I never used to freeze anything until the day I had an outbreak. Now I freeze all food and forage. You can’t freeze bedding. I also won’t have hay in the house now because that’s where mine came from, so many things come from hay that you don’t want to infest your home. I bought an eradicator it’s a professional grade steam cleaner and I steam cleaned the whole house. It worked, expensive but it worked first time with no chemicals. I now use it to sanitize any wood or cork products when then come in and I sanitize all the pet stuff when I deep clean. So I do use it regularly but it’s expensive. I have PTSD from the whole experience so I know how you feel, but honestly you do get through it, sending you big hugs 🫂
I had a MASSIVE outbreak 2 years ago, and it cannot be overstated how problematic these little boogers can be. I felt so alone, so dirty, so miserable - it literally led to a nervous breakdown. Unfortunately because of the way my old house was constructed, we couldn’t get the infestation under control and I ended up having to move house entirely. They infested not only my rats, but my poor cat, myself, and every aspect of my life. For anyone who is dealing with it, I am so, so sorry that you’re experiencing this. You will come out the other side!!!
Thank you from my entire heart for making a video on these monsters. I look up to you as a rat parent and I am in the middle of a tropical rat mite infestation. Everything you experienced mental and physical, I can relate 10000%. Good luck to both of us on this mite journey. I bought that spray too!
I had these little nightmares on my elderly hamster. It took three treatments to get rid of them. But I didn’t do the whole house, just hoovered round the enclosure, washed, froze and baked things and treated the hamster. Any I saw got squashed! I have three cats walking all over and they didn’t spread around the house, so hopefully you will be ok too.
We have been through this nightmare too. We discovered them around the end of November. We spent weeks dealing with it. We’re seniors so it was physically taxing to the max. We threw out anything that could not be washed in hot water or frozen. We treated our 5 rats with Revolution twice, 2 weeks apart. After the first treatment we moved them to a totally clean cage in a different room. I did set the 4 legs of the cage in lids that had diatomaceous earth in them to make sure no mites could get at them. As well as cleaning, washing, and vacuuming we sprayed all the floors in the house daily for 3 weeks with Mite-B-Gone, a natural product we found on Amazon. We think it really helped. It’s been about 3 months since we’ve seen any sign of mites so we have our fingers crossed. 😂
I experienced the same situation with my hamsters, it was a total nightmare. My recommendation is treating all the animals at the same time, cleaning all the plastic and glass stuff in the washing machine, heating all the wood things in the oven (1h/100⁰C) and washing cages deeply with hot water and soap (and other products). Cleaning and more cleaning, ventilation, etc. Always wash your hands before and after touching each animal. You did everything well, good luck!!
This sounds very scary and I'm sorry you experienced it. Thank you so much for paying it forward and sharing your research, resources, and video footage of what to look for. Having this is invaluable information and I hope you know that it absolutely improves the lives of so many small pets (and small pet owners). Stay strong!
I had to deal with these about 5-6 years ago with one of my hamsters😭 I switched all his toys out to plastic ones that were easy to clean. I took all his bedding out and kept him on kitchen roll with shredded tissue as nesting material. I basically cleaned his cage almost daily! Thankfully got rid of them! Also treated him with mite drops from the vets. Hope you're able to get rid of them soon🤞
Thank you so much for just openly talking about this kind of issue, it could happen to anyone and is so uncomfortable :( Fingers crossed it's fixed now!!
We fought these little things for almost two years off and on, it seemed like every time they got under control it suddenly exploded again. We finally got them under control but it was a nightmare. They came in from a pair of rescue hamsters in bad conditions, we didnt know until it was too late. Revolution finally took care of it but it took lots of doses
This reminds me of the years I spent with primary school age kids, the endless cycles of nits. I swear most of my memories of my children aged 5 to 10 is of combing their conditioner-soaked hair and squishing the captured nits between my nails. Good times :)
Oh bless you it is a nightmare when you have a chronic illness and dealing with this infestation! You have my full sympathy and I am sending you lots of gentle hugs! I am chronically ill and I know how zapped out you get doing regular household chores, but dealing with any mites is horrendous I have my fingers and toes crossed for you! I keep setting up the channel member page and it is fully working then the following month is not active, could you check to see if I am a current member, it is not very important so only do it when you can! Rest up 💋💋💋
I've thankfully never had to deal with mites but I've got mobility issues that cause me to easily run out of energy and I'm also showing signs of being allergic to my rats and it breaks my heart. Your channel has taught me so much about rats and I'm sorry you are having to deal with so much at once ❤️
I love your videos! After watching all your Content in rats it’s helped me learn how to keep them at a level that is beyond me, now I have a thriving at home stash of cobra food for my snakes. They love em!
So sorry you had to deal with this. I went through something similar with my hamsters and it felt really embarrassing. I think in the end I narrowed it down to book lice, which were more gross than harmful, but I had to basically have my hamsters on bare tanks for a week to eradicate them. All of my wood stuff I ended up tossing because every time I baked it, they would come back. I haven't seen them since the "sterile" run... my hamsters were miserable with just their wheels and paper tubes/boxes I was tossing every night.
Omg I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this after everything last year and beyond. Sometimes it seriously feels like pets are one disaster after another 🤦♀️ wouldn't trade them for the world but it honestly takes it's toll emotionally, physically, and financially lol animal care is not for the faint of heart. My previous gerbils got mites from pinecones I didn't bake long enough and holy shit. Did I ever pay for that mistake. Poor boys became anemic and it cost sooo much to replace everything in the tank and they came BACK from the sealant in the tank. I ended up ordering anti parasitics from the UK to avoid paying a big vet fee to have them applied and prescribed again as they are not available OTC in Canada. Nightmare stuff. Wouldn't wish it on anybody.
me again granny eileen the first i notice it on hammy a scab like a raisin i bathed her in kids head lice shampoo 12;99 bottle and her fur came back white back ,
We're still doing our research on rat care, I'll be honest this video scared the life out of me! HOWEVER I kept snakes for years and had to deal with snake mites which seem to be very very similar. It definitely seems you're doing all the right things. I have complete sympathy with you. As another person with low energy levels and easily exhausted, the whole thing is mentally exhausting before you even start the physical process! Diatomaceous earth is a common bedding additive for reptiles but as you said I really dong feel it would be a safe thing to use with rats delicate lungs! I hope you've knocked them back hard enough to win xxx
So sorry you had to deal with this and all while having little energy yourself 😢 As for the only-one-washing-machine issue: industrial-sized laundromat machines can fit everything, and putting stuff through the big dryers on high heat will help sanitise things too. So this could be an option for people who have someone to help them haul the items to a laundromat with such facilities.
