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Post by moonlightsedge on Mar 16, 2009 14:40:24 GMT -5
I am a little worried. I was looking at my tank of ASFRs , 3 females one male and a whole pile of babies... Well I noticed what looks like little mites or something crawling on the sawdust of the tank. Not sure if they are on the rats or not, I didn't see any but didn't want to disturb them to check closer. They are tiny and move sort of smooth and steady, I didn't think they were fleas(pretty sure flees are bigger and these were more just dots) I didn't see any in my mouse bin but the mice came from another place from the rats. So how worried should I be and what can I do that is hopefully safe for the rats.
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Post by harrisi on Mar 16, 2009 14:54:35 GMT -5
You can get mite treatments for small animals with ivermectin and put it on a cotton bud it and rub it at the back of their necks then change out the bedding and FREEZE THE OLD BEDDING FOR 36 HOUR. Do NOT skip this step! Change out bedding and freeze old bedding for 36 hours every other day. Dont worry about the pups for now. \Good luck.
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Post by moonlightsedge on Mar 16, 2009 15:31:24 GMT -5
I have a tube of the Ivermectin Horse Paste I just bought for my finches can I dilute it the same way as I did for the birds and treat their water? I have a whole bundle of 2 week old pups and a couple of 3 day old pups. Should I worry about my ferrets catching them? The AFSR cage should be fairly easy to clean they are in an aquarium with shavings and dishes and wheel. I can replace their shavings regularly, though I am a little worried about handling the babies. Anyways, Thank You. Ick ick and more ick....
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Post by harrisi on Mar 16, 2009 17:51:29 GMT -5
I personally wouldnt, oral ivomec has been known to kill small rodents.
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Post by moonlightsedge on Mar 16, 2009 18:26:36 GMT -5
Well I've systematically gone through all my tanks and cages and it is only the one aquarium. Even the other ASFR cages seem fine. I use the same bedding for all of them, except one small batch of shavings I was finishing up from a while ago which ended up in that tank. Now should I be worried about the ferrets? They are in the same room as the rats and mice. Any other hints or tips to dealing with this issue? Thanks
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Post by harrisi on Mar 17, 2009 5:25:30 GMT -5
The ferrets could get them, but its pretty doubtful. Not much you can do for now, just get the A/soft furred rats treated and keep the tank cleaned out.
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