# Little Red Bugs in the Fur



## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

So I recently rescued a ratty, and I found her three friends on craigslist. Unfortunately, these friends were not cared for well. They are skinny and have little red bugs in the fur. What are the red bugs, and how can I get rid of them? Could they get on my guinea pigs or hamsters too? I have these three new rats separated from the one I got at the shelter.


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## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

So I am assuming they are lice, and I read that they can cause anemia if left untreated. I called my local vet, and there is a part time vet that treats exotics. The appointment for one rat is $42. The receptionist said if I bring in the rat that has it the worst, and explain to the vet my other two have it too she may give me medication to treat them as well. At the moment I am broke until a few weeks from now. So far the three are doing alright. They are eating, drinking and playing good. I see them itch occasionally. I also read tha these lice do not spread to humans but spread to other rodents such as hamsters and guinea pigs, so I am glad I have them in a separate room. Is there anything else I can do until I am able to get to the vet?


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## HelloClarice (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm sure someone will come around and help, I've never had the issues so I'm not much help lol but we are here just don't have the answer =( Can you give them a bath maybe just to help relieve some itching? I would transfer in a cage or wrapped in a towel if you decide to give them a bath so that no lice jump off them and get to your other rodents.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Do you have olive oil around? I don't think lice are red; I'm fairly certain those are mites. Either way, if you give the girls a full olive oil bath (rub it all over them, leave it for about 30 mins, then give them a real bath to wash it all off) twice a week for the next two weeks it should be good. You'll want to make sure you hardcore clean their cage as well, and get rid of the bedding they came with as that's where the issue probably stemmed from. They'll lick the olive oil off, too, which is actually good for them, so it's an at-home treatment that's all around good for your babies.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Red/brown moving dots in the fur are lice. Mites cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Either way, though, treatment is the same. You'll need a tube of Revolution from the vet.


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## dashielle89 (Apr 24, 2012)

i would not recommend the olive oil treatment (or any of the smothering bath treatments). It is unnecessary stress for the rat if they don't like baths (stress makes parasites affect them worse), it does not provide relief very quickly since it does not kill the bugs around the cage and toys and those ones will jump right back on, and also because it does not kill the other bugs it may not work in getting rid of them even after doing all of those treatments. Really a lot of times it doesn't work well. Plus its just a pain, why take all that time bathing, get scratched, use all that olive oil, etc when you could put a dab of meds on and be done with it.

Best thing would be revolution, most vets will let you buy it without an appointment as long as you have been there before. Some will even let you buy it if you don't see them, like if you call a regular cat/dog vet and say you want some for small pets they will give it to you. You could also contact the shelter and see if they can get you some since you got the first rat from there and just give it to all of them instead of the one. 

You will probably want to treat the rat that's separate just to be safe, since the bugs could get on him from you if you touch the other rats than go to the lone rat. If you're already buying it might as well prevent yourself from needing it again.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I'd listen to the others about the meds as it does seem easier, though I've always done the olive oil myself and had a lot of success with it (but my ratties also enjoy bath time, so that is probably unusual). I think Revolution is usually under $20 and it seems to be the most recommended treatment on this forum so I'd say go for it if you can.


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## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

Wow, thank you for the excellent information. I will call the vet again tomorrow and ask for revolution. And in the mean time I do have olive oil but I am going to wait and see what the vet says. Also, the ratty that came from the shelter was not there long and that shelter was for cats and dogs. They gave her to me free. As for the other three, I just emailed the previous owner and he said they came from a breeding stock in a warehouse. So I imagine the conditions were poor. I will try and get some photos up shortly on the meet my rat forum. Are there any other suggestions? What about the possible anemia? Should I find them certain foods to help make them stronger such as boiled eggs?


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

If they are tiny red bugs then yes, thats lice. Don't worry you can not get them. The lice is species specific, however your Guinea pig might. I hope you are ready for a lot of work. You are going to need to wash EVERYTHING the rats have come in contact with and freeze or bake anything you cant wash (wood or plastic). I also wiped down the cage with a vinegar baking soda solution. Do this after each treatment of the revolution the vet gives you or you can get 1.87% Ivermectin. You can get it on amazon.com, its technically a horse de-wormer however it works greats for mites and lice on rodents. You will even see reviews on the product were people used it on their guinea pigs also. Its pretty cheap and all you need is a TINY TINY bit about the size of a grain of rice. This is a more toxic method than the revolution however it still works and saves you a trip to the vet since this is something that is non-life threatening if they are not over run! Administer this in baby food or mushed bananas since it tastes awful to them once a week for 3 weeks. 
Check out this page for some more great info on getting rid of these buggars! 

http://lilspazrats.wikispaces.com/Health+Care+-+What's+On+My+Rat?++(ectoparasites)


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## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks for the helpful reply! I did not know I could order something like that on amazon. I could probably do that once I get paid. Also, I was thinking about purchasing nutrical for some extra nutrition. Is this a good idea?


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

I am not familiar with the product nutrical so I am not sure about that. Also I forgot to say I bathed each rat the day of treatment in the bathroom sink with baby shampoo just to be sure.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

I ordered some ivermectin on amazon for like 4 dollars for a huge tube. Alot of the rescues I take in end up with lice, so it has come in very handy. Clears it up in one day.


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## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

Can I use ivermectin or revolution on pregnant females? I have two rats that may be pregnant, and I don't want to make a mistake.


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## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

Alright, I did some research and revolution is fine for females that are pregnant. I got a tube of Revolution for $18 from a vet. It was rather pricey but well worth it. Lucky for such a tiny tube I had enough to give to all furbabies. I am hoping to see a difference tonight or tomorrow. I am not sure how fast Revolution works. I also order some apple flavored ivermectin paste on amazon but it will not be here for a few days and I cannot give it to the females. I am just going to wait and see how revolution works for awhile. =))


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

You still need to wash everyone and everything. Lice live in 3 cycles. Eggs, larvae and bugs. You dont want the eggs hatching while you already treated them and your back to square one.


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## Ivora (Jan 14, 2013)

I washed them an hour before I applied the medication. Would washing them again wash off that medication I applied on them? It was topical. As for washing everything, I ended up throwing out any material they were on and I washed/scrubbed the cages they were in. The bedding is in another room, was not sure if I should freeze that or not.


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