Can my rats give their lice to me?

[robynbyrdy]

Both males babies have been treated but still wondering if I need to worry about the family since the rats like to snuggle against us.

 

[victoria]

Mites and lice are species specific so you and your family and other (non-rat) pets in the household can't catch the ones that are on your rat. Fleas and ticks on the other hand can pass on from species to species.

 

[EDK]

It's a good question, the first rat I had, was infested with I thought was lice, as my family was infested with an outbreak of lice caused by my little sister. Well it wasn't her fault, she went to a summer camp and came back with lice, to which as we all know, spreaded fast amongst us. After we were treated I decided to check on my rat, and he was infested with bugs as well. I assumed it was lice from us and treated him, however, now that I'm older, I suspect what he had wasn't lice, but possibly fleas or mites. The bugs in his fur were brown/red colored, and were all over him, causing alot of tiny bites all over his body... Granted, my rat was very old, he was 4yrs old, his immune system was breaking down, so he was an easy target for a bug infestation.

But from what I understand, lice from rats do not spread to other species, just as human lice cannot spread to rats.

 

[lilspaz68]

EDK, it sounds like you had human lice and your rat had rat lice...very separate.

 

[EDK]

Hmm, well odd coiencidence then that he got lice of his own and we got lice lol! But I did treat him and he was fine after that. Just sad that a few months later on my birthday he past away in my hands. But I know he had a long happy life with me, and he was very comfortable when he passed. He had a nice meal of apple sauce and oatmeal, an easy meal because he was having a hard time eating that morning like he usually did after a few months of going down hill. Then that afternoon he didn't want to leave his bed, his breathing was slow, and I knew it was time. So i grabbed a pillow, my brother came in to support us both. I laid my arms on the pillow with him in my hands, his head comfortably rested in my palm while i stroked his back, and he quietly went to sleep...

 

[jorats]

I've been through both here, human loving lice and rat loving lice and let me tell you, I'd rather the rat one, so much easier to treat and smaller than ours. That was a horrible two weeks with the human loving lice. Thanks to my boys and their class. UGH!