Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / August 2004

Got some new pets for the rat.  Unfortunately it's lice.  Ickle tiny white
things with a red backside (presumably that's the blood).  Rat doesn't seem
to be scratching more than usual, there're no scabs and the only other thing
I can find on her is a little bit of dandruff!  I'm guessing the buggers
have been there since I had her.

I've heard it mentioned on this ng that all rats have mites/lice and that
they're only a problem when they flare up.  Is this true?  Should the mites
only be tackled when they flare up or is it possible to eradicate the things
forever?  If they should be treated whenever they're present is there
anything at the pet shop to treat them or is the vets the only place to buy
treatment.

Also, is there anything available in the UK to treat rooms - Rat often gets
let out to wreck the room so no point treating the mites if she's only going
to get reinfected again :-/

To reiterate, the lice don't _seem_ to be causing a problem, and there seems
to be only a few.

Cheers for your help.

Mark.

p.s. One benefit to the lice is that rat, who previously never cared for
being fussed over, really enjoyed us searching through her fur.