red bugs on rat / response

Question
Hi Sandra,

my name is Daniel Degre. I wrote you a week ago about Oreos trouble walking (still) and now recovered vagina bleeding. Today I found tiny red bugs crawling all over her.

They could have been there a long time, I only saw them today when i happened to have her in direct sunlight.

I already called the vet and they are going to call me back, since they need to research.

Could this be why Oreo has been weak and unable to walk?
I am actually excited just hoping that she is only weak from these bugs...and maybe she can be okay again when I get them off.

I read something about them being tropical rat mites that can be treated with Ivermectin...

I have seen chatter all over the net about people with little animals dying (rats, gerbals, hamsters) and then them noticing little red bugs on the dead body.

I brushed Oreos hair last night (which i never do) and now the bugs are everywhere. Maybe i stirred them up to be more visible...

Anyway, does this sound right....Small red bugs( smaller than a flea) are "tropical rat mites" and treat with "ivermectin"?



Answer
Yes this is what it is.  However, I prefer revolution but ivermectin is ok too.


The mites...they are often seen on rats with a compromised immune system and sometimes when a rat passes and the blood is no longer flowing, the mites will show up because they can no longer feed on a living host.  Chances are the rats had them but they were not as noticeable.  Rats that are NOT sick get them too though.

Mites, if left untreated for a long time, can cause health problems, esp anemia.  I wish I could say that this was reason for Oreo being ill but unfortunately the only real side effects they cause at first is itching and possibly scabs from scratching alot etc....

I am trying to recall if Oreo has hind leg paralysis or not.  Rather than dig through old messages, how old is she ?

Sandra,

It is not for sure about the hind leg paralysis. She has only had trouble walking on and off about 3 weeks now, we were suspecting though.

But since I mailed you last I got her steroids (again) and she has showed no improvement on them this time. She can move her back legs to scratch but drags them when walking, so I dont know if it is paralysis or weakness? She has been totally not active,just sitting in her house sleeping.

The red bugs are totally infested on her though. If I put her next to my shirt about ten will jump on me in 5 seconds...Ive never seen anything like it.

They are totally covering her abdomen,legs, back, everywhere. It is unreal how many I can see now that I know they are there. They are surely to the point of causing sickness/weakness/anemia. I know if there were that many ticks or misquitos on me I would be half dead.

My vet gave me the ivermectin after I mailed you and I applied it to Oreo and her friend Cookie. I do have a very needy question(s) if you could ...I have been to the vets so many times and called too ...they actually told me yesterday they dont know about this (mites on rats) and to do what i could on my own to find out...it was like 4:55 pm when i got there and i forgot to ask a couple simple questions they should know about the medicine though...

The Ivermectin was given to me by my vet is a topical (i think thats the term) I put it on the back of their necks on the skin.

I am just wondering if i can put my two girls together as i am thinking that Cookie could help clean the bugs off Oreo...but i am worried will Cookie get poisoned by licking the spot where i put the ivermectin yesterday?

Plus this is not going to be easy to sterilize them...they are free roaming girls so i cant bleach every corner of my apartment...but I can lock them in their house for 5 or 10 days so the bugs in the carpet, etc. are dead too, right?

I have had them separated for 3 weeks because Cookie is young (hyper) and Oreo was so sick. They only got maybe 5 minutes a day together. Now I really have them 100% separated so they dont lick eachother (Cookie has a few red bugs on her too by the way, ofcourse).

I had noticed before (last week) that Oreo was very eager to let Cookie get her to clean during the brief visits...she would lay there for Cookie to clean her ...now I see why...this was only when i let them hang out ..

So my questions are

-Can they be caged together even though they both got a topical dose of ivermectin yesterday on their necks? And going to get more?

Also- can I also give them the "revolution" on top of the ivermectin just to be safe or is that dangerous?

The vet said to dose them once every ten days with .1 ml =which is a mix of 1 part Ivomec mixed with 4 parts something else to dilute it

Anyways does that sound right or should i dose them every 5 days???? They have openly admitted they dont know about this parasite.

-Will the bugs that might be in the carpet /hideouts just die if i keep my girls in their cage for 10 days? Or how many?

-or should I Bug Bomb the apartment (with my girls out ofcourse) and just go crazy cleaning?

