UGG! I think my rats have lice...Help!

[kitedemon]

Don't use Diatamaceous Earth!!! That stuff is friggin messy as all getup. You'll have dust everywhere in no time, and it doesn't work. It does work on indivudual louse, but the amount you have to use, and dusting the cages, you'll hate the stuff... Not to mention, while it is safe for consumption, breathing it in can be hazardous. It works like little knives, rough microscopic edges, that break the louse's exoskeleton, causing it to dehydrate to death. But, enough of it breathed in, can cause irritation to your lungs.... Trust me, I've been down that road...

As for Provent a Mite, yes the stuff works wonders, but it's too expensive to use in each cage, even though it lasts an entire month. PAM is made with permitherin. That is the mite/louse killing agent in it. Go down to Home Depot/ACE/Lowes, get a gallon of Bed Bug and Flea spray, made by Hot Shot, uses permitherin, a slighly lower percentage, .2% to PAM's .5%.
Spray the cage, not the animals. I spray around the edge of each tub every single week when I clean. While it won't kill the mites on the rats themselves, they won't have anywhere to go, and will die shortly. You will thank me later, trust me on this... I've been using it for a long long time. When I buy it, I always get funny looks, because I usually buy the store out!
I use it on my entire buildings, inside and out about once a month. It works! Don't try all the hocus pocus mumbo gumbo, they don't work, or barely work, I've tried them all.

As for infestation, rat lice are species specific, so they won't infest other animals, not even mice. Mice get mites too, but a different species. They will however, try them out! We used to get a flare up every once and a while before I found the permitherin. They will bite humans as well, but they don't feed on us, but it's annoying as all.

When we moved into our new buildings a couple of years ago, we got absolutely infested. I brought in two seperate pest companies, one wouldn't even touch us for fear of killing animals, the other tried, but failed miserably. Once I started using Hot Shot, they started dying off, and within a weeks period, were off the animals, looking for new places to go, because I couldn't spray inside my store(fish,birds,reptiles, etc) it took another week to 10 days before they died off completely.
I use it religiously now, and the absolute only time I ever see, feel a mite, is when I bring in animals from another source, and they don't last long.

everything you say is true. It is a mess to deal with and dust is bad for you. PAM (aka Cic residual pressurized insecticide no. v) contains Permethrin which is fairly toxic to reptiles and at 0.50% is a CARCENOGEN in humans based on weigh of evidence assessments. I personally a little clean up is fine if I don't place my animals or myself at risk with out need. DE works it just takes some effort. I choose to avoid toxic chemicals when possible.

ref. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_...17#Ingredients

[jasbus]

Whereas I do agree, you should avoid insecticides when possible, sometimes it's just not possible.
DE works, I've used it for months at a time. It's inexpensive, and effective. But, having used it, I personally would never recommend it. That's not saying you can't recommend it, I don't mean to insinuate that. But, I just have to post my personal recommendation of it, and it can be taken or not.
I used 2 50# bags of hthe stuff over about a years time or so. When I finished the second bag, I was still getting mites popping up. It only works when the bug physically comes into contact with the dust. With the amount of dust that covers absolutely everything anywhere near on or around the entire building you're using it in, it's amazing that even the rodents survive.
Just way too messy to deal with in my opinion. I even had to throw out a window a/c unit that was absolutely filled with the stuff, even on the coils on the outside part of the unit. Nasty caked on, flour like substance tha is horrible when it gets moist.

[kitedemon]

I actually have never needed to use that much! I only ever have had a few pharaoh ants that seem to be impossible (ok difficult) to kill anyway, some DE around the feet of the shelves and rack prevents the ants from pestering my collection. I can totally see your point. I have seen 3 snakes poisoned by insecticides used properly they are great but they are used improperly and the result is not pretty.