Deworming-Holland lop quick question

[phantom76]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum so sorry if this might have been asked before however I got my two girls a Holland Lop on Monday.. I'm just wondering indoor rabbit still needs to be dewormed if I have done my reading right.. How often should I do that and does anyone have any agent they would recommend ?

Thank you

 

[terrellflyer]

very seldom do I find worms in the rabbits,send samples to vet.,but all new rabbits and late spring and fall I use Ivomec,the 1%is one drop per pound of rabbit, the .27% is 1/2 cc to 10 pound of rabbit,I add it to the water and let them drink it,it is injectable or orally. My use is to kill all blood sucking parasites,fleas,ticks,lice,mits,etc.

 

[tonyshuman]

If you only have one or two bunnies, kept inside the house, deworming isn't really needed, and can be done at a vet's direction. Most deworming protocols are for large-scale rabbitries that do routine de-worming due to frequently getting rabbits from other rabbitries and being closer to the outside (as they're usually in barns/sheds instead of inside the house)

If you're worried about worms, take a fecal sample in to the vet and they can test it and recommend the proper dose. The protocol John said would work as well, but you want to make sure they get the whole dose. Because many house bunnies won't drink their entire thing of water before it is time to change it, dosing that way doesn't always work for inside bunnies.

 

[phantom76]

Thanks all for the replies so I assume then since the bunny is a indoor rabbit deworming isn't really a issue? What if I add a second rabbit (In a different cage) Does that change the answer any?
Thanks again

 

[tonyshuman]

With indoor bunnies in smaller groups (less than, say, 8 or so), I wouldn't deworm unless you see poop problems. I would only deworm under the supervision of a vet for a small group of indoor bunnies, and then only if the vet had tested the feces and came back positive for worms.

I think breeders or those with large rabbitries de-worm on a schedule because the diseases can be easily communicated in that environment, and can cause a lot of problems in a large group. A single bunny bought and brought into the shed can spread worms to the entire group quickly. Deworming new bunnies, or an established group on a regular basis keeps that from happening. If you don't have a large group of bunnies, it shouldn't be a big concern, and you should be able to catch it and get a bunny with strange poos in to the vet in time to get it treated.