Ahhh!!! I’m SO itchy now!!! I just checked the hamsters enclosures I check them everyday!!! I am now in a cleaning frenzy!!! Glad you got rid of them!!! I have anxiety so I worry about this stuff!!! ❤❤❤😊😊😊
I worked at a wildlife rescue rehab a while ago and hedgehogs with mites got newspaper instead of bedding since it is easier to replace. Maybe using fleece as bedding temporarily is easier to clean weekly.
As someone who's dealt with bed bugs, we were told to put everything contaminated in air tight containers (we did trash bags tied off with rubber bands), then you can clean room by room space by space and put what needs to stay back (ideally in an air tight tub) and anything unnecessary stays tied off until you are CLEAR
My gals absolutely had these! I think they either came from the many squirrels or wild rats that lived in my field. It was a nightmare and I stared very hard at all flecks of dirt I saw ro confirm lack of movement for a long time.
Also, I honestly don't know if I EVER got rid of them. I had treated my rats and cleaned and gotten rid of stuff but I briefly saw them again more than a year later in a new home. They seemed to flare on that group specifically, the younger ones from a good breeder never seemed to have a problem, mostly just the older ones I had gotten from the local pet store (amazing rats, terrible health problems. I have only used good breeders since). I never saw the mites again after my first round of gals had passed though. They also only bit me, I have chronic health problems and suspect it was related to that.😅 Good luck, I hope treating them and deep cleaning does the trick 🤞
I haven’t had these, but I did help my partner move out of a bed bug infested apartment and I’d speculate that they’re equally difficult to get rid of. Steam and heat also kills the eggs, nymphs, and adults. I used a clothing steamer on every crack I could think of on the belongings, put soft items on high in the dryer for 1 hour. Rubbing alcohol can also effectively kill them by drying them out but it will not stick around long enough to cause respiratory distress like diatomaceous earth.
Once he moved and all of his belongings were treated they were gone. I can imagine staying on top of things will help rid of them in a house, but it will take longer.
I just recently found ONE on one of my mice.. it looked exactly like the mite you found.. im in the US.. Ive been trying to figure out WHERE did it come from and I don't see any in there enclosure... but im freaking out! lol
I got tropical rat mites on my dwarf hamster, it is traumatising. Cleaned for 9 hours, and then more the next day. Visited the vet. I baked his wooden items. Now I am so paranoid at anything that I may put in his cage, whatever has to be disinfected.
This sounds absolutely awful. So sorry you went throguh that. I did some research (I do not have any experience with this myself) but in Germany people also use predatory mite species (that ONLY eat other mites/ red tropical mites) to get rid of red tropical mites and this seems to work! (Interestingly enough it's also used for reptiles and birds when they have certain mites). This of course has the advantage that you don't have to deep clean as intensly (or at all) and they can get anywhere the red tropical mites can get, so even in the tiny cracks. However you can't combine them with spot on treatments and other chemicals and they need a bit longer, but can completly eradicate them and also used as preventatives. So if the mites come back and this is something you can get your hands on and are interested in or something. Also getting a professional to exterminator (idk how much any of this costs just popped up in my research) and they have things that won't harm the respiratory tracts afterwards and will get completly rid of mites.
That’s interesting! I’d heard of them when it comes to plants and parasites on plants. But how do you then get rid of the predatory mites 🤔😅 I thought about getting someone in to deal with it but I don’t have anywhere for the animals to go in the meantime while the house is treated
@@Emiology the predatory mites will die out by themselves as they only eat other mites and when they kill off all the tropical mites they will starve to death (it‘s specifically mentioned they don‘t/ can’t become a plague especially as they need moist places for their eggs, so taking away their containers would already add to that if it‘s supposed to go even quicker) Yeah, having a space for the animals to go to or not having one is a problem. Totally get that, would be difficult for me as well
A few weeks ago I was having to go in for emergency endometriosis surgery and was trying to get my rats ready to be baby sat and noticed one had mites. I had a complete meltdown and was a crying mess. I felt sooo bad I hadn't noticed but also was in so much pain I knew I couldn't deep clean. Luckily Im a receptionist at the a vets so I called one of my vet friends in tears and she amazingly came and treated the rats and her and my partner deep cleaned everything. I still have no idea how they got them. The rat that had them the worst hasn't had any since but also hasn't been the same since. I thought it might of just been the trauma of me being in hospital for a little while and going someone else to live for a couple of weeks BUT its been weeks now and she's still not herself at all. Ive had her felt over by my vet friend but I wonder if I should test for anaemia if that's an easy test? I'll have to ask at the clinic. Thankyou so much for sharing this video! I honestly felt like the worst owner that I let mites get in and it helps alot to know that even the best rat carers have had mites at some point or another.
I'm going through this in my home right now. It is a nightmare. Sending you love and positivity. I bought 3 bales of hay from my local farmer for my chickens. I stored it in a spare room. Big mistake and never again. A few weeks later me and all my animals are iching. My stress levels are very high. I've treated everyone with ivermectin, not sure if it's effective at all. Bought a dehumidifier £300 but it doesn't remove enough humidity apparently at about 40%. I also bought a steam cleaner, a sealey for £160 but it isn't powerful enough. I'm saving for a professional steam vaccum cleaner. They are about 3k. My animals are clearly affected but so far, thank God, they are OK. I also bought the DE earth and put it everywhere. Maybe it helped but it didn't get all of them. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. I'm even trying to accept that I may never be rid of them. I've come to the acceptance that everything in my flat has to go. That includes rugs, sofas, flooring, skirting boards. It's horrible. Going to cost thousands. I hope you are successful in your mission to remove them. I subscribed to your channel also. Keep fighting, God bless.
