# To TEA TREE or not to TEA TREE?



## natalie (Mar 15, 2011)

Lately, I've noticed one of my three boys has been losing hair along his spine. I've also noticed small scabs on him but chalked it up to rough housing since he's the smallest and is often the subject of his cagemates' bullying. However, upon further examination, I've found small scabs on all of them and noticed tiny specks in the fur of their bellies that I previously imagined to be dry skin or flakes from scabs. I'm pretty sure they have mites which most likely came from the shredded newspaper I've been using that was shipped with their new cage. (I know, I should have frozen it for 48 hours beforehand. I didn't and I already feel guilty enough so save it!  )

I have been looking around the forums and have noticed several posts about mite treatment. Some people say to use a solution of tea tree oil and water and others say this is harmful to rats. I have also noticed suggestions of Revolution for kittens and Ivermectin from a vet but I, unfortunately, doubt I can afford the only vet in my town that will work on rats. I do know of two stores that sell horse supplies so I plan on purchasing the Ivermectin and giving them a dosage "the size of an uncooked grain of rice." 

Should I also spray/drop some of the tea tree oil on them for good measure? What about bathing in tea tree shampoo-like the Paul Mitchell kind? Also, I've seen suggestions of using Johnson's Tea Tree Skin Cream...


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

I would not use the tea tree oil. At best it would be ineffective.

Rats are unfortunately very expensive. I would call around asking about costs of an office visit and possibly common surgeries such as spays/neuters, tumor removals, etc. There may be cheaper vets, but you will definitely need to see a vet at some point.

Also, to prevent this in the future, freeze all bedding for 48 hours before using it, as mites and lice usually come from bedding.


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## rodentlover (Oct 22, 2010)

Natalie said:


> I have been looking around the forums and have noticed several posts about mite treatment. Some people say to use a solution of tea tree oil and water and others say this is harmful to rats.
> 
> Should I also spray/drop some of the tea tree oil on them for good measure? What about bathing in tea tree shampoo-like the Paul Mitchell kind? Also, I've seen suggestions of using Johnson's Tea Tree Skin Cream...


I've never used anything tea tree oil on my rats yet but am very familiar with it's use on dogs and cats. One of the worst allergic reactions I've ever seen to a shampoo was a tea tree oil. Have had a couple other more minor ones, I wouldn't use it with any other botanical or flea treatment shampoo just to be safe. It does however provide a great deal of relief for many skin irritations in most of the animals. The key is to do a spot test to see if your pets will react. The tea tree shampoo will smell wonderful and probably help give relief to itching, but to make it go away you'll have to eliminate the mites which the tto won't do. 

I'm in the same boat as you.... maybe..... took my rat to the vet last week and did a skin scraping because she had some minor scabs and itching. It came back negative for mites so we still don't know why. I may wind up treating her with Ivermectin in case mites were missed on the test. It will be the first time I've ever had to treat any of my rats for mites. Bleh!!


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