Lice Question UPDATE...SO FRUSTRATED!

[Slapdash]

Sorry to be a pest with all my questions lol I've been treating my rats with ivermectin (horse paste) for two weeks tomorrow is their last dose but I'm not going to be home at all tomorrow until late evening. Do you think it would be ok to does and disinfect today instead. Normally they get it on tuesday morning/afternoon? And I disenfect the cage that night? Thanks,

Amanda

 

[Slapdash]

Oh and I'm starting my new guys on a treatment just to be sure, do I need to treat the hairless, can they actually get lice? Thanks

 

[lilangel]

When i treated mine i also did the hairless too, i think i asked and people said yes.

 

[Moon]

Yes, they can get lice. If they have any hair AT ALL the nits can stick, and even if they don't the lice from the resident rats can still bother them.

 

[Slapdash]

ok good to know and do u think itsa ok to treat a day shy of a week because of thecircumstances?

 

[Moon]

I don't think doing it today would be a problem.. sorry, I missed that question the first time around

 

[Slapdash]

ok cool, thanks!

 

[Slapdash]

Another quick question...it's been three weeks now, will be four on Monday and my guys are still scratching. I have been giving them the ivermectin onece a week and disinfecting their cage completely with 1 part bleach 10 parts water, washing all the fabric and have taken out all the wood toys/houses and kept them in the freezer until this is over. I'm losing my mind with these stupid lice. We tried the injectable shot with the vet when Ralphie was younger but then Rosie brought them back in the house when we got her and we started all over again. I'm so frustrated and feel terrible seeing them itch all the time and Ralphies back legs are losing lots of hair So I talked to thevet and he said Ican treat for up to 4 or 5 weeks to make sure but I just don't think the ivermectin is working so I am going to try revolution, kitten right? Whats the dosage per weight and once i treat them what do I need to do after that? Is the revolution safe for my hairless? I need to get rid of these little buggers! Thanks

 

[SQ]

Cat or kitten revolution 4 - 8 mg/Ib of rat or 4 - 8 mg/454.4 grams of rat
You put it on the skin at the base of their neck. I use a syringe (with removable needle) to measure it out.
It kills lice (etc) for a month.
As far as I know, the only other thing to do is throughly clean the envirnoment to get rid of any parasites not on them.
Usually one dose of revolution is enough, but sometimes it needs to be repeated a month after the first dose.

 

[Slapdash]

Disinfect the cage same day? Should I continue to disinfect it once a week for the month after that? Thanks!!

 

[Slapdash]

NEW QUESTION >>>> Ok well I tried to get revolution through a local vet since our regular vet is an hour away but no one will give it to me without a perscription via an appointment. I called three different vets and two of them said they wouldn't give it to me for rats, so I tried calling another place and pretending I had a kitten but they said I need to have a heartworm test done first? Then, finally the last place I called was willing to give it to me for rats but I would have to make an appointment for all 4 them at $80 an appointment plus the perscriptions!!! Anybody have any other ideas or know of a place online or somewhere I could buy it? Or can I buy it off someone? Thanks, I really want to get this under control, oh and if they had the ivermectin a week ago but its not working when can I start the revolution?

 

[jorats]

They had two doses of ivermectin already and you don't see an improvement? Are they still covered in scabs?

 

[Littlefizz]

Usually vets will see all rats for just the one appointment fee. If you're only having them weighed and getting them the revo then it should only be about 90-95 dollars. I just recently went to the vets with 9 rats to get revo and paid around 90 dollars for the whole thing.

 

[Slapdash]

They've been treated with the ivermectin three times and are still itchy. I am not 100% sure they still have the lice cause I am terrible at spotting the nits but they're definitley itchy, no scabs, never has been. But with two new guys in the house I wanted to treat everyone with revolution to be sure everyone was pest free. I suppose I could buy it online because I just spent 210 getting the boys neutered and would prefer not to pay another 100 just to confirm the lice and get them weighed because I can do that here. Thanks

 

[jorats]

Do you have all males and are the two new guys in the same room with your itchy ones?

 

[Slapdash]

There are three males, one female, the new guys are in the same room, when Igot them my first two were finishing their last treatment of ivermectin but I am pretty sure the new guys came with lice also so I am basically looking to start fresh all at the sametime with all 4.

 

[jorats]

The reason I ask is because when males smell other males they do a lot of back scratching. Are you sure they are really itchy or just grooming and scenting?
Rats with mites/lice will stop in the middle of what they are doing to scratch and itch, they don't usually do the licking of the foot after reaching that scratch. When they lick their foot after a scratch or during, that's usually grooming.

 

[Slapdash]

The reason I ask is because when males smell other males they do a lot of back scratching. Are you sure they are really itchy or just grooming and scenting?
Rats with mites/lice will stop in the middle of what they are doing to scratch and itch, they don't usually do the licking of the foot after reaching that scratch. When they lick their foot after a scratch or during, that's usually grooming.

Hmm that's interesting because they almost always lick their foot after/during their scratches? Is there another way to tell if they have lice? I doubt posting pics will help but I can try? Their skin looks good, like I said no scabs or anything just itchy and Ralphie the oldest male is missing some hair on the inner part of his back legs which is what happened when we first realized he had lice but then the hairloss spread all over his stomach and everything... could there be another reason he is missing some hair there? Thanks

 

[jorats]

That could also be barbering.
Has the fur grown back since their dosing?

For me, I know there's mites/lice only if some of my rats have scabs. But you say there aren't any.

 

[Slapdash]

No the fur hasn't grown back since the dosing...I'll post some pics tonight, whats barbering by the way, just rough grooming? Thanks