The Rat and The Mites
Our family has always owned a variety of pets, and not always the typical kind.
I remember my excitement the day Pierre entered our home. Pierre was a large, black and white rat with a long tail, and uncontrollable bladder; hence the name. Ironically, I was not scared of this large rat, although I have since acquired an intense phobia of the cute little mice that scuttle around our home. I have even taken to yelling at them to leave whenever they appear, but alas, they seem quite content to ignore me as they happily continue on their mission to find food in their spacious, rent free home!
Anyways, back to the rat. Many afternoons were spent avoiding homework, as my sisters and I frolicked around the house with Pierre. One afternoon however, the rat vanished. An intense search of the house did not uncover his whereabouts.
Prior to Pierre’s disappearance, an outbreak of scabies had occurred in our family. If you are unaware of what scabies is, consider yourself fortunate. To give a little visual, they are mites that burrow inside your skin and lay eggs. This causes severe itching and swelling. My sister had scabies so bad on her hands that she could not use them; fortunately, she had an excuse to stay home from school!
My parents went to great lengths, and tried several home remedies to rid their children of this ugly, unpleasant infection, but it continued to spread. Finally, my parents relented and took us to see a dermatologist who diagnosed us and prescribed some cream to rid us of the pesky mites.
Years later, my mother admitted that she had hired a hit man to take out Pierre, mistakenly thinking the rat was the cause of our scabies.
It is easy to blame a rat! They are ugly and commonly associated with disease. Although birds do not have the same stigma as rats, sometimes there are concerns about their health and if infections can be passed through the air. In fact, there was a community that had gotten an outbreak of scabies and wanted to place blame on the birds in their aviary. Luckily, they realized their accusations were misplaced prior to their own hit man scenario!
Hopefully you have learned by now that rats and birds do not cause scabies; however, you may still have concerns about your birds health. The good news is your concerns will be alleviated when you opt to include the full service that Bevy of Birdhome’s offers along with your aviary. One of the tasks that is included is a health check of the birds. We are proactive at trying to alleviate any health issues before they occur through thorough cleanings and routine applications of medicine for birds prone to certain health concerns. This preventative care has helped keep the birds in our aviaries healthy and strong for the duration of their life.
So, before you shoot the rat (or blame the bird), make sure you have your facts straight and know the direct source of your issue!
