Questions about Lice Treatment

[Muttlover]

I recently purchased two male rats from a friend/breeder and they have lice, I know this because she told me she had an outbreak just after I had decided to buy from her (before anything was finalized) due to infested bedding. She gave me a syringe of oral Ivermectin paste to treat them with and directions on dosage, etc. so that I can do it myself as they're only four weeks right now.

I'm just wondering, considering their age, when would be the best time to start their treatment and how do I know it is working? I've never dealt with Lice before so it's a bit new to me. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to get rid of them?

Also, what precautions can I take to ensure my other rats don't become infested?
The two new boys are in QT in the "reptile room" down in the basement and my current boys are in my living room upstairs.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jorats]

Oh boy, I don't think I would treat babies that young. If your friend is a breeder, she should know those babies need to stay with mom until they are 5 weeks old.

You can bathe each rat in olive oil to try and drown the lice and wait till they are a little older before treating with the horse paste wormer which can be extremely toxic if not dosed properly.

 

[victoria]

Oh boy, I don't think I would treat babies that young. If your friend is a breeder, she should know those babies need to stay with mom until they are 5 weeks old.

You can bathe each rat in olive oil to try and drown the lice and wait till they are a little older before treating with the horse paste wormer which can be extremely toxic if not dosed properly.

I wouldn't even use horse dewormer on rats that young/small, even in a few weeks. Once they're 5-6 weeks old, you can take them to the vet and get oral Ivermectin suspension or Revolution, that way you can dose more accurately and avoid the risk of overdosing.

 

[Muttlover]

Thanks for the replies and advice, ladies! Joanne, maybe they are 5 weeks, I was calculating from when they were younger and she said they'd be ready to go. I will ask her to make sure, but she's seemed reputable in all other aspect so I am sure she knows that as well.

She did say they were much too young to treat and to wait until they were closer to 10 weeks or so. She just didn't have a suggestion for the meantime so I thought I would come here and see what advice I can get, so thank you both!

Vets here generally do not have much experience or knowledge when it comes to exotics (when they have seen my rats in the past they said everything was either a URI or myco and prescribed antibiotics) so if possible doing this myself would be preferred. So I think that waiting is my best option.

 

[victoria]

Waiting that long has it's risks too. Parasites weaken the immune system, you may end up needing to treat a more serious condition.

Where in Canada are you located?

 

[Muttlover]

That was my fear, victoria. The main reason I came here.
I'm in the North Cariboo region of BC.