Mites and sneezing, very worried

Question
Thank you very much. I have to head out to work, but my husband is going to pick up some Ivermectin and white vinegar today so we can start that treatment right away. Should I just spray some into the litter?

For the Ivermectin, to make sure I got this right, I should give them a rice-sized dollop for them to ingest as well as run a dime-sized amount through their fur? I don't want to mess it up and harm them in any way, so just double checking.

We have a very, very limited choice of vets. I will bring this information in, but if they cannot do oxygen for rats, will just the antibiotics have a reasonable chance of working? I've not the best faith in the vets we have left. I am really unhappy that our good rat vet left, but his mother was doing poorly, so he moved back to his home state to be with her.

Also, after vet attention, what at-home things can I do to help him out and make him more comfortable?

Is there any particular likely cause for him to get pneumonia? He's about a year old, and prior to this he was very healthy. If there was a likely specific cause, I'd like to avoid it so this does not happen again in the future.

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Firstly, it appears that my two male pet rats have either mites or lice. One especially is loosing fur, has red marks on  his skin (presumably from biting and scratching due to itching), and has little reddish-brown things moving in the fur. I heard Revolution can be effective, but I believe it is prescription only, and we do not currently have a rat vet.

Secondly, one of the rats has been sneezing and wheezing for several weeks. I would have taken him to the vet, but our rat-knowledgeable vet moved away. The ones we have left really know nothing about rats. He is getting thinner, and he really is working for air a lot of the time. I am extremelly worried about him. :( The other sneezed for a few days, but he seems to have gotten over it since. I've been feeding them cat food (we have two cats, which obviously stay away from the rats; they are indoor cats, so I am not sure where the mites/lice came from) in addition to their normal diet of Mazuri rodent food, cereals, and fresh fruits/veggies because of the high fat/protein content. I am hoping that it would help the thin one out, which it does seem to have done (though he is still not a healthy weightl just less thin), but I want to make sure it is okay to continue doing so.


-----Answer-----
Hi Sarah
It sounds like rodent lice. This is very common in animals that have used either aspen or other paper based litter. You can have the cleanest house in the world, and a single flurry of dust can carry lice in.  

Answer
Hi again!
Great follow-up questions. Yes, you have the directions for Ivermectin correct. If you are using recycled paper based litter, or aspen, you can put some in a paper bag, (or small box), and zap it in a microwave for about 6 seconds to kill any larvae or eggs living there. Quite often, warehoused litters will retain lice with only the slightest puncture in the bag. Lice can jump in from trucks, warehouses, and even off of shoes of people coming in from the outside. You have seen how small the bugs are.

The white vinegar is for the cage itself. When you wash out the cage, you can rub out the residue with the vinegar, which will help battle not only bugs but bacteria. Especially ensure you've cleaned the area at the steps, where they meet the flooring. This is where more bugs live than anywhere else since food and urine is often trapped, and not always caught during cleanings. We use a wire brush once every few weeks through the bars, to ensure there aren't any residual bacteria. One of my friends uses an old electric toothbrush, but I haven't seen that it has a better or worse affect on the dirt.

The antibiotics have a great chance of working. Keeping in mind a broad spectrum based elixir works best, baytril in combination with doxycycline are the most common mixtures for serious respiratory infection.

Other tricks you can use around the cage area is to sprinkle droplets of either ferret remedy, tea tree oil, or camphor into the cage every few days. This works as a vaporizor, helping to loosen any gunk in the lungs.

If you have old rags, or wooden toys in the cage, ensure they are dry. The wetness can cause molds, and that can lead to more problems.

There's nothing better than a good cuddle when a rat is sick. They like to be snuggled, and cared for. If you wrap him up in a soft cloth, and sit with him, his muscles relax, and that also helps his lungs. We give our sick boys and girls special 'soup', of broth, soft cereal, and avoid the yogurt treats.

Sadly, some rats are more disposed to the mycoplasis pneumonias, while others simply have allergies. We've had rats live to be five, while others have died of old age at only 14 months.

It sounds like you're giving them the happiest, and healthiest, if not luckiest home they can have.

Hang in there, and keep me posted.

Cathe