We used a natural spray, Mite-Be-Gone, that really helped. Found it on Amazon. Sprayed floors and furniture every day for ~3 weeks. Of course we cleaned and cleaned, threw things out, baked and froze things, and treated our rats twice 2 weeks apart with Revolution. It’s been almost 5 months and we’re still mite free. Thank goodness. 😅
Hi Emiology. What is the little white tube of treatment you used. I got some from the vets for 2 treatments for each rat and i put the first treatment on. Bubble was ok but Squeak had a reaction to it. The exotic vet said dont use the second treatment but its a month later and theyre starting to scratch again! Is your treatment from the vet? Your tube looks the same size as the ones i have and was told to put a tube on each rat and my fur babies are alot smaller then yours. I couldn't see the exotic vet specialist at my vet that time and im wondering if the vet i saw gave me the wrong dose because i thought Squeak was going to die after i put it on him. What brand is the one you use please. Sorry this is so long. Im a new rat parent please keep up with your videos theyre a lifeline 😊.
my rat has lice..i have revolution for her but she weighs 0.13lbs i think she maybe 6/7 weeks old im not sure how much to give her or if i should try olive oil and dawn dish soap
I've had my rats for six months and we are experiencing our first and hopefully only mite outbreak. I have deep cleaned everything and I'm using ivermectin just want to hear any updates you may have? Thank you so much! I adore you!
I completely understand what your on about with how do you keep up with the cycling I went though a similar thing when we had a heat wave last year my cats and dog ended up getting fleas and they just got soo bad in a few days I was so over whelmed trying to keep everything clean and I live in a 1 bed flat 😅 I used I similar type of spray and now a always keep a full one in the house 😅😅
I do not have space for freezing so i am trying the diatomaceous earth route. Get bedding and food in bulk forms and so have bought food grade diatomaceous earth and have treated both the food and the bedding with it. Fingers crossed we will win this battle.
Hey Em! You are one of my favorite youtubers and I really love your videos❤️ I have a question for you about my extremely skittish dumbo rex babies. My partner and I got our three little girls two weeks ago and they are incredibly skittish and shy. They have a good and spacious cage with many places to hide so we don't see them very often. They also sleep during the day, so we don't get much contact with them. But as soon as I slowly stretch out a hand, they quickly run away, and when I sit outside the cage and make a movement, they quickly run away. They don't want to take treats from us either. According to the breeder, these girls are very social and forward, which we haven't seen a glimpse of so far. The babies were only 5 weeks old when, according to the breeder, they were "ready for delivery", but rats should not be delivered before week 7-8, i've now been told. Could that be why they are so incredibly shy? When we picked them up, the breeder also told us that they have been "playing with her dog" and that ”a four year old also have played with them”. This did not feel quite right and we are worried that she maybe have not been taking very good care of them. I've also had rats a couple of years ago from a pet store, but even they weren't as shy and skittish as these ones. It's only been two weeks since we got them home, but the fact that they are so incredibly shy and skittish makes me a little worried, especially when they are from a breeder and not from a pet store. What do you think we should do to make these little girls feel more comfortable around us? // Josefine❤️
They definitely sound like red flags! The allowing the interaction with the dog, and the homing them young. It’s recommended that babies stay with their mum and siblings until at least 6 weeks, preferably 8 because they’ll learn from their mum (or siblings for boys that are separated) but it is also a big transition for young rats to go to a new home before they’re more developed. I’d recommend if you’re able to putting them in a smaller setup, one that’s still cluttered enough to make them feel secure but you’re able to get to them (so no enclosed hammocks you can’t easily stick your hand into etc) you may have to do the confident approach where you just get them out and ‘force’ them to spend time with you so they’re not running away and hiding forever in a big cage getting lost 🥹 hopefully they gain some confidence soon
@@Emiology Thanks for the quick reply❤️ we will fix a slightly smaller cage for them and will continue to practice more with them so they gain more confidence! Thank you so much❤️
Emi, I’ve been trying really hard to get you to answer me on something. I noticed you sell the anti-parasite medicine on your site but it’s meant for gerbils and hamsters. I’m wondering if you also sell it for rats if you can please respond I would really much appreciate it. Thank you.
I had a lice infestation last year, right before I was getting new baby rats and as someone else who’s also chronically ill and disabled, it was not fun😢 The mites are even worse bc at least rat lice is a lot easier to get rid of oof.
I had a lice outbreak and we could see them was awful my oldest boy was covered and so irritated we used harkers but now they are all clear I hate crawling bugs 😢so I was very uncomfortable
i could not see the mites on my pet mice maybe a smaller mites. anyway all gone now , also the Ivermectin VET drops clear internal parasite so is safe if they wash themselves two jobs at once , xxx
If you can't freeze the wooden items would it be possible to bake them instead? When it comes to bigger things like wooden hides or branches I usually "disinfect" them by putting them into the oven on low heat for about an hour or so. Sorry you had to deal with this it sounds like huge pain 😓
around christmas 2022 my rat pom pom started to look weak and bear in mind she was only one at the time and i looked at her closely and there wear moving redish black spots and i never noticed and she was really bad and i googled what to do and it said put vasline on them to kill the mites, now i know there was better ways but this was late at night on a sunday and there wasnt much choice i woke up the monday and she was cold not moving really unwell and i had school but i took the day off and got some propper mite treatment cleaned her and the other rats from vaseline (i am so sorry for putting vaseline all over them but it possibly saved her till the morning ) then treated her and she was eating baby food for a few days to get her weight back on as it drastically fell and i had never known what mites were before and i hosed down thier cage and cleaned and cleaned and i still get scared theyll come back but nothing as of now i was 12 at the time but yeh i am so glad i learned from that but on a good note none of my rats passed from this and pom pom is happy and healthy. i just wanted to share cause its no bodys fault that these things happen because i noticed nothing until one of them almost past
I would love to buy from your store because you’re the only person that I see that sells the mite treatment, but I can’t use the small pets one, so please tell me you carry the one meant for rats as well?!?!
@@Emiology how will I know that it’s back? It’s just shows for the smaller animals. Do I just keep checking cuz it’s not even listed on the site at all!!!
