Rat Mites

                Rat mites are a common occurrence in rats, just as fleas are with cats and dogs.  Usually, rat mites are no big deal and can easily be gotten rid of. I have found a few good home remedies for rat mites, and you can also find them to benefit you too. If you find that your rats have become afflicted with rat mites, do not become too worried. They will not take much work to be relieved of the rat mites!

                Rat mites are very small insects, that are commonly considered parasites. They feast on hosts, which are animals that they use as food. If you are not sure whether your rat has rat mites or not, look for tiny orange or red specks in the fur, towards the skin. They are obvious on white rats, but may be harder to see on darker colored rats. Rat mites generally affect the skin of the rat, usually causing excessive scratching, cleaning, and irritated skin.

                If you find that your rat has mites, start by separating your rat from his cage. Give him a nice soaking of baby oil (be sure that you are not in a hot room), massage it in, and allow him to soak for 5 minutes. This will suffocate the rat mites. Do not allow him to lick himself. You can control this by playing with him and keeping his attention. Once you have allowed his body to thoroughly soak, begin to massage again, to loosen the mites. Rinse him generously, to allow all excess oil to rinse from his body, along with the mites. Then, use a few drops of dawn dishwashing detergent, and massage into a rich lather; this will lift all remaining oil and lift the rat mites from the fur. Rinse your rat again, and give him a long relaxing bath with baby shampoo. This will gently cleanse any excess oil from his fur and any remaining mites. It is also tear free, hypoallergenic, and will not irritate ratty skin.

                Of course, your rat will be poofy once dry from the rat mites treatment! This is because his natural oils have been removed from his coat. Don’t worry though; he will look normal again by the next day or two, with no rat mites in sight. If the rat has sensitive skin, you can always create a homemade oatmeal bath (usually with no actual soap) to soak him in to relieve his skin of irritation.

                Place your rat in a clean box to dry, and thoroughly clean his cage, washing and soaking all pieces in the cage. This will remove any rat mites who may still be in the cage. Once the cage too is dry, you can place clean litter and your rat back in the cage, free of rat mites. You can then buy a mite repellent for birds to hang over the rat’s cage for a week, to ensure they do not return.

                Rat mites are extremely annoying for your pet rat; although rat mites do not pose a serious health risk most times, they can still ruin your rat’s day. Getting rid of rat mites may take a few hours, but it can usually be done with things that you most likely already have. Be sure to watch for more rat mites in the future, to keep your ratty happy and itch-free!