PS: I am only worried right now of just lowering the parasite count on my poor Oreo and getting her some strength back ....and then later going to concentrate on the total iradication of these horrible things.

jeez we sure do owe you one for all your help...thankyou kindly.

if there is something you need for your help/time let me know @ ...

p.s. So far I bought Oreo smoked Oysters for the anemia and gave her rat vitamins. She is hanging in there ..I want her to live like yours to 3.5 old...(she is 2 now).

Answer
So my questions are

-Can they be caged together even though they both got a topical dose of ivermectin yesterday on their necks? And going to get more?


*****Yes, absolutely.  All you need to do is be sure the liquid is dry and you can put them together no problem. It absorbs into the skin pretty fast.   I use selemectin also known as revolution, which is a cousin to ivermectin and its used the same way.  Applied to the back of the neck on the skin. Be sure to part the fur so you apply it on the skin and not the fur.  


Also- can I also give them the "revolution" on top of the ivermectin just to be safe or is that dangerous?  

****No, one or the other.  They are basically the same thing


The vet said to dose them once every ten days with .1 ml =which is a mix of 1 part Ivomec mixed with 4 parts something else to dilute it

Anyways does that sound right or should i dose them every 5 days???? They have openly admitted they dont know about this parasite.

*******Every 2 weeks to be honest.

-Will the bugs that might be in the carpet /hideouts just die if i keep my girls in their cage for 10 days? Or how many?

********They will die after biting your rats and once the eggs hatch and there are new mites, the next application will take care of any hatchlings.


-or should I Bug Bomb the apartment (with my girls out ofcourse) and just go crazy cleaning?

*****Nope, dont worry about it.  Toss out any paper products such as cardboard rolls etc...and if they have wooden things in the cage, get rid of them too, but I NEVER go nuts scouring and scrubbing anymore with mites because the anti-parasite application will do the job at killing them off. Empty the litter a few more times than usual during this time but thats it. Dont drive yourself nuts over this.

PS: I am only worried right now of just lowering the parasite count on my poor Oreo and getting her some strength back ....and then later going to concentrate on the total iradication of these horrible things.


******THey will die, I promise. My boy, Smudge, had them like this before.  I had no idea and one day I was holding him and when I put him down, my chest was itchy. I couldnt see anything so I took a little magnifying glass and say TONS AND TONS of these tiny red mites. They dont bite humans but they do get on us. I was totally freaked out and felt so bad for not seeing them on Smudge. All I did was bought revolution that day, used it on him, tossed the old litter in his litter box and gave him fresh paper towels and fleece that I used to lay down on the cage floor for him and that was it. Bugs all gone in just a few days. You will be surprised how fast they go away. I must have brought them to my other boys because my Bo, the one that just died last weekend at 3 weeks past his 4th birthday, had them on him too and they were almost as bad. They multiply fast. Again, I dosed him, cleaned a few things and that was that.  I dont really think this is why she is weak to be honest because she did not have this heavy infestation for a long time or you would have seen them. In order to be anemic, she would have to be loaded with them like this for months and months.  I do feel she could have some hind leg weakness though from nerve root compression rather than total paralysis.  Does she lift her body and tail when walking or does she keep low to the ground and drag her tail?  When she lays, do her feet turn a funny positoin like she dosnt really control them well?


jeez we sure do owe you one for all your help...thank you kindly.

Your very welcome. This is why I am here:)

if there is something you need for your help/time let me know @ ...

Thank you for that! My reward is simply knowing people want the best for their rats and simply by taking the time to do research and end up coming here to ask questions about their care and caring enough to take responsibility for them and get them treatment when needed is all I ever ask from anybody with pets in general, any species!

p.s. So far I bought Oreo smoked Oysters for the anemia and gave her rat vitamins. She is hanging in there ..I want her to live like yours to 3.5 old...(she is 2 now).

A low protein, low fat diet, roomy and clean cage, proper litter, plenty of exercise and lots of love is the key to providing quality of life. Remember, no matter how old they live to be, its not really quantity we strive for, its quality.  Not all of my rats live to be over 3. I have lost some at just 12 months, 18 months, 2 years, etc.... but the past several years, with the help of a great Vet, my guys seem to be hanging on longer than past rats.  I plan on getting new babies this summer (my breeder just told me two Does had litters) and I have just my Santana now who will be 3 in October. I will just do what I do with the new mischief and hope they have quality years with me no matter how long that is.