# Little Scabbies all over?



## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

I gave one of my rats to my boyfriends little sister (she's 19).
When I gave him to her he was healthy - didn't have any illness or signs of illness.
Anyway I was at his house today and holding him and noticed he had little scabbies all over him.
Could this be from mites or fleas? Or is he biting himself cos he's itchy or something?
I feel bad for him. They don't look like they hurt, but I want to make sure he's comfortable.
Thank you!


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Two of my three males have little scabs all over their neck and chin areas (Pip and Emerson). They got theirs from aggressive grooming and some little spats they have had off and on. Sometimes I hear little rat fights break out and while they are very very short (a couple loud squeaks and a lot of rustling) I find those two doing the standing stare down. My other male, Cicero, the laid back, shy guy, doesnt have any. I do health checks on all six rats daily including checking their fur for fleas and mites and have very found either. Does your boyfriend's little sister have any other rats? Perhaps they have the same situation?


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

Nope the only one she has is the one I gave her. 
He was aggressive towards other males so he's kept alone =[


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

​anybody else got any ideas =/?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

It really sounds like mites...and he needs to be treated because it is very uncomfortable, and if the infestation gets really bad can cause anemia.

Lice you would be able to see by parting the fur on the rump, but mites are usually invisible and you only see the rats attempts to scratch where they are being bitten over and over (usually neck, shoulders, and face)

To give you an idea how bad it can get...

This is Livvy a new rescue who came in...she looks nice and healthy, good shiny coat. 










Not. I felt the scabs under my fingers and decided to wet her down to show how her coat was hiding her torment.



















Don't worry she was dosed with Revolution soon after and she healed up well


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

Oh **** =[ =[ thats so bad! poor girly.
How much revolution do you give them? Do you get the kitten type?


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

If she has Revolution for a 20 lb dog, could she use a drop on Percy? Or would it be too strong?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

aang said:


> If she has Revolution for a 20 lb dog, could she use a drop on Percy? Or would it be too strong?


Revolution is tolerated really well by rats so a drop of Dog revo for him would be just fine. ;D


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

@ Lilspaz68- How easily are mites transferred from one rat to another? ??? I ask because Pip has tiny scabs around his neck and chin- the same places Emerson grooms him aggressively, as witnessed. He looks similar to your pics, although not quite that bad. Emerson has a few scabs like Pip- same places but only a few, like 5 or 6. Emerson tends to be a bully- not only does he groom aggressively, causing loud sueaks from Pip and Cicero, but also will try to grab one of his cage mates by the scruff of their neck and pull them around, like into the hammock with him. Cicero, my male Siamese, does not have any scabs. He gets along better with Emerson...I have never had to witness the two of them doing the "standing stare down" after hearing them scuffle. 

So back to my question- are mites easily transferred or do they tend to stick to one rat or another? I am now questioning everything about their behavior and wondering if that is just coincidence? Could my boys, Pip and Emerson, have mites? If so, why is there no sign on Cicero? What about my females- they are in the cage right next to the boys and non of them show signs??

I am thinking of picking up some Revolution just to be safe....which one would you recommend? Since Revolution requires a vet prescription, is there any other topical pest control products that can be used in place of Revolution? If not, I found a vet that treats rats and only asks for $25 for a vet visit but its a long drive, I would like to be able to pick something up closer if I could get it with out prescription.

I have experiences with lice before but never mites!!! After over 10+ years of owning rats, I would say I am/was doing pretty good!!!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

"Lice are nice...Mites are not" LOL

Lice are easy to see, only live off-host for 3 hours then die...easily killed by almost all products

Mites...not so much. They can live a LONG time off-host which is why its more common to catch it from new infeced bedding etc.

If one rat has buggies they all do, just you will see it more on the rat that is most compromised.

Treat ALL your rats.

Rats can become aggressive when they have ectoparasites, they are being bitten constantly...drives them nuts. Its one of the things you should check for if you see a behavioural change.

Revo is definitely best and MUCH safer than Ivermectin (don't use anything other than these 2).

