Rat Worming

[crazyratlady]

I was just wanting to get some opinions on the best way to worm rats.

What worms to rats get? In the household that my rats currently reside in there are many cats and dogs also in residence.

I was told to give my rats revolution from the very begining and heard that advocate has been associated to rat deaths.

Revolution covers parasites and heartworm though. Can rats get heartworm? If they cannot then why dont i give my rats frontline or advantage instead, as these two products only cover parasites.

Small animal wormer only covers roundworms (which i assume rats get), but is there any other worms that they get, particularly in a household with multiple pets?

All in all what should i give my rats to ensure that they do not get worms without risking killing them.

[christie]

I don't know if rats can/do get worms. I have not had a rat with it before but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen i just have no idea.
Tho i do know that revolution is fine to use on rats for mites and such i have used that before with no issues what so ever. Its also all i have ever heard recommended to use on rats.

[Kim]

Revolution is the best product to use on your rats as rats can get worms..

Revolution gets rid of not only Heart worm but Intestinal worms as well, such as roundworm and hookworm.

You can actually read on their website that their product treats worms as well .. www.revolutionpet.com.au/PetOwners/ImportantParasitesCats.html

A small animal wormer every 3 months should be fine if you prefer not to use revolution. Not sure if you can overdose your rat on this type of product.

Ivomectin paste approximately once every 4 months covers worms and parasites. It can be used instead of revolution, but you have to weigh your rats to make sure they get the right dosage or else you can give them too much and kill them or too little and it does nothing.

Ivomectin also shouldnt be used on rats under 8 weeks of age.

As I said Revolution though is the best thing for rats as its not messy, kills not only mites and lice and heart worm, but also Hookworm, Roundworm and Tapeworm.

All you really need with revolution is a small drop on the back of the neck once every 4 to 6 months and they are treated.. I have used it on rats as young as 6 weeks with no problems, and it can be put onto pregnant females as well without causing problems.

I personally dont use anything but Revolution .. the only down side is the cost but when you have a limit number of rats then it can last for a very long time so price works out fine in the long run.

I also have a Dog and 4 Cats along with the Rats...

[lozza]

I never knew rats had to be wormed. i guess you learn something new everyday.

[gabrielleb]

Hi Bron Yep revolution is definately the way to go, I had a friend use frontline on his baby rats, and he lost one, i told him to go and wash it off the rats of them straight away, and thankfully he didnt loose any more

[redraven]

I have always wormed my rats with horse wormer(ones that are ivermectin only) when I get them & again after 2 weeks if the pooped out worms before or after the first treatment. I use a tiny tiny bit, the size of a grain of rice. I have never had very young rats, always well over 8 weeks old, tend to feel sorry for the bigger guys left at the pet shop.

[jazzy]

I use revolution on my mice and rats but found the puppy/kitten one not to go very far, does anyone use the adult one?

[christie]

I'm pretty sure that the revolution for adult cats/dogs is way to high a dose to be used on our rattys. That's why the puppy/kitten one is recommended.

[adown88]

I used to use the big dog version of revolution for my rats and mice without troubles. I use ivermectin now, as i use to work at a vet and got lots of it cheap LOL.
Definatly steer clear of frontline!! Its lethal to rabbits so id assume its the same for all small non feline and canine animals!!

[chocrats]

I revolution my rats every 3 months. I buy the puppy/kitten one, and I think it's $25, not sure as I haven't bought it in a while.
I've been trying to find ivermectin but I can't find it anywhere.. but I'll probably stick to my revolution anyway

[jude]

am learning a lot on this forum. didn't know about worms for rats. Can the rats get fleas then too?

[Colleen]

I suppose they can, especially if you have other pets such as cats or dogs. it wouldnt hurt to flea treat your rats once a while.

[christie]

Hmmz from what I understand about fleas is if they are from a cat then they wont live on another species for very long.

[missjess]

Jun 3, 2009 21:21:46 GMT 10 Kim said:

Revolution is the best product to use on your rats as rats can get worms..

Revolution gets rid of not only Heart worm but Intestinal worms as well, such as roundworm and hookworm.

Revolution does NOT cover tapeworm. There is a spot-on all wormer for cats called Profender that does cover tapeworm, though I have never used it on rats, only on my cats. I assume it is safe for rats. It costs around $28 for two pipettes, so there are definitely cheaper options for tapeworms.

Also, there is no difference in product strength for the different pack sizes of Revolution. The only difference is the mL quantity in each pipette.

I have used Advocate without problems on rats. Advocate tends to be a few dollars cheaper than Revolution. I don't have on-hand figures on the safety margins for each product but I can check if anyone's interested.

[toby]

ive never thought about worming my rats. thanks for highlighting it.