Should I have Petco treat lice in my rats?

Question

I got baby rats from Petco last Saturday, and found they were having trouble breathing. I went to the vet who told me they had lice and respiratory infections, and got Baytril for the myco.

Afterwords, I read the guarantee Petco gave me, which says if vet care is needed within the first 15-day period, they will provide it. Obviously they won't pay for my previous vet visit, but I haven't treated the lice problem yet, and they said they would do it but I would have to bring the rats to Petco and leave them in their care.

They didn't know how long it would take (I talked to two associates and the manager), and I'm worried it will cause extra stress to my rats. They say they can't give me treatment for lice or any sort of voucher.

Has anyone had experience leaving their pet with Petco? Or am I better off taking them to my own vet and dishing out the extra money? I've only had them a week, but they're adorable and definitely worth it.

Answer 1

If your claim falls within their 15 day guarantee, I would take all my vet receipts and see if they will reimburse you for your vet bills.

I wouldn't let Petco do any veterinary treatment unless you were taking them to a Vetco (Petco's vet hospitals). See if they haveone of their Vetcos close to you that you can take them too.

Otherwise, I would bill Petco for all your vet bills.

Answer 2

It is cheaper for them to stick sick animals (which is common since they buy from pet mills) in the freezer and order more from their breeder than pay for vet care.

They will probably just sprinkle toxic flea spray on them and call it a day.  

Answer 3

I don't trust PetCo or vets employed with pet stores. I find it better to go to your own vet then trust the pet store with your pet. With choosing your own vet, you can ensure that they're receiving good care and all their needs are taken care of. If you leave them with a pet store, you don't know what kind of grade care they're receiving. Good luck.

Answer 4

You can buy lice shampoo for rats or you can take them to the vet or petco

Take him to the vet...they'll give you medications to fix it (I believe not all medications involve actually trying to cram liquids down their throat...i know this is very hard). There may be meds that can be applied directly to the coat...in fact, I'm quite sure of this... Do check online websites though...there is a myriad of information online. I usually look at http://www.dapper.com.au/ for my information.

I just found some more for you:

http://ratfanclub.org/skin.html

scroll down to the mites section

Remember to clean out the cage scrub EVERYTHING EVERYTHING!! get those eggs and those lice out of there!

-syddles