ticks & fleas on bunnies

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kekedaddy

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since this is our first time to have a bunny, will they need to be checked for fleas and ticks?
 

Welcome kekedaddy,

My own personal opinion of getting a rabbit checked out at the vet isthat if you get it through a reputable breeder or a shelter, you'regenerally pretty safe. If you get it through a petstore, I'd have himchecked out. If you're in the UK, your rabbit will need twovaccinations that aren't recommended before 6 weeks old.

As you know, ticks are hard to spot, but feel for bumps. Flies can bedangerous for rabbits, particularly outdoor ones. They can lay eggs ona rabbit's soiled rectal area and that causes maggots to borrow andfeed on the animal. Best way to avoid that is keeping a clean cage andthe fur of the rabbit clean.

Rabbits are susceptible to two kinds of mites: ear mites and fur mites.Ear mites settle in the canal of the rabbit's ears and cause therabbits to itch a lot. It's important to always make sure the ears lookclean. Fur mites take on a symptom of looking like the rabbit haddandruff as stated above.

There are all sorts of remedies for mites and fleas, but a flea collar isn't one of them.

-Carolyn
 
Ew, I had no clue flies could nest on my bun!That's icky.... I'm in the city here where there really aren't anybugs... well there's definetly no bugs in our house. Occasionally theodd spider appears from the basement but he dies as soon as someonesee's it hah. Anyway, neither of my buns have seen a vet before. Butboth came from a Pet Store.
 
Mites and ticks can be passed on from birds, cats,raccoons and other animals in your yard, and don't necessarily have tohave direct contact with your buns(s). Some mitescan live on rabbits undetected for quite a while and not causing anynoticeable discomfort to to the animals until their naturalimmunity system get stressed due to trauma orillness. At such times, the mites might increase in number sothat they become a problem.

I've read that rabbits can contract fleas, but have never experiencedthe problem. Others claim most rabbits' fur is too dense formost fleas to live comfortably. As I am told fleas will usehumans as a host if there is no other animalavailable, I guess a rabbit might serve just as well. In anyevent, there are a couple of relatively simple ways to dealwith these problems at home, should they develop, or one can utilizethe services of your qualified veterinarian.

A simple preventive measure to discourage Fly Strike, the conditionCarolyn mentioned, is to add 1/2 - 1 tsp of vanilla extract to onegallon of drinking water, real or artificial flavoring makes nodifference. The smell of the vanilla in the rabbits' wastematter tends to repel the flies, therefore discouraging them fromlaying eggs upon the rabbit's dirty bottom.

Not all rabbits have dirty bottoms. Some buns are too chubbyto adequately clean themselves and the area remains soiled andattractive to flies, outside or inside the home. A diet maybe indicated to correct that condition. Other rabbits havedense fur in the area, which tends to collect fecal mattereasily. A simple solutionis to trim the areaperiodically with a scissors, just be careful as the rabbit's skin israther thin and delicate.

Buck :)

 
Thank you Buck that was very helpful. My rabbit isconstantly cleaning herself, uncluding her behind, tail, everywhere! Ikeep her cage clean, and I've only ever had her outside twice, and it'sstill too cold outside for bugs. But now I will know to be morecareful! :) We have no raccoons here and none of my neighbours havecats. We have lots of dogs though.

Thanks again for the information!
 

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