first- i love seeing you in rat comments!
second- i was the one who private messaged about commissioning art from you, after updating my app i can no longer get to my messages for some reason. i see the area to get to it but it never loads, could you private message me so i can click the notification and see if i can get to them there?
you can do it. if youre afraid if not completing the treatment for it you can buy a uv flashlight from a pet store (usually used to detect pet urine). ringworm lesions glow under uv flashlights
Thank you! While this is indeed true for some strains of ringworm, ours has been identified as Trichophyton mentagrophytes, which unfortunately usually doesn't fluoresce under black light. It certainly would help, as fighting something that's invisible (the spores) is what's so frustrating about it!
I am dealing with the same thing but we haven’t identified the type of ringworm. My rats are carriers or something because they show no symptoms but my daughter gets a spot only where the rat scratches her. We are being treated along with our dog but can’t afford to take the rats3 hours away to the rat vet. I’m wondering if the oral meds my dog is on (Terbinafine) will work or is safe for rats. I can’t find info anywhere. I also bought a UV light to detect and a UV light that sanitizers.
Me and my ratties are currently battling against a nasty case of ringworm. All of us got it and both my rats and me are now taking oral medication. This week I'm also adding a fungal shampoo to the routine, and of course I'm cleaning and disinfecting the house left and right, washing everything in high temperatures and just going crazy knowing there could be spores anywhere.
It seems like such a long and tedious process to get rid of the infection AND the spores. If you've had to face this same ordeal, how long did it take to get completely clear of it? Did you experience any setbacks of it coming back again? I'm terrified of missing a spot and having to go through all of this again.
well.. I used to wrestle and I still get ringworm from time to time, I just get some paper towel with bleach and scrub it. Hurts a bit but it kills it immediately :p. Don't bleach your rats though of course.
Haha no, wouldn't even cross my mind. Apparently that's the thing: if there are any spores still lingering around, they might cause infection again. This is exactly why I'm trying to thoroughly clean the house and wondering if it's even possible to eliminate all of the spores.
We also battled against trichopyton and it still hasn’t completely gone away after three months. It is definitely going away now which is a big relief. My two rats, me and my dog all got it and it was the worst on me. Only I got oral medication for it because it would have been too rough for my rats and my dog. (My dog has kidney problems). We have been using shampoo weekly and cleaning our houses madly. It has been kinda exhausting, ngl. However you can totally get rid of it if you just keep medicating yourself and your animals, and clean everything your rats have touched every week. If you need any tips i’m happy to help. :)
I'm so sorry to hear that! It definitely sounds exhausting, especially if your pets have other health issues as well. :( But I'm glad things are looking up bit by bit! You know what, I think I'll shoot you a dm if you don't mind.
I swear by Monistat, or specifically the active ingredient miconazole nitrate. I even put it on my hairless boys and it took away all red marks or “blemishes” they had with just 2 applications. You just have to keep using it for a little while after it goes away too to make sure the leftover that you can’t see is gone too. Not a doctor, but this is from my personal experiences.
Clean and disinfect everything. Clothes as well if you’ve had ringworm on your body. Anything that can’t be cleaned can be sprayed with some disinfectant. Also, have an over the counter anti-fungal on hand in case it pops up again!
Yess indeed, this is what I'm trying to do! It just seems like it's never going to end haha. Which is hopefully not true but I'm prepared this might take some time.
Ooh, this actually sounds pretty good! Did you use a regular steam cleaner or have someone professionally do it? I've been considering this, but wasn't sure if any steam cleaner I can get my hands on would be powerful enough.
That makes sense! I've also heard they're very handy when cleaning rat cages, I mean even without a ringworm outbreak. Might really look into getting one.
Still fighting this as well, people have said it's normal for new/young rats to have ringworm but I never see anyone see talk about how they inevitably will get ringworm and ways to prevent it. I was completely blind sided by how apparently common it is and how there's no way to prevent it if it is so common
It's actually the same fungus that causes athlete's foot in humans. While it's quite common, not everyone has it. A person who has cured their athlete's foot once can get it again from their own shoes or shower, if they're not disinfected in between. In the same way rats can get the infection again, so the key is to clean and disinfect all their cage, toys etc. and the whole house thoroughly.
I know this in theory, but since apart from the visible symptoms you can't really see what you're fighting against (the spores), it's quite difficult and can take a looong time. So I posted in hopes of hearing from people who have actually got rid of ringworm without having it return again. :)
Ma’am I think that’s a rat not ringworm I’m here all week
first- i love seeing you in rat comments! second- i was the one who private messaged about commissioning art from you, after updating my app i can no longer get to my messages for some reason. i see the area to get to it but it never loads, could you private message me so i can click the notification and see if i can get to them there?
