Bunny dandruff

[jam224]

Hey all! I know I'm pretty quiet on here, especially as of late, but I would really appreciate any insight any of you have about Bender's skin condition. I've already called a local vet and he has an appointment for Friday afternoon, but I would like to get familiar with possible diagnoses and treatments -- I want to be as prepared as possible.

Bender is aMini Rex rabbit (around 6 lbs.), he's nearly 5 years old,and we've had him for almost 3 years (always an indoor rabbit). Simply put, he has dandruff; his skin is dry and flaky (with no fur loss). It doesn't seem to bother him. He doesn't scratch a whole lot and his appetite is healthy. Ihighly doubt he has fur mites (although I know they do cause dandruff), so my other guess is that maybe he has some sort of fungal infection? Or can bunnies really just have dry skin? If it's just dry skin, will we get shampoo or lotion to treat it?

He's had dry skin for a while, but it seems like instead of the small patches we used tofind, it's kind of lightly all over now. We're taking him to the vet, because I want to know for sure what's going on and hopefully how to treat it!

(Also, we have another nearly 5-year-old Mini Rex rabbitnamedLilyand she lives in the same environment and has the same diet as Bender, but her skin is healthy.)

 

[Maureen Las]

I was going to post the fur mites link but you already know what they are...

I had a several buns with dandruffy skin without fur loss that had nothing but dandruffy skin with no fur loss ..nothing showed up on skin scrapings

I am hoping that it's just dry skin. with your buns

Right now asI typeI realize how sore and dry my own hands are....
it is snowing out and very dry in the house.
last year one of my buns needed a humidifier for her respiratory problems. She is at the bridge now but .....

I think it's time to get it (humidifier)out again for me and the rest of the buns....

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

How's it going, Jam?Best of luck at the vet Friday. It sounds like it could be mites. Keep us posted!

 

[jam224]

The buns are doing fine; Bender is unchanged with his flaky skin. I'm glad that we're taking him in to get him diagnosed tomorrow. It will feel really good to figure out what's going on. I assume they'll do a skin scraping, which I don't know too much about, but hope it's not too traumatizing for him.

This will be our first visit to this vet (we recently moved). I hope we like him/her!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Best of luck tomorrow! I hope whatever it is, it's easily treated. Poor Bender.

Thanks for updating us!

Keep us posted.

 

[jam224]

The verdict is in: Bender has fur mites. I'm really surprised because he didn't show any symptoms except the mild case of dandruff, but I'm really glad that we were able to get a definitive diagnosis. The vetgrabbed a small tuft of fur from Bender's behind (no actual scraping of skin, yay!) and he was able to see "4 or 5" mites. He gave Bender a shot of Ivermectin and said that he would need a series of 3 or 4 shots to kill them all. He said to come back in about aweek for the next one and that the one after that would be 2 weeks from that. So, our next appointment for Round2is next Friday afternoon.

So, now that we know what it is and the bunny is getting treated, I have a new question: What is the best wayto clean his cage/the bunny room to effectively get rid of the mites? I want to clean everything: his cage, his blankets, his litterpan, all of Lily's stuff too, and the carpet floor. A couple of online articles that I read mention boric acid and flea killing products and also make a point to advise AGAINST shampooing and steam cleaning. Specifically, what have people here used to kill mites in their and their bunnies' homes?

I would appreciate any and all input, thank you!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Here's a link from the library, I hope it helps you. Let me know how it goes, ok?

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11992&forum_id=10

 

[jam224]

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

Here's a link from the library, I hope it helps you. Let me know how it goes, ok?

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11992&forum_id=10

I looked through the library, but it actually wasn't very helpful in mentioning how to rid the home of fur mites. They all seem to quote the same article about using aboric acid product. I didn't know if there were other remedies out there. I was hoping someone on here could mention a specific product/method that they used.

A couple of other people on another bunny forum suggested some things. I guess I'll see if I can find the products they mentioned.

Other suggestions are certainly still welcome!

 

[pamnock]

Treat the rabbits, clean all bedding/cages, and steam clean carpets. Most rabbits generally have small populations of fur mites, however rabbits that are very young, very old or are stressed are more prone to overpopulation of mites because the immune system is compromised.

Pam

 

[Maureen Las]

I actually posted a question on etherbun several days ago re. a safe and effective method to treat the environment of a rabbit diagnosed with fur mites.
Responses varied..several people thought the mite could not live off the host for more than a few hours
A 'regular" on that forum posted this info .......
Treatment of the environment is important (boric acid such as flea-busters, Vet-kem, Acclaim Plus, Savofi ,Staybid-Novartis, Indorev-Verbac; ascaricide spray

When treating a carpet.. vacuum first in order to help further penetration of the spray or powder
Shampooing and steam cleaning are not ideal, the residual humidity can increase the mite problem. During the treatment of the environment rabbits should be kept in another part of the home to avoid danger of contact with the products.

Thought this may assist you

Ihave never had the need to use any of these products myself,......

 

[drunkenbunnyhugger]

Oh no Jeniffer! Im so sorry to hear poor Bender has mites! Good luck!