Found (domestic) rabbit...fleas...what to do?

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KirstyBaby_18

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Location
, Ontario, Canada
Hello! :)

My boyfriend found a domestic rabbit tonight. Its an all black one and so tame and sweetso its definately not wild. My boyfriends mom said she has seen it running around their yard for a couple nights now, probablysurviving from their veggie garden and apple tree...

So my boyfriend caughthim and puthim in an old cage of ourswith some food and water and after a little while i realized he has fleas. Soooo im not sure what to do! Is there any way that my bunnie could have caught them? Just from us touching the one we found and then ours? Or if they were in semi-close contact? My boyfriend was holding our rabbit while he was looking at the other rabbit in his cage...

I am taking an Animal Care program at school so i am going to talk to my teachers tomorrow to see what they say. Im just worried about my rabbit catching the fleas. Ive checked and she seems ok though...Do you know what is safe to treat rabbit fleas? Ive done some research and found a mix of opinions...

Ifeel really bad for the poor bunny. Hes so sweet and nice. He must have been someones pet for sure...Im wondering if he somehow got lose or if the owner let him lose...So im going to hand out some flyers tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks again for the help everyone!
 
Thanks so much for the info...Is it possible for me to catch the fleas? Cuz im feeling super itchy right now and im not sure if its fleas or if its all in my head!!
 
Fleas will occassionally feed ( or bite) on humans and thats usually when their usually host (ie dog cat or rabbit in your case) is not around or there is a major infestation. there are many products out there to treat your house for fleas. I just used advantage on my rabbits recently and they did fine with it.
 
dont feel bad, my buns got fleas too. i think avantage is the most safe thing to use on rabbits. thats out of kitten poweder and everything
 
manda wrote:
dont feel bad, my buns got fleas too. i think avantage is the most safe thing to use on rabbits. thats out of kitten poweder and everything
Click to expand...
Thanks! Do you know how much Advantage costs? Cuz im pretty broke right now and as bad as it sounds id rather not spend a lot of money on it if i can just go to the pet store and get something cheaper...
 
i thinks its 7 bucks for one tube. and one tube treats both of my bunnies.

its worth it because you dont have to treat the invironment unless its a sever infestation. and it last for a month.
 
Advantage is very effective against fleas. You can also try 5% Carbaryl dust (kitten flea powder or Sevin garden dust).

If you bring him into the house, you home will most certainly become infested with fleas and your rabbit will get them. Treat the other rabbit before bringing him into the house.



Pam
 
Ive called a few local vets and they are totally cluless when it comes to rabbits...But they wont give me the Advantage either becuase they think its not safe for rabbits or becuase they havent seen the rabbit before and i dont have the money to spend on an appointment for it.

So im gonna go to the pet store and buy a few things and hopefully they work! Thanks for all the advice everyone! Heres a pic of the sweetie weve temporarily named Nova :)

nova17jo.jpg

 
Ok so i got a flea comb and i know what to do with it...

But i got some Sevin Garden Dust but im not sure how i should use it?? Can anyone help? I found a site that sort of explains, but this is all it says:

Flea powders. Dust your rabbit with 5% carbaryl insecticide (a common brand name is 5% Sevin Dust) working the dust down through Bunny's thick fur to the skin. Bunny might try to lick some of it off; assuming he doesn't go overboard, this is probably all right. Most of the powder is just a carrier agent, and there's very little of the active ingredient in the mix."

So do i wash it off after? Or just leave it on there? Thanks!!

 
It doesn't get washed off -- just brush it through so it gets down to the skin.

In rare cases, animals have a neurotoxic reaction to the flea powder -- if you notice any symptoms, wash it off ASAP.


I've used the Sevin dust many times on rabbits and have not had any problems.


Pam



 
pamnock wrote:
It doesn't get washed off -- just brush it through so it gets down to the skin.

In rare cases, animals have a neurotoxic reaction to the flea powder -- if you notice any symptoms, wash it off ASAP.


I've used the Sevin dust many times on rabbits and have not had any problems.


Pam
Click to expand...

Thanks so much Pam :)

Ok, so this is what i did...Firstmy bf and i put on latex gloves and used the comb to get some of the fleas out. It wasnt working too well (the comb was 80cents at PetSmart lol) but i remembered that when we found the fleas, we saw them most when we blew at the rabbit. So we blew at the rabbit and some would come to the surface and i would comb them out and drown them in a bucket full of soapy water.

After a while of doing that...We sprinkled the Sevin all over her body and sort of massaged it in. I tried to make sure it went down to the bottom but im not sure how well of a job we did. After a few minutes, some of the fleas came to the topso i got them, and i blew a little bit more to bring a few more out.

Then we cleaned the cage and everything. And now when we blow on him, no fleas come out, so do you think thats a good sign? Im really hoping this has worked! I dont know what else to do! Should we try blowing on him again tomorrow to see if there is still any? And maybe put some more powder on again? Thanks again for the advice!!! :D
 
Yes - continue watching for any signs of fleas. If you note any, apply more powder. If the problem is chronic, I would consider going to the vet for a long acting topical flea medication.

Pam
 
Good news everyone!! My boyfriend and i handed out the "found" flyers in allthe mailboxes of people on his street and the owner called us! The bunny, Bugs, was returned home :) It was a family with2 young kids and they said he got out last Monday because they keep him in a hutch and they always let him out for a little run but their dog scared him and he ran away. So im glad hes back home! And i feel good that we made the effort to take care of him and get him back home :)
 
Excellent News! You did a wonderful job taking care of him! He's one lucky boy that you rescued him :)

Pam
 
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