Thats horibble omg! Im so sorry i hope you and your rats,mice are ok!💖☺️ Lol i was so itchy after waching this💀and i feel like i qas more dramatic than you eveb tho i didnt have that happen to me💀😅 btw do u get the bugs from the bedding? Or the rats? Like how did you get the bugs? Im just curious. Sorry if you already explained this in the vid i will rewach it lol to see
i am really sorry this is happening to you but i was wondering id you had any advice for people that have disabled rats at home or are looking to bring a disabled rat in to there home. I am only asking because i started the process of adopting a rat from my work place and he has a permanently dislocated hip from his previous home and i don't know how to give him the exercise he needs and deserves without him getting hurt in the cage and still be able to assess everything he will want and need. any information would be helpful. i am again so sorry that you are going thro this difficult time.
I don’t really know the prognosis for a rat with a hip like that in terms of quality of life and pain management but I can imagine it would be quite uncomfortable. If he still has a good quality of life but can’t get around as well you’ll have to keep him in a single level cage with everything low down and accessible, lots and lots of hammocks and fall breakers just in case he does fall
@@Emiology i work with him every day and he still loves life and thats why i am making this step with him because he was once a pet rat and that how he hurt his leg and he gets around well enough he can jump and climb but i was worried that it would be wrong of me to put him in a smaller cage because on his disability. anyone who saw him would not think that he was in any kind of pain the only thing he really needs help with is grooming that side of his body. thank you so much for the advice
I feel a bit insensitive asking this, but will you be cancelling pending orders from the store or advising that people freeze any wooden items when they arrive? I have an older lady with a tumour and I don't want her getting these and then being ineligible for surgery.
You can freeze the items in your order if you're worried but I've not seen any outside of the pet room and would be honest if I had, but from looking at your order all the wooden items are ones that have been stored in a storage unit away from my house (most wooden items are), and its now all been moved to my other office so should be completely fine :)
hi uk granny here with old border collie , 4 pet mice ,one baby dwarf hamster with an attitude i call her my attack hamster lol.. last week i took my pet mouse to the Vets she was scratching a lot she had mites but couldnt see them, the Vet gave me shoulder drops, to repeat twice more to kill any hatched eggs on hammy as well, turned out to be Ivermectin £122.20p for my cuties lol what a shock to my pocket , i could have bought a £12;99 bottle of kids head lice shampoo oh well but the little white girl had a red ear so i didnt know if it was a tumour ,,
In the future you can buy spot on treatment from brands like Beaphar for £6 for two doses (just got to be careful with very small rodents and the amount) I sell the Beaphar one on my store but they also sell it in places like pets at home if you're desperate
@@Emiology just read my box and thats the make the vets gave me real tiny tubes,, dont mind paying the vets they have to make a living but when money is tight every penny counts lol
PLEASE I need some help and ur my person I go to for rat advice lol. I have 2 female rats and they were both so energetic and they’re both 2-3 years old. One my my rats just suddenly stopped coming out of her box for 2 days and now she’s completely still but breathing and only moves like once every hour or so. She’s been lying on her side this while time and the eye she’s lying on is scabby and red. She’s making noises like a creaky door and her other rat is clearly worried for her cuz she puts food my her side and sniffs at her all the time. She can barely walk and has practically no balance or depth perception. she just lies in her side (in a position I’ve never seen her do before). I’m really scared i don’t know what I’m going to do. Please can anyone help? (I can’t take her to the vets cuz it’s a long journey and I’m scared it will scare her too much cuz she’s soo weak. and I know they will say they can’t do anything cuz she’s a rat. I realy need just at least something I can do to make it less painful. I’m scared.
Unfortunately it sounds like she is at the end of her life and her quality of life isn’t good. If she isn’t naturally passing she will need to be put to sleep by a vet, and although it’s always somewhat stressful it’ll be less stressful than lying in the same spot for a few days struggling 😞
@@Emiology we did that earlier today. The lady was very nice and she had rats herself. She (the rat) out out to sleep at 6:20 and is now buried in out garden. Sorry to trouble you. Do you have anything we could do to make sure her cage mate isn’t lonely for at least 2 months until the pet shop or breeders have some rats available to introduce? Or should I just leave her since she’s an old rat (4)?
I never used to freeze anything until the day I had an outbreak. Now I freeze all food and forage. You can’t freeze bedding. I also won’t have hay in the house now because that’s where mine came from, so many things come from hay that you don’t want to infest your home. I bought an eradicator it’s a professional grade steam cleaner and I steam cleaned the whole house. It worked, expensive but it worked first time with no chemicals. I now use it to sanitize any wood or cork products when then come in and I sanitize all the pet stuff when I deep clean. So I do use it regularly but it’s expensive. I have PTSD from the whole experience so I know how you feel, but honestly you do get through it, sending you big hugs 🫂
Thanks for the tip
I had a MASSIVE outbreak 2 years ago, and it cannot be overstated how problematic these little boogers can be. I felt so alone, so dirty, so miserable - it literally led to a nervous breakdown. Unfortunately because of the way my old house was constructed, we couldn’t get the infestation under control and I ended up having to move house entirely. They infested not only my rats, but my poor cat, myself, and every aspect of my life. For anyone who is dealing with it, I am so, so sorry that you’re experiencing this. You will come out the other side!!!
Thank you from my entire heart for making a video on these monsters. I look up to you as a rat parent and I am in the middle of a tropical rat mite infestation. Everything you experienced mental and physical, I can relate 10000%. Good luck to both of us on this mite journey. I bought that spray too!
I had these little nightmares on my elderly hamster. It took three treatments to get rid of them. But I didn’t do the whole house, just hoovered round the enclosure, washed, froze and baked things and treated the hamster. Any I saw got squashed! I have three cats walking all over and they didn’t spread around the house, so hopefully you will be ok too.
I really hope that's all it will take! I've heard of people having to replace their carpets (luckily we don't have any) to get them to go away
I don’t wanna have to deal with(I don’t have rats right now)
@@Emiology i didnt do my house when my hammy and mice got them but only hammy ran on the sofa with me uk granny eileen
What topical treatment do you use?
