My rat has mites and thinning fur. Will his fur grow back after treatment?

It sounds indeed like your rats may be suffering from a mite or louse infection. Treatment usually consists of applying an avermectin such as Revolution or ivermectin available either in pet shops, your vet or over the internet. You can use the Revolution for dogs up to 5 lbs, at a dosage of 0.1 ml/lb of rat (you will need a 1ml syringe to measure out the dose correctly. Of course it would be easier to have the treatment done by your vet after he or she verifies whether this is indeed a mite infection/louse infection. Make sure you remove and destroy all bedding and disinfect all cages and toys.

In such a young rat the most common reason for hair loss is parasites, I would trear him for them anyway as they can be hard to see. If that doesnt help then I would consider allergy, dust free bedfing can help and good quality pellet food specifically formulated for rats.

If your veterinarian is correct about the diagnosis and you follow the direction, the hair should start regrowing in 6-8 weeks once all the mites are dead. Sometimes the hair can grow earlier. If it's past 8 weeks, have Pista examined again. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there! Fur mites are relatively common in mice, especially if they are from a pet store. There are other conditions that can cause hair loss and skin lesions, but many times the most damage done is self-inflicted. I strongly suggest trimming little Rosy's rear toenails if you can, especially if the skin lesion is at a location that she can scratch at (like the back of her neck, or between the shoulder blades). A tiny scissor or a human fingernail trimmer is good for this. In albino mice, you should be able to see the small, pink vein in the nail - avoid cutting past this. If you do accidentally nick a toenail, don't worry - a small bit of corn starch should stop this up. In a pinch, scratching a bleeding nail on a bar of soap can help, too. Usually, simply putting pressure on it for a minute or so is enough to stop the bleeding, too. Once her nails are trimmed, I suggest cleaning up any skin lesions with a mild soap and water solution, then placing a protective ointment (like the antibiotic ointment you have) on the lesion before applying the mite spray. Most rodent mites live in the fur, so protecting the skin lesions shouldn't decrease the effectiveness of the mite treatment. Do avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth, and follow the directions on the box or bottle carefully. If the toenail trim and mite treatment doesn't help, it might be time to visit the vet to check for ringworm. This is unlikely, but possible, especially if the skin lesions have a crusty or flaky center. Be sure to practice good handwashing after handling Rosy as ringworm is contagious to humans. Good luck, and I do hope that Rosy recovers quickly!

Hi there! Pablo does look pretty itchy by those pictures. Mites are usually microscopic, so if you can see the bug it may be something different. I have seen many rats with lice. Lice are species specific so they are not likely to affect you. You can bathe him and buy a tiny comb to start picking out the bugs and eggs, but he will also likely need to see a veterinarian for medication to get rid of the infestation. Thorough cleaning of the cage and daily bedding changes will also need to be done. I hope he heals quickly!

What a cute little guy! Mice do get lice, and it's usually because they're in poor husbandry conditions (like being sold for food). This means your mice are likely infected with other parasites like dwarf tapeworm that definitely is zoonotic (meaning it can infect you). You should treat this little guy with Revolution for cats, which is a spot-on treatment you can get from your vet, and use it topically ever 3 weeks until the parasites are gone. Disinfect his cage and throw out all the bedding as well. If you spray the cage/furnishings with fipronil topical spray this helps kill all the eggs and disinfects the environment. Hope that helps, and best of luck!

Rabbits can be treated for mites with ivermectin or revolution. I would however recommend taking Olaf to another vet to get the proper dosing. You do need to clean the cage every day for a least 1-2 weeks to help prevent re contamination from the mites. I hope that helps