[DFW_Rat_Luvr]

None of my animals have had fleas. Now we found one on one of the rescues. what now?

 

[jellybeanqueen]

you're going to have to go to the vet and get the kind of flea treatment they use on kittens..and you'll have to disinfect all the cages and ratties living with/in contact with the infected one.
hope you get rid of them soon!

 

[Darksong17]

You'll want to use kitten/puppy strength Revolution which you can obtain from your vet. More information on dosing and ecto-parasites:

http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php (Information on ecto-parasites such as mites, lice, and fleas.)

http://ratguide.com/meds/antiinfectives/selamectin_revolution.php (Using kitten/puppy strength Revolution in rats)

 

[simbakitten]

you also should check any other rats or pets you have. and clean or hoover where ever they normally play

 

[AustinXAPMX3]

I just read this so i will copy and paste I dont know if its right but it sounds good. :lol:

You can wash the rats in the sink or bathtub in a gentle puppy or kitten formula flea shampoo. Scrub the cage in hot water, change the bedding, and make sure to put flea powder on the carpet around the cage. Do not put flea powder in the cage and do not leave flea collars lying around where the rats could chew on them. Do not use any of the topical flea drops (like Advantage) that you would use on a cat or dog. A few drops of garlic solution in their water supply will also help discourage fleas. Also flea bathe all other animals in the house.

Hope that helps , but i would also go to the vet.

 

[ration1802]

When I got my wild rat babies, they both had fleas. When they were old enough, all I used was a flea shampoo for kittens (I think, I did ask the vets) and flea-powdered the carpets. I never had a problem after that.

EDIT: I would say though that was only treatment on two of my rats. I kept them well QTd in another room of the house so none of the other rats (or cat, or dog!) caught from them. I wouldn't know whether the same treatment would work as effectively if you have quitea few with the same problem

 

[Poppyseed]

Instead of flea powdering the carpets, you could consider getting the house professionally bombed (with all animals removed for a significant time) or putting a flea color in a bag of a bag vaccum cleaner, vacuuming and throwing out the bag. Of course you may need to do the vacuuming thing more than once. Those are the two things we recommend at our office to rid of fleas in the house.

Before that, some revolution for the rats might be in order. I would ask the vet about using them on any nursing moms/kittens though before use ): It might be possible to just brush these guys with a fine tooth nit come regurlarly while treating everyone else.

Fleas have been horrible this year. Seems like we are getting flea cases left and right. It's always a good idea to use flea preventative every month on your dogs and cats. Seems like they come in most during the fall/early winter months as they are trying to escape the cold. Fleas are naturally attracted to heat.

If you do bomb, vacuum first as fleas are attracted to heat and hide in carpet otherwise. Good luck! Fleas are a real PAIN to get rid of.