Rat Problems

Question
Hi there. I recently had a rat die. he had been plagued by what appeared to be mites, very very tiny brownish things crawling in his fur, and he had a red liquid around his nose and eyes all the time, fur stained redish brown, and was very aggressive / bolted around and acted very erratic. I ordered some Ivermectin Oral Horse De-wormer to get rid of them, but before it arrived the rat died.

I then threw out everything inside the cage, then froze the entire cage in the snow for two days, then washed it and wiped it down with vineagar and water. I also cleaned the surrounding area where the rat cage had been placed before.

Several days later, I purchased a new rat, that brings us to now, about 2 days after buying the new rat. She is starting to do what the old rat did.. she is scratching and biting her fur a lot, and acting erratic, randomly running around in a jolt, then stopping, or rolling over then biting her fur all of a sudden as if bitten.

I have not been able to find any mites in the bedding (Timothy Hay) or on the rat. But she isnt tamed yet so I cant inspect her with my hands as of yet.

I'm not sure what to do, I cant afford a vet visit, and I dont even know if this behaviour is normal or not.

The ivermectin is still on its way, being delivered to me, should I dose her with it when I receive it?

Thank you for taking the time to read all this. Any advice is appreciated.

Answer
does sound like mites, is the bedding the same you used on the old rat?? I would switch bedding to paper, like carefresh.. mites will live in wood and hay bedding..so get rid of it!..  

once you get the ivermectin , give her 2 drops every 2 days for at least a week..  start handling her if at all possible , get her tame it will make it all easier for you.. also buy some kitten flea shampoo.. and give her a bath, make sure you rinse her good too..

let me know how it goes.