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daisylynn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Messages
444
Location
Maine
1. I think my animals have mites but I'm not sure. Do mites leave little red specs?
2. Would mites cause Bennedict to become aggressive and bite Gimli?
3. Can I find revolution cheaper than 31$?
4.how would I go about getting the bugs out of the cage?
5. Is my hamster able to catch these bugs?
Sorry for all the questions, bugs aren't something I'm used to dealing with.
Thanks for any help.
 
1. Little red specs as in scabs? Yes mites would leave scabs. But the bugs itself and its eggs are invisable to the naked eye. If you are seeing red specs that are not scabs then its likely lice. Lice turn red when they are full of blood.

2. Mites can cause your rat to be miserable, and therefore its possible Bennedict bite him out of fustration. But I would keep a close eye on them. How old are they? At about 6 months of age they get their hormones, so dont rule it down to lice completely.

3. Finding Revolution cheaper depends on where you are located. Lots of vets require you to pay an exam fee and then for the revolution itself. Some vets, like mine, can sell it to you over the counter with no exam/prescription needed and it costs me $15CAN plus tax. 1 tube of puppy and kitten Revolution treats approx 5 adults or 3 adults and 3 babies. You could call around and see if any vets near you are able to do this. Another way Ive heard (thanks to digitalangel) is you can find sites in austrailia that will sell it and the shipping is usually free. She said 1 tube worked out for her to be I think $8.50.

4. To get the bugs out of the cage you need to disinfect it, throw out any wooden objects (or freeze them) and freeze all their bedding (as they can live there too, even if they havnt came into contat with it)

5. I would believe your hamster will be able to contract lice, as will other household animals... even humans (From what I understand anyway) Check on a hamster forum on the best way to get rid of lice for them... Im not sure if they would require the same dosage a rat would.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions!
 
ema-leigh said:
5. I would believe your hamster will be able to contract lice, as will other household animals... even humans (From what I understand anyway) Check on a hamster forum on the best way to get rid of lice for them... Im not sure if they would require the same dosage a rat would.

Hamsters would probably be a smaller dosage. But not to worry - the lice and mites rats have will not be able to live off host for very long. They couldn't live on a hamster and definitely not a human.
 
jorats said:
What ema-leigh said and I believe that mites and lice are species specific so you and your other pets should be fine.

Most mites and lice are species specific, but I really want people to start becoming aware of this, because so many skin scrapings come back 'undetermined.' If you're seeing red specks, its probably lice, but there ARE mites that are NOT species specific, they are called Cheyletiella Mange, there are 'species' types for Cats, Dogs, and Rabbits, but they can pass between species, they can pass via PEOPLE, they can infect your rats, and they can live up to ten days off of a host. They are still destroyed by revolution or ivermectin, like other mites, but petting your neighbor's dog and then petting your rat without a hand wash can infect them. They can be asymptotic for months or years, that is, live on any animal without negatively affecting its life or health, until its immune system weakens and it is affected.

I know, with the red flecks, that you're probably dealing with lice. But please, never assume that the buggies you have are species specific. Not a lot of people seem to have positively identified their infections as this stuff, we just got 'lucky' with our scrape, but many people treat the symptoms without a skin scrape, as well.
 


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