We have been through this nightmare too. We discovered them around the end of November. We spent weeks dealing with it. We’re seniors so it was physically taxing to the max. We threw out anything that could not be washed in hot water or frozen. We treated our 5 rats with Revolution twice, 2 weeks apart. After the first treatment we moved them to a totally clean cage in a different room. I did set the 4 legs of the cage in lids that had diatomaceous earth in them to make sure no mites could get at them. As well as cleaning, washing, and vacuuming we sprayed all the floors in the house daily for 3 weeks with Mite-B-Gone, a natural product we found on Amazon. We think it really helped. It’s been about 3 months since we’ve seen any sign of mites so we have our fingers crossed. 😂
I experienced the same situation with my hamsters, it was a total nightmare. My recommendation is treating all the animals at the same time, cleaning all the plastic and glass stuff in the washing machine, heating all the wood things in the oven (1h/100⁰C) and washing cages deeply with hot water and soap (and other products). Cleaning and more cleaning, ventilation, etc. Always wash your hands before and after touching each animal. You did everything well, good luck!!
A new fear 😅 I’m sorry you had to experience that
Oh no! That sounds awful.
I don't know anyone that could clean everything in their house. Big hugs, I don't like seeing you teary x❤
This sounds very scary and I'm sorry you experienced it. Thank you so much for paying it forward and sharing your research, resources, and video footage of what to look for. Having this is invaluable information and I hope you know that it absolutely improves the lives of so many small pets (and small pet owners).
Stay strong!
I had to deal with these about 5-6 years ago with one of my hamsters😭 I switched all his toys out to plastic ones that were easy to clean. I took all his bedding out and kept him on kitchen roll with shredded tissue as nesting material. I basically cleaned his cage almost daily! Thankfully got rid of them! Also treated him with mite drops from the vets.
Hope you're able to get rid of them soon🤞
I'm so sorry this happened to you (hope your rats are ok)
Thank you so much for just openly talking about this kind of issue, it could happen to anyone and is so uncomfortable :( Fingers crossed it's fixed now!!
We fought these little things for almost two years off and on, it seemed like every time they got under control it suddenly exploded again. We finally got them under control but it was a nightmare. They came in from a pair of rescue hamsters in bad conditions, we didnt know until it was too late. Revolution finally took care of it but it took lots of doses
This reminds me of the years I spent with primary school age kids, the endless cycles of nits. I swear most of my memories of my children aged 5 to 10 is of combing their conditioner-soaked hair and squishing the captured nits between my nails. Good times :)
Oh bless you it is a nightmare when you have a chronic illness and dealing with this infestation! You have my full sympathy and I am sending you lots of gentle hugs! I am chronically ill and I know how zapped out you get doing regular household chores, but dealing with any mites is horrendous I have my fingers and toes crossed for you!
I keep setting up the channel member page and it is fully working then the following month is not active, could you check to see if I am a current member, it is not very important so only do it when you can! Rest up 💋💋💋
That’s odd! It’s showing you as a member right now 😊
I've thankfully never had to deal with mites but I've got mobility issues that cause me to easily run out of energy and I'm also showing signs of being allergic to my rats and it breaks my heart. Your channel has taught me so much about rats and I'm sorry you are having to deal with so much at once ❤️
I was listening to this while tidying my room. I wasn't paying much attention around 9:30 and I thought she said she'd boiled her rats 😭😭
lol yes i went back to listen
I love your videos! After watching all your Content in rats it’s helped me learn how to keep them at a level that is beyond me, now I have a thriving at home stash of cobra food for my snakes. They love em!
So sorry you had to deal with this. I went through something similar with my hamsters and it felt really embarrassing. I think in the end I narrowed it down to book lice, which were more gross than harmful, but I had to basically have my hamsters on bare tanks for a week to eradicate them. All of my wood stuff I ended up tossing because every time I baked it, they would come back. I haven't seen them since the "sterile" run... my hamsters were miserable with just their wheels and paper tubes/boxes I was tossing every night.
Omg I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this after everything last year and beyond. Sometimes it seriously feels like pets are one disaster after another 🤦♀️ wouldn't trade them for the world but it honestly takes it's toll emotionally, physically, and financially lol animal care is not for the faint of heart.
My previous gerbils got mites from pinecones I didn't bake long enough and holy shit. Did I ever pay for that mistake. Poor boys became anemic and it cost sooo much to replace everything in the tank and they came BACK from the sealant in the tank. I ended up ordering anti parasitics from the UK to avoid paying a big vet fee to have them applied and prescribed again as they are not available OTC in Canada. Nightmare stuff. Wouldn't wish it on anybody.
me again granny eileen the first i notice it on hammy a scab like a raisin i bathed her in kids head lice shampoo 12;99 bottle and her fur came back white back ,
We're still doing our research on rat care, I'll be honest this video scared the life out of me! HOWEVER I kept snakes for years and had to deal with snake mites which seem to be very very similar. It definitely seems you're doing all the right things. I have complete sympathy with you. As another person with low energy levels and easily exhausted, the whole thing is mentally exhausting before you even start the physical process! Diatomaceous earth is a common bedding additive for reptiles but as you said I really dong feel it would be a safe thing to use with rats delicate lungs! I hope you've knocked them back hard enough to win xxx
Makes you itch just listening and watching them
so glad you spoke about this as some poor critters could be itching like mad, thankyou
This sounds like an absolute nightmare
This sounds like such a nightmare to deal with. 😖 Hope this gets solved.
it will get sorted i had same prob with 4 mice and hammy uk granny
Ive just had to deal with the same problem, It was a nightmare, but fingers crossed, it's dealt with ,
Ive recently Rescued 4 males Rats
So sorry you had to deal with this and all while having little energy yourself 😢
As for the only-one-washing-machine issue: industrial-sized laundromat machines can fit everything, and putting stuff through the big dryers on high heat will help sanitise things too. So this could be an option for people who have someone to help them haul the items to a laundromat with such facilities.
what about a steam cleaner or car wash
Ahhh!!! I’m SO itchy now!!! I just checked the hamsters enclosures I check them everyday!!! I am now in a cleaning frenzy!!! Glad you got rid of them!!! I have anxiety so I worry about this stuff!!! ❤❤❤😊😊😊
I worked at a wildlife rescue rehab a while ago and hedgehogs with mites got newspaper instead of bedding since it is easier to replace.
