Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i noticed small blood spots on one of my breeder rats? They are very small scratch spots on her back? Thanks!!

Sounds like mites.

damn!that's what I thought how do I get rid of them? Thanks!

Revolution for cats. 1 or 2 drops on the back of the neck/head right on the skin. Keep them distracted and separate for at least 5-10 mins after dosing them so it can dry and doesn;t get licked off.

Revolution is the best product as it stays in their system for 30 days and breaks the life cycle of mites. You will have to dose all of your rats though, or one of them will just be a carrier until the meds wear off and re-infect the medicated ones.

I have also heard that Frontline and Advantage work as well, but Revolution seems to be the best and safest and it is advertized as effective on mites.

You can order it online from a couple different overseas vendors, as it requires a prescription in the US and it might be hard to get it from a vet as it is sold for cats and dogs, not rats.

Frontline and Advantage can be bought on Ebay.

any easier way? if not the revolution which one i think i seen kitten and cats drops? thanks for your help.

i use healthy habitat to always clean out there tubs is there something better or stronger to kill the mites?? thanks.

I don't know of any easier method that actually works. Check older threads.

is it possible they go away with out any medication??

I seriously doubt it. They will just get worse and all your rats will be scab covered and scratching constantly.

I let mine go for a while when one of my rats had it. I thought it was a protein allergy or something. it spread to most of the rest and some of them were in really bad shape and started showing behavioral issues. I ordered Revolution for cats from petshed.com and it cleared it up completely.

I heard enough and thats what I will do ! Thanks for your help!

can you tell me which one i should order? Thanks!

Revolution for cats and kittens are the same, except the kitten version has less of the revolution in the tiny tubes. I think its more economical to get the revolution for cats. One drop on the skin between the ears on every rat should do it.

I think I was able to dose all 20 of my rats at the time with the 3 tubes of Revolution for cats.

I wouldn't feed off any for 30 days though, as it stays in the system for that long. And if they give birth during that time, the mites may migrate to the newborns and I'm not sure how safe it is for really small rats.

ok i just ordered it! should i keep each rat in its own tub alone? and for how long? thanks for your help.

Not alone, though I would keep the males and females apart so no breeding until at least 2 weeks after dosing them.

1 drop on the back of the head under the fur, and keep it separate for at least 5 mins and don't let it groom itself for 5 mins so the stuff can dry, then they can be put back together with same sexes.

Dose them all the same day and within a week or 2 the mites should be gone. It stays in the system for 30 days so any eggs in the cage or on them will hatch and die as well.

If your rats are in your home, in their own room, I would personally get a small no-pest strip and hang it on the doorknob (Inside their room.). Yeah, it causes cancer. but the exposure is pretty small. Obviously, don't hang any in your living room. This is to prevent them from migrating into your home looking for something else they can live on, like dog/cat/snakes, etc.
If you have feeder insects, move them to another floor, if possible. Those strips are vapona based and will kill insects within a few yards in hours. Set up a perimeter defense like that between them and a living area to prevent them from wandering in search of sweeter blood. Vapona is known to cause nerve problems in animals, mammals and reptiles alike, so don't put strips directly on top of the cages, and once the mites are gone, wait a week or so, and throw the strips away.
Change the bedding at least twice a week, as the eggs will be in the bedding as well.

No Pest strips may help kill them but there's no worry about rat mites migrating to reptiles. Snake mites are a completely different kind of mite.

Snake mites are a completely different kind of mite.

True enough, as spider mites are a pain to get rid of.
I'd still be concerned with them hitching a ride on you and finding another host, or gaining access to general population (Living room.).
Once they start hanging out on the couch watching TV it's harder to get rid of them.

Snake mites are the worst. I have no idea why I thought they were called spider mites. Must have hit my head.

Since Revolution stays in the system for 30 days, and snake mites have a 3 week life cycle, as long as all rats are treated they should be pretty much eliminated. The only way they could stick around would be if they got to an untreated rodent.

Now you have me doing it. Rat mites, not snake mites.

Sevin Dust works great. You can sprinkle it in the bedding or on the rats. Very cheap and you can get it at Home Depot.

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

whats sevin dust? Is that a bedding?

It is a pesticide dust that can be used in gardens or on animals. You can find it in the pesticide section at home depot. It is excellent and safe. One application usually works.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband