This article is from the WSSF 2016 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

In one of the studies done by the Vancouver Rat Project in Vancouver, British Columbia, researchers found Notoedres muris, or the ear mange mite on 2.1% of the rats collected. However, all of these were on rats found at the port and not in the Downtown Eastside. This shows that rats stay in their own territories and do not interact with rats in other colonies. The ones at the port were more than likely infected from a stowaway from an international shipment from another country.

Article Ear Mange in Rats: The Potential for Importing Foreign Rats and Their Diseases Through International Shipping on Vancouver Rat Project. There are several various topics done in the study you can find on the Results and Resources page.

Note: Any wild rodents a person brings in for any reason (orphan, injured, adult, etc.) needs to be medicated, treated for parasites, quarantined, and tested as they can bring in infectious diseases to your pet stock or yourself.