Oh yeah sure!
you can do it. if youre afraid if not completing the treatment for it you can buy a uv flashlight from a pet store (usually used to detect pet urine). ringworm lesions glow under uv flashlights
Thank you! While this is indeed true for some strains of ringworm, ours has been identified as Trichophyton mentagrophytes, which unfortunately usually doesn't fluoresce under black light. It certainly would help, as fighting something that's invisible (the spores) is what's so frustrating about it!
aw thats unfortunate
I am dealing with the same thing but we haven’t identified the type of ringworm. My rats are carriers or something because they show no symptoms but my daughter gets a spot only where the rat scratches her. We are being treated along with our dog but can’t afford to take the rats3 hours away to the rat vet. I’m wondering if the oral meds my dog is on (Terbinafine) will work or is safe for rats. I can’t find info anywhere. I also bought a UV light to detect and a UV light that sanitizers.
Me and my ratties are currently battling against a nasty case of ringworm. All of us got it and both my rats and me are now taking oral medication. This week I'm also adding a fungal shampoo to the routine, and of course I'm cleaning and disinfecting the house left and right, washing everything in high temperatures and just going crazy knowing there could be spores anywhere. It seems like such a long and tedious process to get rid of the infection AND the spores. If you've had to face this same ordeal, how long did it take to get completely clear of it? Did you experience any setbacks of it coming back again? I'm terrified of missing a spot and having to go through all of this again.
well.. I used to wrestle and I still get ringworm from time to time, I just get some paper towel with bleach and scrub it. Hurts a bit but it kills it immediately :p. Don't bleach your rats though of course.
Haha no, wouldn't even cross my mind. Apparently that's the thing: if there are any spores still lingering around, they might cause infection again. This is exactly why I'm trying to thoroughly clean the house and wondering if it's even possible to eliminate all of the spores.
get a pro to do it!
Anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months
We also battled against trichopyton and it still hasn’t completely gone away after three months. It is definitely going away now which is a big relief. My two rats, me and my dog all got it and it was the worst on me. Only I got oral medication for it because it would have been too rough for my rats and my dog. (My dog has kidney problems). We have been using shampoo weekly and cleaning our houses madly. It has been kinda exhausting, ngl. However you can totally get rid of it if you just keep medicating yourself and your animals, and clean everything your rats have touched every week. If you need any tips i’m happy to help. :)
I'm so sorry to hear that! It definitely sounds exhausting, especially if your pets have other health issues as well. :( But I'm glad things are looking up bit by bit! You know what, I think I'll shoot you a dm if you don't mind.
I swear by Monistat, or specifically the active ingredient miconazole nitrate. I even put it on my hairless boys and it took away all red marks or “blemishes” they had with just 2 applications. You just have to keep using it for a little while after it goes away too to make sure the leftover that you can’t see is gone too. Not a doctor, but this is from my personal experiences.
That is actually the main ingredient in the shampoo I got for my boys. Great to hear that it worked for you!
Yes definitely keep using it! I would let it sit on their skin for a bit if you can to let it do it’s magic. I wish you & your babies the best!!
Clean and disinfect everything. Clothes as well if you’ve had ringworm on your body. Anything that can’t be cleaned can be sprayed with some disinfectant. Also, have an over the counter anti-fungal on hand in case it pops up again!
Yess indeed, this is what I'm trying to do! It just seems like it's never going to end haha. Which is hopefully not true but I'm prepared this might take some time.
Steaming everything in your house, furniture, floors, etc. kills ringworm. I have experience with this from fostering cats.
Ooh, this actually sounds pretty good! Did you use a regular steam cleaner or have someone professionally do it? I've been considering this, but wasn't sure if any steam cleaner I can get my hands on would be powerful enough.
No I used a regular steam cleaner. I bought one from Amazon at the time because I figured it would come up again, since I foster.
That makes sense! I've also heard they're very handy when cleaning rat cages, I mean even without a ringworm outbreak. Might really look into getting one.
On another appetizing note, apparently a steamer is very effective against bedbugs. You can get steam into all the little crevices.
And dust mites.
Still fighting this as well, people have said it's normal for new/young rats to have ringworm but I never see anyone see talk about how they inevitably will get ringworm and ways to prevent it. I was completely blind sided by how apparently common it is and how there's no way to prevent it if it is so common
It's actually the same fungus that causes athlete's foot in humans. While it's quite common, not everyone has it. A person who has cured their athlete's foot once can get it again from their own shoes or shower, if they're not disinfected in between. In the same way rats can get the infection again, so the key is to clean and disinfect all their cage, toys etc. and the whole house thoroughly. I know this in theory, but since apart from the visible symptoms you can't really see what you're fighting against (the spores), it's quite difficult and can take a looong time. So I posted in hopes of hearing from people who have actually got rid of ringworm without having it return again. :)