my rats itching and behavior

Question
Hi Sandra,

I recently adopted two rats from a woman who had rescued them from a breeder who passed away.

One of them is a tailless rat, about 5 weeks and the other is a regular rat, but I am assuming a few months?

the lady was really nice, but I dont think she knew very much about rats

although i have done tons of research, I still can put my finger onthe problem

Niblet (the bigger tailless one) constantly gnaws at himself and scratches (like a cat or dog with fleas)

I know he doesnt have mites, as I have had a rat who contracted them, so I know what it looks like

and I use carefresh (the same as the lady who had them before me) and he is still itching

I dont think it is too much protein, as I havent fed them much of it

I am thinking it is either fleas or lice, or soemthing else?

but, I have looked for lice (from what I can see) and I see nothing.

They are still a little nervous around me, so the little one (who is very hyper, never stays still, and the older one never comes out of its cage, and is very timid.

We are working on that. The little one is coming a long very nicely, and the bigger one, is coming farther out every day, and getting more interested

and now the little one scratches too.
but not nearly as much.

do you have any idea what it could be?
is it transferable to humans?
how  can I get rid of it?

thanks so much
Carena  

Answer
Hi Carena

I just had a question like this just a little bit ago and we are working on process of elimination although her rat did not have any sores or redness of the skin. You did not mention if your rats show any signs of skin irritation such as scabs or redness.

Aside from parasites and high protein and fat in the diet, it could also be dry skin, dermatitis or eczema.

It can also be the carefresh bedding since it can be a bit dusty and I have seen many rats have allergies to it, believe it or not.
With both rats itching,it may be one of those above, which doesn't make it easy does it?
I wish it were. Respiratory illness and itching are the two things that people write to me about or come into the clinic seeking medical attention for.
Before we continue, does your rat(s) have any sores or scabs?

As for parasites being a problem for humans? Mites "may" climb on to you but they do not usually bite people. Keep in mind they do not live on the rat but instead they live in bedding etc...and spend time only to feed on the rat. Lice are the same way and these lice are not that of the human louse as these are wingless. They are all species specific. Fleas on the other hand are not species specific but not commonly seen on rats.

Lets start with freezing the bedding for 24 hours before using it. If there are parasites, freezing will destroy live parasites and eggs as well.

The only way I am comfortable with suggesting treating any ecto parasite is to see a vet for proper medication and dosing according to their weight one it is determined if the rats do have parasites.

Before I go any further though I do want to ask if they have any scabs or sores and where they are located.

Scabs from allergies and diet related are found in other areas than that of parasites.
Please let me know. I will be around for a while as I have a few more questions to look over and answer.