Mom-ninja. Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Fleas are bad right now. The flea med we've been using is not working well. We now have fleas in the house from the dog. The vet gave us a new flea med for the dog, and I'm going to have to attack the house and maybe have it treated. Anyway, I asked about our rats. The vet said to get something called armor from the pet store and put one drop on each rat. Anyone use this? When I told the kids that we'll have to treat the rats for fleas my 9 yr old said, "Oh, could we get the plague from them?" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 No. Personally, I never use that pet store stuff. It has been linked to multiple deaths in the animals on which they are used over the last several years. Additionally, Fipronil is the primary ingredient in Pet Armor brand flea/tick meds and it has been proven to be mildly toxic to rats in clinical studies. This was primarily in oral studies, but since rats groom one another it could be a problem. Also, there was SOME reaction in the clinical studies to Fipronil that was applied topically (as directed) but there have been many, many cases of it causing problems in pet cats, rats, and rabbits as reported by their owners/veterinarians. The only thing I would ever use or recommend for rats (and that my vet recommends as well) is Revolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Do you just get revolution for the smallest size dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 No. Personally, I never use that pet store stuff. It has been linked to multiple deaths in the animals on which they are used over the last several years. Additionally, Fipronil is the primary ingredient in Pet Armor brand flea/tick meds and it has been proven to be mildly toxic to rats in clinical studies. This was primarily in oral studies, but since rats groom one another it could be a problem. Also, there was SOME reaction in the clinical studies to Fipronil that was applied topically (as directed) but there have been many, many cases of it causing problems in pet cats, rats, and rabbits as reported by their owners/veterinarians. The only thing I would ever use or recommend for rats (and that my vet recommends as well) is Revolution. Run away from the pet store stuff!!! The fleas from your dog are so bad that your rats actually got fleas from them??? Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Well, there are fleas jumping on us from the floors. Bare floors. So I assume fleas are bad throughout the house. I don't know if the rats have fleas. But since I've found three fleas that have jumped on me or the kids while sitting on our cork floor *upstairs* (the dog is not allowed upstairs ever) the fleas have spread in the house. It's war time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Do you just get revolution for the smallest size dog? This site recommends the kitten size: http://ratguide.com/..._revolution.php ETA: Not the whole tube, of course. See dosing recommendations in the article. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 This is so odd I posted on the 52 books thread and apparently it landed here. I know nothing about pet rats but I hope you find a solution. Fleas yuk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Revolution for kittens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanseve Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Just wash him with dawn soap every few days and thoroughly dry. Change bedding daily. Set out nightlights in the evening with pans of soapy water. The fleas are attracted to the light and drown. Seriously. It works. We had a bad infestation one year and none of the pesticides worked. Washing the cats and dogs (I had fewer of both back then) with dawn and setting up the pans worked. When I wash my rat I do it with dawn and have never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Just wash him with dawn soap every few days and thoroughly dry. Change bedding daily. Set out nightlights in the evening with pans of soapy water. The fleas are attracted to the light and drown. Seriously. It works. We had a bad infestation one year and none of the pesticides worked. Washing the cats and dogs (I had fewer of both back then) with dawn and setting up the pans worked. When I wash my rat I do it with dawn and have never had a problem. Thanks! I'll try this. My dh really doesn't want to have the house sprayed. Does your rat struggle when you bathe him? Our rats panic and try to flee. They have successfully scratched their way up my bare arms to get away from water. Tips for bathing them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanseve Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 The rat we have now is pretty mellow. He doesn't mind. I have seen people use bathing bags for rats. You can do a similar thing with a small towel, but it's a little more difficult. Put a little bit of soap water on them and work it into their fur, wrap them in a towel and stick under low flowing faucet and slowly wash it all out. Some will spaz less over that than being in a container of water. I have to do this with our guinea pigs they are awful, but once and a while it's absolutely necessary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 When I bathe my rats (and those I rat-sit for) I place a bath towel in the bottom of the bathtub and put an inch or two of lukewarm water in the tub. Let the rat walk around in the shallow water for a few minutes to help him feel more comfortable. Use your hand or a small cup to pour water over the rat, staying away from the head as much as possible. Lather the soap into the rat and let them walk around again for as long as they will tolerate it. 10 min. is usually recommended. You can give tiny bits of their favorite food in order to entice them to focus on something other than trying to lick off the soap. Use your hand or a small cup again to rinse the rat with lukewarm water. Remove rat from the tub and wrap in a towel to dry. I've used this method with at least 8 different rats and it has worked every time with no bites or scratches. They tend to feel rather calm when they're not being forcefully held or placed under running water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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