Rat mites are very small, barely visible parasites that live on rats and feed off of their blood. On the rare occasion that they can’t find rats to infest, they will look to make a meal out of human blood instead and they like to bite you in your sleep. These mites are able to survive for a long period of time without a host. Unfortunately, they can also be a common house invading species.
Rat mites can cause dermatitis when they bite your skin, which is similar to the bites that bedbugs give. To know whether you have rat mites or bedbugs, you should use sticky traps to capture some and then have what you caught inspected by a pest control specialist. They will know what it is and how to deal with getting rid of them. Having rat mites unfortunately means you have rats, so it’s important that you find the rats nest and get rid of it. The only way to do this is to have an exterminator come in and clear out their disease-ridden home. In finding the rats home, you must then seal up all entry points in which they may have entered your home. After doing all of this, it’s best to disinfect your home with a pest control spray or have an exterminator take care of it for you, which is most likely the better and safer option.
