larve

Question
QUESTION: My male rat Hopscotch is 2 and is in good health, so I think.  This problem happened to another rat of mine as well.  He has these small larve crawling in his fur! They are red in color and hurt if they get on your skin.  I was woundering if you ever had this problem with one of yours and if you know a good home remedy.  He has changed from lab block to a rat food mix and is on non oil wood chips for bedding.  he does have blood from his nose.  We live in Colorado so I think his nose is from dryness.  Let me know what you think.  thanks, Megan rat lover

ANSWER: Hi Megan

Sounds like your rat has mites or rat lice.
One problem would be the litter your using. Not that its bad litter but most parasites come from the litter. Take the bag of litter and toss it in the freezer for starters and leave it there for 24 hours before using again. You will need to remove the old litter now and put down rags or paper towels or shredded newspapers. The parasites spend only a fraction of the time on the rat where it feeds and otherwise it lives in the bedding or other areas around the cage such as in wooden houses, crevices of plastic houses (the little hidey houses we use for our rats) or if you have a hammock etc...wash it in hot water too.
For the home remedy, its pretty hard for me to say since I work in the medical field and don't usually recommend home remedies, I do know many people use them with success so I can point you in that direction. I will suggest that if the parasites do not improve using the home remedies, please see a vet for a chemical application that will kill them because having them too long with cause anemia from the bugs feeding on their blood.
Finally, I wanted to ask what kind of mix your giving the rats?  If its a seed mix, let me know and I can make other suggestions on proper nutrition. Usually the rodent block is nutritious enough as long as the protein levels are below 18 percent, ideally 15 percent. With a rat the age of 2 it is vital he is on a lower protein diet because high protein causes kidney disease, especially in older ratties.
As for the "blood" from his nose: What your seeing is not blood but instead it is called "porhyprin" and resembles blood. It is produced by a gland located behind the rats eyes called the harderian gland and when the rat is stressed due to illness or other stress issues such as loss of a cage mate, a new cage they are not adjusted to, even a new home, they tend to secrete excessive porhphryin discharge from their nose and also their eyes. This prompts the rat owner to seek attention from the vet thinking the rat has blood from the eyes and nose and is found to be a good way nature lets  us know that the rat is stressed for some reason.
Parasites can cause the rat to be itchy too and can cause scabs especially on their back and the back of the neck, neck and head and down their spine too. The mites alone may be causing stress but also, sometimes when the rat is ill, their immune system weakens and this can sometimes cause the rat to be susceptible to the mites. The other rats in the cage will catch them too, and they sometimes get on humans and bite as well. That is why I am sure it is mites and not rat lice (rat lice do not have wings like the type humans get) The mites may bite on us but they do not like us and wont keep coming back on us, they are mostly species specific.
Itchy yet?  LOL!  I am just thinking about it. I had an outbreak of mites a few years back and all 14 of my rats had them. I would hold the rat and just watch the little bugs weave in and out of his white fur. I took a flea comb and would comb through the fur, take the comb and tap it on a paper towel and would "smoosh" the little buggers with the end of the comb yelling "die you relentless pest!" LOL!
I also used revolution which is a pesticide made for mites and  other types of parasites but again, it can only be gotten from he vet. However, if you have a vet and know the rats weight, he may sell you a vial of revolution and I can tell you how much to use on them if you know their weight or a good guess at least. It is applied behind their neck and absorbed into the body and when the bugs bite, they die. It lasts about a month and to be safe it should be done at least twice.
As I said before, other rat keepers have used home remedies that I am not familiar with nor do I feel comfortable with telling you to use them since I do not use them but I can give you the URL to a site that talks about using it and you can take it from there should you wish to take that route. Many folks swear that it works and I do respect the people that use it and trust them, so again, although I am not comfortable with suggesting its use only due to the possible failure rate since I am not familiar with the protocol of using this product, it may be something you want to use.

Here is the URL:

http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php

Scroll down to where they discuss using ivermectin horse worming paste found at some pet stores.

Here is part of what is said about using the paste from the RAT FAN CLUB:

Ivermectin is also available in a horse paste wormer from feed stores and catalogs.  A tube of horse paste costs about $12-15.  The dose for the paste is 0.01 ml/lb (1 unit on an insulin syringe) which is about the size of an uncooked grain of rice.  First squeeze all of the paste in the tube out into another container, such as a film canister, and mix all the paste up well before taking out doses to make sure the ivermectin is evenly distributed in the paste.  Put the dose on a tiny piece of bread for your rat to eat.  You can add butter or jam on top if your rat is reluctant to eat it plain.
************
Meanwhile, if you  have  questions about the diet you can write back with a follow up and I can guide you on that as well.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE AND I THREW AWAY THE WOOD SHAVINGS AND BLEACHED OUT MY CAGES.  SINCE HOPPY IS A PART OF THE FAMILY, I AM TAKEING HIM INTO THE VET TOMARROW. HE ALSO HAS BUMPS OR SORES ON HIS TAIL TO BE CHECKED AS WELL.  THANK YOU FOR THE INFO ON THE PROTEIN LEVELS AS WELL.  THE MIX IS A SEED BASE SO I WILL TRY TO MAKE MY OWN WITH RICE PUFF AND OATMEAL.  I WILL LET YOU KNOW TOMARROW HOW HE DOES WITH THE VET. THANKS SO MUCH! MEGAN

Answer
Great idea!! This way the vet can identify what kind of critters they are that are on YOUR critters and treat them accordingly, plus they will be weighed and have an accurate dose. Ivermectin injections, topical application or oral, or else revolution will probably be used, like I use at the clinic.  The bumps can be anything from rattie acne to local infection or even little abscesses or cysts so its good he is going to the vet for that as well. Hes an old man, he needs a nice exam!  Maybe your vet sells rat food? We carry regal rat by oxbow, 15 percent protein, but not all rats like it. Mine do so I am lucky, but I still make my own diet too using the puffed wheats, puffed rice, dry oatmeal etc..etc..but the main staple is the regal rat.

Keep me posted. I am sure all will work out just fine!