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Rat's have Flea's ?

mcifaldi

mcifaldi

New member
Hi I started a with a 1.1 pairs of rats an now I have a litter of pups the size of small mice :) But the adult are always scratching and biting at them selves.
do they have Flea's? and what do you use to get rid of them?, I am raising rats to be feeders and don't want to use any thing thats going to be harmfull to my snakes. Thanks in advance.
 
Mites or lice are relatively common in rats. There are prescription treatments but I don't know how safe they are for feeders.
 
You ought to be able to see fleas, if that's what it is. Comb their fur backwards, and look in the neck fur and around the flanks and armpits.

Nanci
 
Thanks for the Replies But Still no one has mentioned yet what to use on them to kill the flea's / lice that wont be harmfull to my snakes
 
Nanci said:
I'll try to remember to ask my vet Tuesday. He's a rat vet _and_ a snake vet.

Nanci
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Thanks Nanci That would be super Cool Im also gonna try a vet and see what they say, I just dont want any thing to harm my collection :)
 
Well, I know there is a med called Revolution that supposedly works really well on mites in rats. I don't know how healthy it would be to then feed those rats to a snake.
 
At what age are you going to feed the baby rats? I mean, how long until they are snake food? (Might make a difference- I don't know how long the flea killer takes to wear off, or if it's possible to wash the rats after the fleas are gone. I would bet, though, any flea killer other than something like a coal tar shampoo would be absorbed systemically, anyway, so it'd have to be something safe for the snake. And rat.)

Nanci
 
Snakes can't get fleas

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Rat fleas feed on rodents. Of course there was that whole Bubonic Plague thing... :rolleyes:
 
Nanci said:
At what age are you going to feed the baby rats? I mean, how long until they are snake food? (Might make a difference- I don't know how long the flea killer takes to wear off, or if it's possible to wash the rats after the fleas are gone. I would bet, though, any flea killer other than something like a coal tar shampoo would be absorbed systemically, anyway, so it'd have to be something safe for the snake. And rat.)

Nanci
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Well I plan on keeping new born rat pink's and then by the end of one week they will be a little bigger about the size of a mouse hopper Ill keep some of those and as they get big enough to move about on there own they will be the size of a small to medium size mouse and ill keep those as well. I have enclosed a pic of the weened rat's they look about the size of a small to med size mouse in the pic.
 

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No, the idea is to treat the rats for fleas- then will the flea treatment affect the snake? Like leave a poisonous residue on the fur?

Once you kill the baby rats, if you freeze them, the fleas will be gone, but that doesn't solve the problem of the adults having fleas. Will there be a time when the babies are weaned, and you can remove them from the adults, treat the adults, and clean the enclosure so the fleas are gone?

I'm going to the vet today. I'll ask.

Nanci
 
There is also the issue of whether or not the treatment will affect the development or toxicity of unborn pups in a pregnant female.
 
Ok, my vet says to shampoo the rats with a flea shampoo containing pyrithrin, that specifically says it is safe for puppies and kittens. It will kill the fleas, and not leave a residue once you rinse the rats.

Nanci
 
Rats don't usually get fleas, they get rat lice and mites. Rat lice are species specific (meaning they only live on rats). They commonly are yellow/brown or light tan and are found most often on the back, neck and shoulders. They are somewhat cigar shaped, thin and about 1/2 to 1/1/2 mm long. Common treatment is 1 drop of kitten/cat Frontline on the back of the neck for adults (make sure to apply it on the skin). This can be repeated in a month if necessary.

You'll also have to completely clean cages more often until the problem is solved because the eggs can hide in the bedding

Bathing a rat in a fea shampoo will not have as much affect and could harm the adult. They groom themselves by licking their fur and the flea compound for cats/kittens is too strong for them. You could end up with some very sick/ possibly dead adults.

If you're not using the adults for feeders, 1 drop of Frontline cat/kitten will not harm anything but the lice. Allow it to dry thoroughly before putting them back in with their babies.
 
dwilliamsmms said:
Rats don't usually get fleas, they get rat lice and mites. Rat lice are species specific (meaning they only live on rats). They commonly are yellow/brown or light tan and are found most often on the back, neck and shoulders. They are somewhat cigar shaped, thin and about 1/2 to 1/1/2 mm long. Common treatment is 1 drop of kitten/cat Frontline on the back of the neck for adults (make sure to apply it on the skin). This can be repeated in a month if necessary.

You'll also have to completely clean cages more often until the problem is solved because the eggs can hide in the bedding

Bathing a rat in a fea shampoo will not have as much affect and could harm the adult. They groom themselves by licking their fur and the flea compound for cats/kittens is too strong for them. You could end up with some very sick/ possibly dead adults.

If you're not using the adults for feeders, 1 drop of Frontline cat/kitten will not harm anything but the lice. Allow it to dry thoroughly before putting them back in with their babies.
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Thanks Every one for the help I will get some front line tomorrow at the feed store as i need more bedding to clean out rat and mice tubs, I thought feeding and cleaning all 32 snake tubs was chore, Man breeding your own rats and mice is more work.
Thank you all again.
 
Has any one used Ivermectin? it says to put some about the size of grain of rice in there food and to repeat the treatment, But my concern still is that what ever the rat's eat my snake's will eat also. Any one breeding rat's I sure would like your thoughts please.
 
snakepunk said:
I don't think you have anything to worry about. Rat fleas feed on rodents. Of course there was that whole Bubonic Plague thing... :rolleyes:
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And still is . . . There are sometimes warnings in southern CA because there are outbreaks in squirrels. I had to try out several different camping spots about 5 years back and I was somewhat concerned, because I was camping with my dogs. Infected fleas ride into tent on dog and bite human while sleeping, no thanks. And in some places in the world, it still pops up in humans from time to time. Not really anything to worry about with your pet rats, but Yersinia pestis hasn't disappeared.
 
i can not answer the questions about what treatment but if you cant find any suitable for feeders, as a last resort it may be an idea to cull the whole colony or the ones that have fleas and disinfect everything and change bedding. i am sure that it wont come to this but it is an idea for last resort.

sorry i could be more helpful and good luck with finding a treatment!

:cheers:
 
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