You CAN order Revo from AUS at http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/ (seems their site is down right now)

I also found this but it can take 2 weeks or so to arrive

http://www.equine-mega-store.com/category6.ehtml


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Thanks so much! So which should I get? Which size? And just a drop per rat? On the back of the neck, like you would a dog?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

shawnalaufer said:


> Thanks so much! So which should I get? Which size? And just a drop per rat? On the back of the neck, like you would a dog?


its best to try to get a tube that will do all the rats you have so you don't have to open a brand new tube and waste it.

How many ratters do you have?

I part the fur behind the ear and put the drop on the skin as much as possible. It absorbs through the skin and into the blood stream very quickly so just try to prevent them from grooming it off for a minute or 2 (try a yummy treat distraction) and you're good to go


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

Which kind of Revolution? Doesn't it go by weight? If you use too much it'll kill the rat, is what I'm saying.
Do you use the kitten one? Which one should I tell her to use?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

aang said:


> Which kind of Revolution? Doesn't it go by weight? If you use too much it'll kill the rat, is what I'm saying.
> Do you use the kitten one? Which one should I tell her to use?


Each tube has a different amount in it, if I knew the amount of rats that were being dosed I could probably tell you which one to get. 

Puppy/Kitten/Cat revo are all 60 mg/ml
Dog is 120 mg/ml twice as strong.

Now let's show you a few dosages to help you understand

If I have a weight on a rat I used 6-10 mg/kg dosing. If I don't I use a drop.

So lets say the rat is 500 grams...
for Cat his dose would be .05 cc
for Dog his dose would be .025 or .03 cc (VERY little difference)

as for toxicity

If you take the LD50 for selamectin (Revolution)


selemectin is LD50 of > 2000mg/kg

a 500 gram rat getting 2000 mg/kg is getting a dose of 16.7 cc's or almost 17 syringefuls...and this would kill HALF the rats it was given to (lethal dose to 50%). Rgvo is very safe compared to Ivermectin

ivermectin is LD50 of 50mg/kg


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

Just one rat! 
Uhhhh I'm trying to understand what all that means, but I'm having a vert hard time... lol
She'll be using Revolution, not the Ivermectin. She has dog Revolution for a 20 lb (im assuming thats how much she weighs) dog.
If she gave him a drop, would that be enough?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

aang said:


> Just one rat!
> Uhhhh I'm trying to understand what all that means, but I'm having a vert hard time... lol
> She'll be using Revolution, not the Ivermectin. She has dog Revolution for a 20 lb (im assuming thats how much she weighs) dog.
> If she gave him a drop, would that be enough?


That is perfect aang  

Do you want me to explain or are your questions answered?


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## aang (Feb 7, 2012)

If I tell her to use a drop and it works, then thats perfect !!! Thank you so much for your help!!


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I have six....so I add all their weights together? oh boy...math was never my strong subject, LOL


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

shawnalaufer said:


> I have six....so I add all their weights together? oh boy...math was never my strong subject, LOL


HAHAHA no that's okay. 6 rats? You could get the kitten/puppy 3-pack and you'll probably use 2 tubes or we could try to figure out which of the cat tubes has enough for 6 rats.

I would get this...

http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/revolutioncatblue3pack-p-77.html

ONE tube will give you enough for your 6 rats and you should have half left over. See if you can find a small glass bottle with a tight lid to put it in. With this you will still have 2 more tubes that will last quite a while as long as you don't open them up.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Oh Lilspaz, what would I do without you?!  Thanks so much...gonna weight my beasts today- I have been meaning to do so anyways. 
So glad to find this forum....between you, Jaguar, and a bunch of other members here, I have learned so much more about rats that I ever thought I knew.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!
I <3 this forum so much


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Glad to help


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Okay...my rats' weights are as follows:
Aniston 282 g
Scarlett 295 g
Chelsea 315 g
Pipsqueak 556 g <--- he is the one I am most concerned about, as he is the one with the scabs
Emerson 380 g
Cicero 471 g

So that's 2299 grams total. I got a vet that is going to search online for me and call the presciption in for me to whichever is cheapest. 
They said they don't carry Revolution in their clinic since it doesnt work very well here in FL on dogs/cats which is obviously what they see the most. 

I am trusting that since they do treat rats and knew exactly why I was asking for the Revolution for rats that they will know what I need, size wise, but I thought I would check here as well.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

So to treat all 6 rats, I need something that would treat about 5lbs.


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