_ If you've seen little bugs crawling around on your pet rats
and a veterinarian has confirmed that they're tropical rat mites
(Ornithonyssus bacoti_) versus lice or other kinds of mites, you're
going to have to follow these steps in order to get rid of these
wretched parasites for good.
!! Steps !!
Spot the symptoms. Given that mites [1] are not blood sucking, there
may be no obvious physical signs.[1] [2] When signs do appear, they
may include:[2] [3]
* Inflammation [4] of the skin
* White specks of dust on the rat's hair follicles (these are the
mites and they may resemble ticks at first check)[3] [5]
* Intense itching [6]
* Scabs around the shoulders, neck, and face.
Get treatment from your vet. Nothing over-the-counter will work. The
vet will most likely give you Ivermectin or Revolution, to be
administered orally or by injection, several times over the next
month. Your vet will advise you of the appropriate method of
administering the treatment, dosage levels, and frequency of
application.
Clean anything that can harbor the mites.[4] [7] Do this 24 hours
after the treatment is administered. The treatment will kill all the
mites on the rats but will not kill mites or unhatched mite eggs in
the rat's environment.
* Get rid of anything wooden. Such items are almost impossible to
disinfect [8], and the mites can hide in the wood.
* Clean everything else with a bleach solution. This includes the
rat's cage.
* Wash any fabrics in or around the cage, and put them in high heat
in the dryer [9]. Ideally, don't put any fabric in or near the
cage while the rats are being treated.
* If you need to disinfect human areas such as beds and furniture,
use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) in a spray bottle [10].
The benefit of using this is that it kills mites on contact but
volatizes quickly.[5] [11]
* Other means for catching mites include sticky glue traps or clear
sticky tape. Vacuuming [12] is effective provided you dispose of
the bag outside (or thoroughly clean a bagless version), or you
can try vacuuming with a filter such as a handkerchief inserted
into the vacuum tube and then transferred to a sealed tube or
alcohol to kill the mites.[6] [13]
Isolate the rats. Put them in a part of your home where they are
least likely to come in contact with any mites in any stage of their
life cycle.
* Keep them away from any other pets. These mites can live on other
pets for about two weeks,[7] [14] but will die when they can't get
to the rats. If there are any mites on your other pets and they
come in contact with the rats, they'll just jump right back onto
your rats and continue their life cycle. Ensure that other pets
cannot get into the space where you're keeping the rats.
* It might be a good idea to keep your rats somewhere different than
their usual spot (which might have mites hanging around) and
somewhere without carpeting.
* Keep the rats isolated like this throughout their treatment
period, until the mites are gone.
* Repeat the cleaning process again any time treatment is
administered. Again, sanitize [15] everything in and around the
rat cage 24 hours after treatment is administered. This is to kill
any remaining mites and eggs.
!! Tips !!
* Give your rats baths with an anti-itch shampoo to help ease their
itching.
* These particular mites can bite humans and cause irritation, but
cannot complete their life cycle without rats.
* Follow the steps above as strictly as you can in order to treat
the rats effectively.
* The mites may have come from other rats at a pet store, or from
infested bedding. It can be difficult to isolate the source,
though, so focus instead on getting rid of the mites.
* Mites are closely related to ticks and may have the appearance of
a tick to you.[8] [16]
* Remove any wild rodents and bird nests from your home as these may
be a source of reinfection.[9] [17]
!! Warnings !!
* It is important to get rid of the mite as it can cause dermatitis,
itching, and rash in humans.[10] [18] However, they do not burrow
under the skin as ticks do, and any reactions to their bites can
be treated with anti-histamine or hydrocortisone cream.[11] [19]
If you get red raised pimples from the bites, expect them to take
about 3 weeks to go down after treating the infestation.[12] [20]
* See your doctor if you experience a bad reaction to the mite
bites.[13] [21]
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Medication from a vet
* Cleaning solution (bleach)
* New place to house your rats until the mites die out
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Get Rid of Mites [22]
* How to Clean Dust Mites [23]
* How to Get Rid of Ear Mites in a Cat [24]
* How to Get Rid of Fleas on Rats [25]
* How to Care for Pet Rats [26]
* How to Clean a Pet Rats Cage [27]
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
Links:
------
[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-the-Dust-Mite-Population-in-Your-Home
[2] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-0
[3] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-1
[4] http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Skin-Inflammation-and-Rashes
[5] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-2
[6] http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Mosquito-Bites-from-Itching
[7] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-3
[8] http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-and-Disinfect-Wooden-Cooking-Utensils
[9] http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Crayon-out-of-a-Dryer
[10] http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-a-Paper-Label-from-a-Bottle
[11] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-4
[12] http://www.wikihow.com/Vacuum-Effectively
[13] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-5
[14] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-6
[15] http://www.wikihow.com/Sanitize-Kitchen-Surfaces
[16] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-7
[17] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-8
[18] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-9
[19] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-10
[20] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-11
[21] http://www.bemoreconfident.info/#_note-12
[22] http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Mites
[23] http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Dust-Mites
[24] http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ear-Mites-in-a-Cat
[25] http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fleas-on-Rats
[26] http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Pet-Rats
[27] http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Pet-Rats-Cage
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