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Member Comment
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10/3/2010 8:45:44 PM
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gfx
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Gross!!
http://www.ehow.com/how_5322066_treat-rat-lice-fleas-ivermectin.html
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Member Comment
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10/3/2010 9:05:41 PM
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OutkastBoa
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Olive Oil treatment:
Lice/mites breathe through their exoskeleton. When their bodies are covered in oil they can't breathe and they suffocate. We recommend olive oil at Holistarat because other types of oil seem to make the rats sick with diarrhea. There are many benefits to using (extra virgin) olive oil. It's easy to obtain at the grocery store, it soothes dry, sore, skin inflicted by the mites/lice, and it's nutritious, because we know the rat is going to lick it off.
The only drawbacks is the rat sometimes gets upset with this method because now we have mussed up their beautiful coat and they are fastidiously clean animals; they have to sit around for 5 minutes coated with oil and some owners like to humiliate them by sharing photos of them looking their worse; and then you need to give them a bath to get the oil, bugs, and eggs out. This has to be done once a week for three weeks!
Along with treating all of the rats that you have in the same cage, you need to clean the cage, all accessories, and surrounding area with bleach.
Got this from yahoo answers!
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Accepted Answer
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10/3/2010 11:10:36 PM
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abi21491
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I've used the Hartz flea spray for kittens and it works great. After I spray them down thoroughly I let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then give them a bath to wash it off. Then I used RID lice spray on their tubs and lightly on the bedding (use clean, lice-free bedding!) any wood toys, soak in a bleach solution. RID everything plastic or glass with RID. Make sure it dries and airs out before you put the rats back in. Repeat this process in 7-8 days so you can kill whatever lice might have hatched (lice eggs take 7 days to hatch). That should be the end of them. I just ran into them a few weeks ago and although it was scary, it is fairly common when dealing with bedding and they are easy to get rid of.
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Member Comment
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10/4/2010 12:03:55 AM
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shellboa
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An unhappy oily rat does not sound like my idea of fun. I have used the RID like Abi suggested but the best results I have had is using the ivermectin stuff you get at the feed store. They even have it in apple flavor to make them lick, you dot it on their fur and they lick it off and it treats almost all parasites inside and out. I put about 1/4 of a pea sized dot on and the in a week do it again. Remember do NOT feed any of these rats or their offspring if they are nursing to any reptile for 2 weeks after treatment stops. Same goes for spray on in the bedding stuff.
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Author Comment
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10/4/2010 12:47:24 AM
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Zelica
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OK i was unsure about the ivermectin a lot of what i read said not to due to it being very harmful to the snake... so what i understand is i can but wait a good 2-3 weeks before i can start feeding them again?
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Member Comment
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10/4/2010 1:42:10 AM
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abi21491
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I personally wouldn't even treat feeders- rat lice pose no harm to your snakes. I'd just feed off the feeders and treat your breeders (when they aren't on litters of course).
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 12:50:02 AM
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t0neg0d
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Diatomaceous Earth... rub it into their fur, get them off bedding (of course) and dust the enclosures as well.
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 2:15:58 AM
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shellboa
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Diatomaceous earth will work to kill the fleas/lice on the rats but again you do not want to feed an earth covered rat to your snakes. Check out this link for more info...www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
No matter what you use to treat the lice you will need to be cautious before feeding treated animals to your reptiles. You can go with out treating on feeders but keep in mind that nursing females will pass anything on and wait to feed them as well. Another thing to consider s that some forms of rodent parasites while not harmful to your reptile can be to humans. Mouse mites in particular- not sure about rat lice.
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 2:36:08 AM
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t0neg0d
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I was told that DE will kill internal parasites as well (i.e. not harmful to the snake as long as you aren't shoveling it down their throats). I couldn't find anything to the contrary (not saying that I am not wrong) in that article. Is there something that I missed that you could point out for me? Very interested in making sure I wasn't fed bogus info by a vet. It happens, ya know?
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 10:26:38 AM
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 10:55:08 AM
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wintersreptiles
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D.E. is safe for amimals, as long as it is food grade not swimming pool stuff. Mud Bay has 4.4 kg bag for $10. It works great for mites.
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 12:25:51 PM
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shellboa
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Chris-seems like another case of conflicting vet opinions. Mine said it was safe for external use and very tiny amounts internally for mammals but since it works by dessication, not good for reptiles. He did not mention anything about dusting enclosures with it which seems to me might be a good way to control mites but...I would probably use it but again wait for a while until I fed them to a snake.
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Member Comment
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10/5/2010 12:27:43 PM
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shellboa
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p.s. a tube of Ivermectin is $5-6 which is cheaper than dirt (lol)
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Member Comment
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10/6/2010 2:28:40 AM
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cheryl Todd
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I use tea tree oil dog shampoo on mine. It kills the lice and is safe and natural. I bathe them then wait a week and do it again. Lice is harmless to snakes but when your breeders are scratching themselves raw you have to do something. Only treating the breeders leaves the door open for the lice to continue to reproduce. I have treated bedding, but putting it in the freezer for a week works too. Good luck....lice spread rapidly through breeders. The good news is they are animal specific so your other rodents are not at risk of infestation.
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Member Comment
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10/6/2010 9:10:54 PM
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Aimee
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"very tiny amounts internally" of DE are safe for mammals... it would be nice to get some clarification here? the only reason I'd ask is because rats groom themselves by licking. if you leave any in their fur, they're going to ingest it. hmmm ... great tip with the tea tree oil! I love that stuff
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Member Comment
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10/7/2010 12:17:29 AM
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t0neg0d
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I've used it to treat some rats before. I know you are supposed to try and avoid having them inhale it (can tear up the lungs), but unless it did something I am unaware of that will hurt them long term, I have never seen any ill effects. I swear by the stuff for both furry animals and treating reptile enclosures--I have no dead critters (yet).
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Member Comment
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10/7/2010 10:54:35 AM
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chondroman
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I breed rats and also work as a pest control tech at a zoo. Diatomaceous earth works fine I dont recommend dusting your rats just sprinkle a small amout in the bottom of you rat pan and put the bedding over it and it will take care of the mites. I use this a a preventive in all my rat pans and have had no problems with any of my snakes or with mites. Mammal mites might not use your snake as a host but they do carry diseases and if you have dogs or cats not good for them to be in your house.
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Member Comment
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10/8/2010 9:04:40 AM
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chondroman
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Make sure you don't use DE that is sold for swimming pool filters they chemically treat it and heat it to change its composition.
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Author Comment
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10/9/2010 2:59:32 PM
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Zelica
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Thank you so much for all the responses.. I am a Vet tech and work in a clinic currently after talkin with one of the Dr.'s we are going to try Ivermectin injectable with just a drop between the shoulder blades of each rat. splitting the Colony in half treating one half first and then the other half so i still have a food source for the lizard.. ( he eats pinkies). It is for sure a Louse so i wont be treating the current ones in the feeding tank since they done pose a threat to anything else and will be eaten shortly. I will let yall know how it goes in a few weeks.. :)
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Member Comment
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2/23/2011 1:44:52 AM
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abi21491
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This question has had no activity for 14 days and will be closed by an administrator unless the original poster takes action. Recommended Action: Points awarded An administrator will select responses and assign points at their discretion. Original poster, please close this question out and assign points. If you have any further information in the resolution of your problem, please post it here so that others may learn from it.
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