# rats having diarrhea, possibly mites



## zuldrak (Mar 13, 2014)

about two weeks ago, both of my boys began to have diarrhea. i started to treat them to them a new flavor of the baby gerber puff treats (they love the peach and sweet potato ones) and also began to introduce small amounts of fruit. it wasn't too loose at first, so i figured it might have just been something i gave them, but then it persisted for about 5 days. they both drank normally and ate normally, got plenty of exercise and demonstrated their normal behaviors. it finally started to go away, yet all of a sudden, tonight when they were out on my bed for play time, they started to have it again, but WORSE than it was the first time. it was much looser (though still relatively oval shaped) and got all over my clothes. they're in the process of being litter trained, so hopefully they will get most of it in the pan. 

to make matters worse, i believe they have mites. alec, my agouti berkshire, has white flecks over his back. they each have small scabs across their face and backs as well. this afternoon i was covered in small red bumps, but that isn't too uncommon for me, due to my sensitive skin; i sometimes just break out in hives, but because i believe they have mites, i was skeptical if that was the case. 

i've been asking to go to the vet for each of these problems since they surfaced, but have been denied, have had my family present me with an excuse, or have the appointment canceled or missed. it is incredibly frustrating because i know they are in need of medical attention. even if it isn't urgent, it may suddenly be tomorrow. things happen so quickly with rats. i cannot drive yet, and the vet is a rather far walk. (i would be walking them to the vet right now if i could.)
the closest appointment my mother could get for them is on thursday at a different vet, because our current vet is on vacation. 

is there anything i can do to relieve them of the diarrhea and (the possible) mites until they can see the vet?


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## erikablanchettexo (Nov 25, 2014)

For the diarrhea portion of the issue, check out RatGirl44 I believe her name is(?) on YouTube. She posted a recipe to treat diarrhea using chia seeds, organic Greek yogurt and something else. Hopefully that helps you out a little.


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## zuldrak (Mar 13, 2014)

thank you! i did read somewhere that yogurt can help their stomachs get back to normal, so i did give them 1/4th of a teaspoon of natural blueberry yogurt a few days ago. from what i could tell, it did make them feel better.


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## AdequateRat (Mar 12, 2015)

I use that recipe and it works so well. It's Organic raw honey, Non fat Greek yogurt and chia seeds. 
My ratties LOVE it.


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## AdequateRat (Mar 12, 2015)

As for the mites, are they moving? It might just be dandruff. I also read online (if it IS the dandruff issue) giving your rats a small piece of bread in olive oil once a week. Should reduce the irritation.


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## zuldrak (Mar 13, 2014)

i do believe they are moving, but it's hard to tell sense alec jumps around a lot and wont sit still for me when i want him to. he's a booger. 
currently i have them out on my bed, and i haven't seen any diarrhea in their cage or in the littler pan. i_ think_ what may have caused it so suddenly last night was the small piece of green beans i gave to them at dinner time. they do not seem to do well with vegetables.


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## AdequateRat (Mar 12, 2015)

zuldrak said:


> i do believe they are moving, but it's hard to tell sense alec jumps around a lot and wont sit still for me when i want him to. he's a booger.
> currently i have them out on my bed, and i haven't seen any diarrhea in their cage or in the littler pan. i_ think_ what may have caused it so suddenly last night was the small piece of green beans i gave to them at dinner time. they do not seem to do well with vegetables.


Yeah, I find that you have to introduce food slowly (Especially with rats from local pet stores, they're not used to such a rich diet.) 

With the mites, that's terrible. I'm so sorry. :c Poor little guys.

I've been doing some moseying around on the Internet and this is what I found!:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LoQMzEJw28

http://pestkill.org/insect/mites/rat-mite/

http://www.petmd.com/exotic/conditions/skin/c_ex_rt_mites?page=2


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## autokate (Mar 17, 2014)

Here is some good info on mites, lice, and other skin conditions. When I brought my boys home from the shelter last year, they had lice and after reading this page, I was able to determine the parasite and treat accordingly, with a positive outcome in the end. Good luck!

http://www.ratfanclub.org/skin.html


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## zuldrak (Mar 13, 2014)

update: we took them each to the new vet today and it was very successful. it turns out they do have mites, and the vet prescribed revolution for them. i plan on cleaning the cage thoroughly this afternoon as well as clean the area around their cage and throw out all play blankets. 
as for the diarrhea, it was the greens i had been giving them. i will try to introduce vegetables into their diet again in a few months once they've grow up a bit.


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## autokate (Mar 17, 2014)

Awesome! Easy fix and your boys will be good in no time!


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