Maybe using fleece as bedding temporarily is easier to clean weekly.
As someone who's dealt with bed bugs, we were told to put everything contaminated in air tight containers (we did trash bags tied off with rubber bands), then you can clean room by room space by space and put what needs to stay back (ideally in an air tight tub) and anything unnecessary stays tied off until you are CLEAR
My gals absolutely had these! I think they either came from the many squirrels or wild rats that lived in my field. It was a nightmare and I stared very hard at all flecks of dirt I saw ro confirm lack of movement for a long time.
Also, I honestly don't know if I EVER got rid of them. I had treated my rats and cleaned and gotten rid of stuff but I briefly saw them again more than a year later in a new home. They seemed to flare on that group specifically, the younger ones from a good breeder never seemed to have a problem, mostly just the older ones I had gotten from the local pet store (amazing rats, terrible health problems. I have only used good breeders since). I never saw the mites again after my first round of gals had passed though. They also only bit me, I have chronic health problems and suspect it was related to that.😅
Good luck, I hope treating them and deep cleaning does the trick 🤞
It's a real nightmare! I hope it's sorted.😔🤞🏻
I haven’t had these, but I did help my partner move out of a bed bug infested apartment and I’d speculate that they’re equally difficult to get rid of. Steam and heat also kills the eggs, nymphs, and adults. I used a clothing steamer on every crack I could think of on the belongings, put soft items on high in the dryer for 1 hour. Rubbing alcohol can also effectively kill them by drying them out but it will not stick around long enough to cause respiratory distress like diatomaceous earth.
Once he moved and all of his belongings were treated they were gone. I can imagine staying on top of things will help rid of them in a house, but it will take longer.
I just recently found ONE on one of my mice.. it looked exactly like the mite you found.. im in the US.. Ive been trying to figure out WHERE did it come from and I don't see any in there enclosure... but im freaking out! lol
I got tropical rat mites on my dwarf hamster, it is traumatising. Cleaned for 9 hours, and then more the next day. Visited the vet. I baked his wooden items. Now I am so paranoid at anything that I may put in his cage, whatever has to be disinfected.
This sounds absolutely awful. So sorry you went throguh that. I did some research (I do not have any experience with this myself) but in Germany people also use predatory mite species (that ONLY eat other mites/ red tropical mites) to get rid of red tropical mites and this seems to work! (Interestingly enough it's also used for reptiles and birds when they have certain mites). This of course has the advantage that you don't have to deep clean as intensly (or at all) and they can get anywhere the red tropical mites can get, so even in the tiny cracks. However you can't combine them with spot on treatments and other chemicals and they need a bit longer, but can completly eradicate them and also used as preventatives. So if the mites come back and this is something you can get your hands on and are interested in or something.
Also getting a professional to exterminator (idk how much any of this costs just popped up in my research) and they have things that won't harm the respiratory tracts afterwards and will get completly rid of mites.
That’s interesting! I’d heard of them when it comes to plants and parasites on plants. But how do you then get rid of the predatory mites 🤔😅
I thought about getting someone in to deal with it but I don’t have anywhere for the animals to go in the meantime while the house is treated
@@Emiology the predatory mites will die out by themselves as they only eat other mites and when they kill off all the tropical mites they will starve to death (it‘s specifically mentioned they don‘t/ can’t become a plague especially as they need moist places for their eggs, so taking away their containers would already add to that if it‘s supposed to go even quicker)
Yeah, having a space for the animals to go to or not having one is a problem. Totally get that, would be difficult for me as well
A few weeks ago I was having to go in for emergency endometriosis surgery and was trying to get my rats ready to be baby sat and noticed one had mites. I had a complete meltdown and was a crying mess. I felt sooo bad I hadn't noticed but also was in so much pain I knew I couldn't deep clean. Luckily Im a receptionist at the a vets so I called one of my vet friends in tears and she amazingly came and treated the rats and her and my partner deep cleaned everything. I still have no idea how they got them. The rat that had them the worst hasn't had any since but also hasn't been the same since. I thought it might of just been the trauma of me being in hospital for a little while and going someone else to live for a couple of weeks BUT its been weeks now and she's still not herself at all. Ive had her felt over by my vet friend but I wonder if I should test for anaemia if that's an easy test? I'll have to ask at the clinic. Thankyou so much for sharing this video! I honestly felt like the worst owner that I let mites get in and it helps alot to know that even the best rat carers have had mites at some point or another.
I'm going through this in my home right now. It is a nightmare. Sending you love and positivity.
I bought 3 bales of hay from my local farmer for my chickens. I stored it in a spare room. Big mistake and never again. A few weeks later me and all my animals are iching. My stress levels are very high.
I've treated everyone with ivermectin, not sure if it's effective at all.
Bought a dehumidifier £300 but it doesn't remove enough humidity apparently at about 40%.
I also bought a steam cleaner, a sealey for £160 but it isn't powerful enough. I'm saving for a professional steam vaccum cleaner. They are about 3k.
My animals are clearly affected but so far, thank God, they are OK.
I also bought the DE earth and put it everywhere. Maybe it helped but it didn't get all of them.
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. I'm even trying to accept that I may never be rid of them.
I've come to the acceptance that everything in my flat has to go. That includes rugs, sofas, flooring, skirting boards. It's horrible. Going to cost thousands.
I hope you are successful in your mission to remove them. I subscribed to your channel also.
Keep fighting, God bless.
We used a natural spray, Mite-Be-Gone, that really helped. Found it on Amazon. Sprayed floors and furniture every day for ~3 weeks. Of course we cleaned and cleaned, threw things out, baked and froze things, and treated our rats twice 2 weeks apart with Revolution. It’s been almost 5 months and we’re still mite free. Thank goodness. 😅
Hi Emiology. What is the little white tube of treatment you used. I got some from the vets for 2 treatments for each rat and i put the first treatment on. Bubble was ok but Squeak had a reaction to it. The exotic vet said dont use the second treatment but its a month later and theyre starting to scratch again! Is your treatment from the vet? Your tube looks the same size as the ones i have and was told to put a tube on each rat and my fur babies are alot smaller then yours. I couldn't see the exotic vet specialist at my vet that time and im wondering if the vet i saw gave me the wrong dose because i thought Squeak was going to die after i put it on him. What brand is the one you use please. Sorry this is so long. Im a new rat parent please keep up with your videos theyre a lifeline 😊.
my rat has lice..i have revolution for her but she weighs 0.13lbs i think she maybe 6/7 weeks old im not sure how much to give her or if i should try olive oil and dawn dish soap
Alright I’m gonna go compulsively check my boys
I've had my rats for six months and we are experiencing our first and hopefully only mite outbreak. I have deep cleaned everything and I'm using ivermectin just want to hear any updates you may have?
