red bugs

Question
I have encountered 'red bugs' on my rats. They are not mites or lice. I try to clean any I find off of the rats. They are like little drops of blood. I wouldn't call it an infestation but I think my daughter and I are having a reaction to them. I have read recommendations for treating them with flea shampoo. I am just wondering what you think? How can I also treat the carpets and dresser where they sleep?

Answer
Those are mites. They are tropical rat mites and the blood you see is from the mites. They feed on the rats blood.  You need to use revolution and it has to come from the vets. Flea shampoo will do nothing but be toxic to your rat and harm them.  Once you treat the rat, wash their bedding, change their litter and freeze the litter before using it. The litter itself can harbor them.  If you read to use flea shampoo on rats on any rat related site, I strongly advise to ditch that site. FLea shampoos are toxic to rats.