rat fleas?

melissa35246 · 06-10-2013, 11:21 PM

How can I help get rid of fleas on my rats? I know that they get them from my dog/carpet, and I put some kitten flea killer on them like once a month, but I can tell Remmy is still bothered by them because he seems to be scratching a lot. Does anyone know any products I can use?

sully · 06-11-2013, 01:49 AM

You need to treat the dog and 'Bomb' the room/s the carpets are in first, aslong as they have fleas in the rats will continue to get bitten as fleas will continue to breed and hatch. Can you get something from the vet?

HollyHamster · 06-11-2013, 08:29 AM

Like Sully said, the only way to get rid of the fleas is to treat both the dog and the house with flea killer.

I suggest going to the vets and getting either Frontline or Advantage to use on the dog. The vet should give either to you in the right weight category. Its important that you have the flea medicine in the right weight catagory. Giving a small dog a dose meant for a large dog will make him/her very sick. The medicine should be a liquid poison in a easy to dispense packet. Just snap the packet open and apply to the neck high enough to where the dog won't be able to lick it off.

You should also give your dog a flea dip (preferably before applying the flea medicine as the dip would wash it away). This should kill any adult fleas on the dog. Flea shampoo can usually be found in pet stores.

Also, like Sully said, treat the whole house/apartment with bug bombs to get rid of any fleas living in the carpet. That, and treating your dog are the only ways to fully get rid of any and all fleas living in your home.

sully · 06-11-2013, 11:12 AM

Just had an afterthought, make sure if you use a house bomb you remove the animals to another house for safety first!

HollyHamster · 06-11-2013, 11:15 AM

Also make sure to wash any and all bed linens and comforters within the home thoroughly to get rid of any lingering poisons from the bomb.

Amethyst_ice · 06-11-2013, 11:49 AM

Are you sure your rats have fleas? Rats have internal mites that can flare up and cause mini scabs and itching.

A spot on (for rats, dont use the otehrs as they are too strong).
X

crazygal330 · 06-11-2013, 02:01 PM

You have already had some good advice about dealing with the potential flea problem. Did you know that flea larvae can survive in carpets for up to 1year!
I would strongly, strongly suggest you immediately stop using the kitten flea stuff. Using flea treatments on different species is dangerous and can be lethal. They use different chemicals for each and are specifically targeted for their intended animal. You will need some specific small animal or rat treatment.

Rats have their own lice and mites, lice will be small, orange ish and visible on the rats, mites will cause the rats to scratch which is visible by lots of small scabs around the shoulders and chin typically.
Health Guide: Ectoparasites this is a good guide to rat parasites.

Munchalot · 06-11-2013, 03:29 PM

You may be able to buy a spot-on treatment for small mammals in a pet shop (I know we do) which will be far, far cheaper. However, to sell vet-strength treatments a store would need to train each member of staff to obtain a license, which is usually a few hundred pounds each, so the likely hood is that any pet store drugs available to you are below the maximum strength they can legally sell.

I know there is a new Bob Martin treatment that now contains the active ingredient Fipronil, which some pet stores may sell. It has proven to be quite effective, and fairly cheap.

As already stated, you need to completely score the house. Make sure your dog is treated - this MUST be a spot-on treatment, because this types will last at minimum for 4 weeks, will kill all fleas and larvae on the animal and will protect them for a month or more. Tablets won't work, because they only kill the fleas that are already on the pet, and once the drug is out of the system the fleas can hop back on again.
I wouldn't buy Frontline for the dog, because they have been some dispute as to whether fleas are becoming immune to it, so many sources are claiming it is nolonger effective - hence why Advantage has come in to replace it. Many vets won't stock Frontline anymore.

You house needs to be THOROUGHLY deflead, either by purchasing a household spray for floors and furniture, or with bombs, but you will need a bomb for each room, and you must seal and leave the room to fumigate.
As stated above, fleas can lay dormant in carpet and furniture for months, so if you don't wipe them out of the house, you will never be rid of them.

melissa35246 · 06-11-2013, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice

Are you sure your rats have fleas? Rats have internal mites that can flare up and cause mini scabs and itching.

A spot on (for rats, dont use the otehrs as they are too strong).
X

Yeah, It's fleas. I can see them, both my boys are white.

melissa35246 · 06-11-2013, 05:27 PM

I will have to tell my parents that we need to bug bomb the house (lol I don't want to pay for it myself I hope they will). This is my only problem with having dogs is that ours always seem to have fleas, no matter how much we treat them. *Sigh*

I'm sticking with inside pets from now on.

And thanks for all the advice!