Thank you so much! I adore you!
It never came back thank god! I went insane with that spray I bought and seems to have done the trick
@@Emiology Thats great Im so happy to hear that! Thank you for being so amazing to reply! Wishing you and your pets the best! 💖
Thank you
Hope everything is ok now
I completely understand what your on about with how do you keep up with the cycling I went though a similar thing when we had a heat wave last year my cats and dog ended up getting fleas and they just got soo bad in a few days I was so over whelmed trying to keep everything clean and I live in a 1 bed flat 😅 I used I similar type of spray and now a always keep a full one in the house 😅😅
It sounds like you have done plenty. I hope they don't come back. I have just checked my pet room! Xx
I do not have space for freezing so i am trying the diatomaceous earth route. Get bedding and food in bulk forms and so have bought food grade diatomaceous earth and have treated both the food and the bedding with it. Fingers crossed we will win this battle.
Can you please tell me which brand of mite treatment that is?
I’ve just found these yesterday in my robo hamster and one of my gerbil cages am feeling so stressed and horrified😢
Freakinging out right now because I think I have themm
Hey Em! You are one of my favorite youtubers and I really love your videos❤️ I have a question for you about my extremely skittish dumbo rex babies.
My partner and I got our three little girls two weeks ago and they are incredibly skittish and shy. They have a good and spacious cage with many places to hide so we don't see them very often. They also sleep during the day, so we don't get much contact with them. But as soon as I slowly stretch out a hand, they quickly run away, and when I sit outside the cage and make a movement, they quickly run away. They don't want to take treats from us either.
According to the breeder, these girls are very social and forward, which we haven't seen a glimpse of so far. The babies were only 5 weeks old when, according to the breeder, they were "ready for delivery", but rats should not be delivered before week 7-8, i've now been told. Could that be why they are so incredibly shy?
When we picked them up, the breeder also told us that they have been "playing with her dog" and that ”a four year old also have played with them”. This did not feel quite right and we are worried that she maybe have not been taking very good care of them.
I've also had rats a couple of years
ago from a pet store, but even they weren't as shy and skittish as these ones.
It's only been two weeks since we got them home, but the fact that they are so incredibly shy and skittish makes me a little worried, especially when they are from a breeder and not from a pet store. What do you think we should do to make these little girls feel more comfortable around us?
// Josefine❤️
They definitely sound like red flags! The allowing the interaction with the dog, and the homing them young. It’s recommended that babies stay with their mum and siblings until at least 6 weeks, preferably 8 because they’ll learn from their mum (or siblings for boys that are separated) but it is also a big transition for young rats to go to a new home before they’re more developed.
I’d recommend if you’re able to putting them in a smaller setup, one that’s still cluttered enough to make them feel secure but you’re able to get to them (so no enclosed hammocks you can’t easily stick your hand into etc) you may have to do the confident approach where you just get them out and ‘force’ them to spend time with you so they’re not running away and hiding forever in a big cage getting lost 🥹 hopefully they gain some confidence soon
@@Emiology Thanks for the quick reply❤️ we will fix a slightly smaller cage for them and will continue to practice more with them so they gain more confidence! Thank you so much❤️
Emi, I’ve been trying really hard to get you to answer me on something. I noticed you sell the anti-parasite medicine on your site but it’s meant for gerbils and hamsters. I’m wondering if you also sell it for rats if you can please respond I would really much appreciate it. Thank you.
I think my mice have mites and I don’t know what to do. I bought some parasite pipette things for hamsters/gerbils. Hope these work
I couldve gone my whole life not knowing the eyebrows/eyelashes thing. WHY 💀💀💀😭😭😭
Hehe, thousands of little bonus face friends
peachcelle lol i know at 14 so i cut my eye lashes off short when they grow they picked like hell ,, the daft thing we do
Tiny arachnids living in our face pores too. They only crawl out of the pores to mate.
@@IfSoGirl88 Did you get hugged as a child
Mites are nasty! Good job, though. I'm sure your rats are giving you praise in their prays.
I had a lice infestation last year, right before I was getting new baby rats and as someone else who’s also chronically ill and disabled, it was not fun😢 The mites are even worse bc at least rat lice is a lot easier to get rid of oof.
I had a lice outbreak and we could see them was awful my oldest boy was covered and so irritated we used harkers but now they are all clear I hate crawling bugs 😢so I was very uncomfortable
i could not see the mites on my pet mice maybe a smaller mites. anyway all gone now , also the Ivermectin VET drops clear internal parasite so is safe if they wash themselves two jobs at once , xxx
If you can't freeze the wooden items would it be possible to bake them instead? When it comes to bigger things like wooden hides or branches I usually "disinfect" them by putting them into the oven on low heat for about an hour or so. Sorry you had to deal with this it sounds like huge pain 😓
Yeah, they wouldn’t fit in my over though as it’s about the same time if not smaller than my freezer 🥲
I buy a new bale well before it’s needed and store it in my summer house for 1/2 months.
around christmas 2022 my rat pom pom started to look weak and bear in mind she was only one at the time and i looked at her closely and there wear moving redish black spots and i never noticed and she was really bad and i googled what to do and it said put vasline on them to kill the mites, now i know there was better ways but this was late at night on a sunday and there wasnt much choice i woke up the monday and she was cold not moving really unwell and i had school but i took the day off and got some propper mite treatment cleaned her and the other rats from vaseline (i am so sorry for putting vaseline all over them but it possibly saved her till the morning ) then treated her and she was eating baby food for a few days to get her weight back on as it drastically fell and i had never known what mites were before and i hosed down thier cage and cleaned and cleaned and i still get scared theyll come back but nothing as of now i was 12 at the time but yeh i am so glad i learned from that but on a good note none of my rats passed from this and pom pom is happy and healthy. i just wanted to share cause its no bodys fault that these things happen because i noticed nothing until one of them almost past
In my 12 years of rat care my rats have had lies, its so annoying and time consuming
I would love to buy from your store because you’re the only person that I see that sells the mite treatment, but I can’t use the small pets one, so please tell me you carry the one meant for rats as well?!?!
