take care of his son and himself and worry about my snakes later... cause real life HAS to come first! :hug:

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Wait, what happened to his son? :( I heard something happened, but no one really said anything.. Is he okay? :(

read adam's blog:

http://forum.8ballpythons.com/blog/

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

read adam's blog:

http://forum.8ballpythons.com/blog/

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Lol sorry I can't really tell what I'm looking for, these pain killers make me sleepy.. (mouth surgery)

start at sept 4th first day of school. then read that post and the one above it and above it etc.

yes his son is okay, but his eye is still messed up. :(

Okay I found it...
Oh wow, Adam if you see this, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. :(
Tell your little dude I hope he gets better!

I could have sworn some time ago folks where telling me that PAM was ok to use on rodents when used properly. The application is not to be directly on the rodents but on their enclosure or at least that is what I remember being told.

However: I would not recommend it or I would be VERY careful if it was a last resort. I am here to say that a while back (maybe year or two) I thought I would try PAM to treat some new incoming mice. I experienced the exact neurological issues Becky spoke of. It was not pretty and some died :(

i found a thread like that as well ... but i prefer becky's method.

I just read that thread yesterday, its still says to use pam on the bedding and cage, but absolutely not on the rats themselves like you can with frontline.

The issue with PAM and rodents has to do with the "other" chemicals in the can that give it its residual effects. Since rats are chews and lickers they are more likely to come into contact with these chemicals that make PAM last - like in cleaning themselves or chewing on the tubs. There are other straight pyrethrin based products that will not harm rodents but they also won't last as long either.


Depends on what the goal you have as to which product is the best choice. There is no one size fits all when it comes to pesticides.

my friends response:

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I really appreciate that you asked for me!
If my homeade garlic concoction doesn't do the trick then I'll look into a chemical approach. But I hate to do that to them just yet. Garlic, by the way (if you want to let her know) is a natural anitmicrobial/antibiotic/antibacterial so it can all by itself kill mites/parasities/etc... Oil suffocates the mites so it is a good, very hygenic carrier for the garlic. I use it in my kids ears anytime they seem to be getting an ear infection, which has only been once for both and it nipped it in the bud (or lobe!).
I use Carefresh, but don't know where to get something else. Specifically, what is it I should get and do they sell it at PetCo type places? I do freeze my carefresh.
Thanks again! So far it looks like I've got it under control. But if it comes back again and I can't control it, I will look into those other options.

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i told her about aspen... and not to ever use pine or cedar :)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

my friends response:



i told her about aspen... and not to ever use pine or cedar :)

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While true what she says about Garlic. Mite and Lice are not microbial or bacterial so garlic is useless on them...infact they might actually like eating some, gives your rats and mice a little more flavor :D ;)

she thinks they may have lice as well. any suggestions on this or will the same treatment becky suggested work for both?

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

she thinks they may have lice as well. any suggestions on this or will the same treatment becky suggested work for both?

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If they really are mice/rat lice then yes it will work as they are preying on the mice... if she has some other bedding bugs(these don't prey on the mice/rats) then no you would need a pesticide for the bedding.

k i'll let her know.

I've used Frontline spray very successfully on a batch of rats that had lice (three adults, two litters of fuzzies). I took them all out and lightly sprayed the bedding and tossed it around and let it dry, then (wearing gloves) I sprayed a squirt into a small dish and used one finger to paint a dab onto the back of the neck each baby rat (they didn't even have their eyes open yet), and lightly ran my dampened fingers over each adult rat. All the lice were gone by the next day, and none of the rats exhibited any problems. I love this stuff!