RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:31 pm

About a week and a half ago my boys were diagnosed with lice. They've been treated by the vet and I bleached their cage, removed all fabric, etc. but I still have a question about the bedding. Searching through past posts I've found three different approaches to what to do with the old bedding.

1) It's unsaveable. Toss it asap.

2) You can feeze it for a few days before use and kill all lice and eggs.

3) Freezing will kill the lice, but not the eggs. If you want to save it you have to isolate the bedding for a few weeks until all the lice have starved and the eggs have hatched and starved, then you can use it.

Which one is right? I have an almost full box of Ecobedding and half a big bag of yesterday's news that I would prefer not to throw away, but I don't want to do the wrong thing and have my poor guys suffer with a licey reoccurance. Sad

Right now the bedding is all sealed up air-tight in garbage bags on the other side of the room (where the rats never go). Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you!

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And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit. ~The Tick

Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:36 pm

I'd dump it in the freezer just as a precaution until you find out what is true (I'm not sure personally, I've never had lice problems!)
But if your bedding DOES ave lice in it, putting it in the freezer will kept them from continuing to breed and stuff I'd imagine. You don't wanta HUGE problem if you can freeze them and contain it to something more manageable.

If you have a deep freeze, just chuck the bags in for now until someone smart can answer your question! LOL

Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:46 pm

If you have a deep freeze, then yes - I'd probably recommend keeping the litter in there for now.

In reality? I'd probably keep it somewhere away from the rats, and freeze it as you need it - if you have enough space (though I imagine most people wouldn't) then keeping it frozen would be best but if you have only smaller amounts of space, then freezing the amount you need as and when you need it will do the trick.

I'm not sure about the eggs, to be honest. The eggs are pretty persistant, but I've always gone with freezing it for 24 hours and that seems to have prevented any further outbreaks - so I can only assume that the eggs are dealt with by the freezing as well. I will double check though.

I don't think you need to chuck it out though. Given long enough, the mites will die off without anything ratty to feed on. I'll go and research the eggs a bit, and let you know.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:17 am

According to a vet with some experience in rat lice, it's #3 that's true. At least that's what my friend tells me whose rats had lice. Her vet told her that freezing wouldn't kill the eggs, so she had to leave the bedding out long enough for the eggs to hatch and the "hatchlings" to starve to death.

Might be easier to get new bedding or switch to towels.

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Scout of Manitou Mischief Rattery

Fri Feb 10, 2006 8:00 am

Thanks for all the responses.

I don't have a deep freeze, so Ill have to do it little by little I guess. I'm thinking I'll be able to store the majority in my parent's garage (no wild rats there at all) all bagged up till I need some and then taking them home. I bought a small package of replacement litter until I'll all sure. I really don't want to break the air-tight seal we made to freeze some till I know for certain since i live in a small 1 bedroom apartment and I'm worried some might make their way over to the ratlets. I'll throw out the bedding if i have to, but that's a big sacrifice for a fixed income if it's not necessary. wink

They're on paper towels and tissues (which they had lots of fun arranging!) for now so there's no worries there.

Andy, thank you so much for helping and any research! I had no idea where to begin. I hate to impose any more, but if you do find out more about the eggs and happen upon the length of time it takes them to hatch I'd love to know that too.
Thank you all!

_________________
And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit. ~The Tick