I do 😊 I think it might be out of stock currently
@@Emiology how will I know that it’s back? It’s just shows for the smaller animals. Do I just keep checking cuz it’s not even listed on the site at all!!!
Thats horibble omg! Im so sorry i hope you and your rats,mice are ok!💖☺️ Lol i was so itchy after waching this💀and i feel like i qas more dramatic than you eveb tho i didnt have that happen to me💀😅 btw do u get the bugs from the bedding? Or the rats? Like how did you get the bugs? Im just curious. Sorry if you already explained this in the vid i will rewach it lol to see
Can they lie dormant or would I know when getting them? I’m looking at getting rats again but this video has freaked me out😅
They can be dormant in the egg stage for about 3 months I think!
i am really sorry this is happening to you but i was wondering id you had any advice for people that have disabled rats at home or are looking to bring a disabled rat in to there home. I am only asking because i started the process of adopting a rat from my work place and he has a permanently dislocated hip from his previous home and i don't know how to give him the exercise he needs and deserves without him getting hurt in the cage and still be able to assess everything he will want and need. any information would be helpful. i am again so sorry that you are going thro this difficult time.
I don’t really know the prognosis for a rat with a hip like that in terms of quality of life and pain management but I can imagine it would be quite uncomfortable. If he still has a good quality of life but can’t get around as well you’ll have to keep him in a single level cage with everything low down and accessible, lots and lots of hammocks and fall breakers just in case he does fall
@@Emiology i work with him every day and he still loves life and thats why i am making this step with him because he was once a pet rat and that how he hurt his leg and he gets around well enough he can jump and climb but i was worried that it would be wrong of me to put him in a smaller cage because on his disability. anyone who saw him would not think that he was in any kind of pain the only thing he really needs help with is grooming that side of his body. thank you so much for the advice
I’m scared now… I don’t have rats but I have gerbils and I have to babysit rats😢😢
Wow, they sound as nightmarish as bed bugs
They get compared to bed bugs a lot! Just as annoying to get rid of
I feel a bit insensitive asking this, but will you be cancelling pending orders from the store or advising that people freeze any wooden items when they arrive? I have an older lady with a tumour and I don't want her getting these and then being ineligible for surgery.
You can freeze the items in your order if you're worried but I've not seen any outside of the pet room and would be honest if I had, but from looking at your order all the wooden items are ones that have been stored in a storage unit away from my house (most wooden items are), and its now all been moved to my other office so should be completely fine :)
Only these mites or are their different types? My rat has mites and the dr gave me ivermectin.
Can they also have a reddish color to them?
i think thats spider mites
hi uk granny here with old border collie , 4 pet mice ,one baby dwarf hamster with an attitude i call her my attack hamster lol.. last week i took my pet mouse to the Vets she was scratching a lot she had mites but couldnt see them, the Vet gave me shoulder drops, to repeat twice more to kill any hatched eggs on hammy as well, turned out to be Ivermectin £122.20p for my cuties lol what a shock to my pocket , i could have bought a £12;99 bottle of kids head lice shampoo oh well but the little white girl had a red ear so i didnt know if it was a tumour ,,
In the future you can buy spot on treatment from brands like Beaphar for £6 for two doses (just got to be careful with very small rodents and the amount) I sell the Beaphar one on my store but they also sell it in places like pets at home if you're desperate
@@Emiology just read my box and thats the make the vets gave me real tiny tubes,, dont mind paying the vets they have to make a living but when money is tight every penny counts lol
Hi , Today I inhaled rat droppings very closely, is this dangerous?
No it should be fine
shouldnt worry too much
@@Emiology thanks ❤❤❤❤❤
@@eileenspamer thanksss ❤❤❤❤❤
PLEASE I need some help and ur my person I go to for rat advice lol. I have 2 female rats and they were both so energetic and they’re both 2-3 years old. One my my rats just suddenly stopped coming out of her box for 2 days and now she’s completely still but breathing and only moves like once every hour or so. She’s been lying on her side this while time and the eye she’s lying on is scabby and red. She’s making noises like a creaky door and her other rat is clearly worried for her cuz she puts food my her side and sniffs at her all the time. She can barely walk and has practically no balance or depth perception. she just lies in her side (in a position I’ve never seen her do before). I’m really scared i don’t know what I’m going to do. Please can anyone help? (I can’t take her to the vets cuz it’s a long journey and I’m scared it will scare her too much cuz she’s soo weak. and I know they will say they can’t do anything cuz she’s a rat. I realy need just at least something I can do to make it less painful. I’m scared.
Unfortunately it sounds like she is at the end of her life and her quality of life isn’t good. If she isn’t naturally passing she will need to be put to sleep by a vet, and although it’s always somewhat stressful it’ll be less stressful than lying in the same spot for a few days struggling 😞
@@Emiology we did that earlier today. The lady was very nice and she had rats herself. She (the rat) out out to sleep at 6:20 and is now buried in out garden. Sorry to trouble you. Do you have anything we could do to make sure her cage mate isn’t lonely for at least 2 months until the pet shop or breeders have some rats available to introduce? Or should I just leave her since she’s an old rat (4)?
Is it possible you maybe visited a rescue or pet shop and picked them up on yourself? Just an outside the box thought??
I think I know where it came from last year, but I don't want to put them blame on them!
@@Emiology it was probably a true accident. I'm so sorry you went through this.
One hour gang
a good natter with other critter lovers nice
HIII
Hi 👋🏼
Interesting, non hostile comments get deleted, why?
I haven’t deleted any comments? Sometimes they end up in spam if they have certain words
I was suggesting using ivermectin to wash your floors. Absolutely zero rude words.
Oh, I can still see that comment and it's still up under this video for me :) From 4 days ago?
WHOA FIRST (I’m at ikea)
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