Bunny has WORMS?!

Just wondering how bunnies can get worms and whether or not this is harmful to them (what it will do to their health).

I recently brought home a new bunny, Choo, who eats a lot of hay and has very "dry" poop, whereas Mocha eats a lot less hay and his poop is a little wet (but still stays in solid round poops), shiny, and pretty smelly. I just noticed some little white things in a couple of his poops and they looked like worms to me. How did he get them?

Please take a look and let me know how serious this is. He still seems to be eating alright though he's been peeing and pooping everywhere (mind you...he always poops everywhere and hasn't been very perfect peeing either. he's not neutered yet).

You need to deworm both your bunnys. And I suggest you take them both for full exams at your vet. This is why we should all Quarantine

How he got them... well anything honestly, food, outdoors, bedding, other animals....

There are many dewormers out there, and because one has worms you should deworm them both as if they both have worms, and clean poops us as soon as you can to keep from re-infecting the buns while their being treated.

I use panacur which you can get at most vets, mix it yourself. 5+ day tx for infected rabbits.

Others will probably chime in with other remedys.

Can worms be passed on to humans?
So I should lock him in his cage until it's gone and keep it really clean?
Could this be caused from his food dropping in his poop and then eating it again?

If he's otherwise healthy, the worms probably won't hurt him too badly, but that doesn't mean it's not a good idea to get rid of them. (We live in a society where we're disgusted by parasites, but we've been coexisting - and coevolving- with them for ages)
I don't know of any fecal parasites of rabbits that pose a zoonotic threat to humans.
I would definitely do a good clean up. I don't know what parasite you're dealing with and the likelihood of reinfection depends a lot on the type of life cycle of the parasite.
The initial infection wouldn't have been caused from his food dropping in his poop, but that's not to say it isn't perpetuating the problem.
I'd take Choo to the vet with a good fresh fecal sample with the worms in it. Your vet should be able to ID them for you and can provide you with a dewormer. It'd definitely be a good idea to deworm both rabbits as Mocha has probably been exposed as well.

Worms aren't a big deal in rabbits, most rabbits will have at least a few, but I would treat holistically because they only tend to get out of control when the immune system has challenges.

They can pick them up from hay or grass or generally live with them in their systems from the nest box.

Piperazine citrates in the water (3 g/L) for alternating 2-wk periods or as Watermelons suggested, fenbendazole/Panacur (50 ppm in feed for 5 days) are both effective treatments.

Rabbit pinworms are not transmissible to humans.

Here's the Library thread:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=39593&forum_id=10

sas :bunnydance:

Keep the cage clean,
but you really do need to start them on some sort of deworming treatment.
It could be caused by many things, I will admit im awefull when it comes to telling what worms are what, so depending on the type of worm, usually is where they come from. Like fly larva vs fleas. And some worms can be passed to humans, but were going going to be touching their poop and then our mouths.

In regards to letting them loose... Personally I wouldn't but I have 30 other animals that could be infected if I did that. I dont know your situation. I would keep them confined to a large pen or fenced off area in a room if youre going to let them have free time, so its easier to keep clean.

Thanks for replying everyone.
Great info.
Do I have to get the de-worming meds from a vet (vet visit). Or can I purchase from a pet store or just explain the situation to my vet over the phone and pick some up?

I doubt a vet will help you over the phone without seeing the rabbit (and running a fecal.) It is illegal to treat and prescribe any medications without seeing the animal.

:yeahthat: Maybe all they might need is a stool sample if they've seen your bunnies before.

I treat with Wazine 17 the dosage 1/4 tsp per 5 lbs of body weight mixed into their drinking water. I tend to mix slightly heavy so if the rabbit is under 5 pounds it gets a 5 pound dose if it is between 5 and 10 it gets a 10 pound dose and so on. It is Piperazine so it has a pretty large window on the safety margin for weight.

I deworm every 30 days during the warm months and drop off in the winter (I live in a climate that freezes in the winter)

Wazine 17 can be purchased at a farm store it is listed for livestock including chickens, turkeys and etc. I also raise chickens and use it for them. If your animals appear ill from the worms then get them to a vet. I will also let you know that after giving a worming agent if they have a bad infestation you may need to follow up with a second dose 7 days later.

Bunnies tend to act a little lethargic for a day or 2 after worming. This is normal but they should still be eating and drinking. If they stop eating and drinking get them to a vet.

Alright well I'm taking mocha in tmr and choo as well just to check that she didn't get infected by him. The vet said it would be ok to keep them together...but I'm not sure I want to do that.

What vet did you talk too? Hopefully someone at the University..

I would definitely treat the worms and keep the bunnies separate and under quarantine until they are under control.

If these are bunny pin worms they are not transmittable, but other types of worms are and can definitely be passed to humans.

Rocky had worms when we got him, and they can come from anywhere, especially any areas he shares with other animals and snails/slugs.

Worms are pretty common and they can be quite damaging to your bunny if left untreated. When treated they can be a little lethargic as CCWelch said.

If you aren't experienced with bunnies I would suggest having the vet measure out the medication instead of doing it yourself, I won't even do it myself. Hope bun bun is better soon