Ugh. Flea problems.

[MsBunBun]

So my two cats have been having flea problems all week. I was doing everything I can to prevent my bunny from catching it too (I keep my bunny in my room...away from the pets) but of course, he ended up catching fleas anyway. I found 2-3 with a flea comb today I assume he has a couple of more (but Im finding no evidence of eggs...so far!).

I was going online to look for flea treatments and I found this -
http://www.ehow.com/how_4548822_natural-cures-getting-rid-fleas.html

^ does anyone know if that really works? Or do I have to use Advantage for rabbits?


I could really use your help <3 Thank you

 

[Watermelons]

Sounds like that method will take you a long time to get rid of anything especially with the fleas lifecycle which will work if all you have is 1 rabbit but with other animals in the house its not going to fly. Plus garlic can cause issues with animals, like onions, dangerous to use. Most "natural" remedies dont work, never had a client tell me they found one that did. Just like pet store flea remedies don't work either.

Revolution and advantage are safe drugs.
You may need to use advantage every 2 weeks while you have an infestation, there have also been lots of reports of it not working after about 2-3 weeks.
(Do you cats go outside, maybe think about doing Program injections every 6 months for them)

Dose all the animals in the house, do not use a flea bath, do not use flea collars, do not use flea powders. dont waste your money on that stuff.

Take anything washable, and wash it. Seat cussions, bed sheets, table cloths, coats. Anything not washable like pillows, cussions, stick in the freezer for 48 hours.

Toss all litters and bunny things that are disposable like their shavings and litter, wash everything else.

Give you house a vacuum like you've never vacuumed before. Couch, curtains, everything.

And remember just because the live fleas dissapear, you stil have eggs that need to hatch and develop. Larva can live dorment in empty houses for ages until a new person starts living there and the vibrations cause them to develop and create a flea problem.

 

[Sweetie]

I have never tried natural remedies for getting rid of fleas. I have always used kitten Advantage on my rabbits, or you can use revolution like Watermelons said, they are both safe. Never use frontline on a rabbit, it is toxic to them.

So I agree with watermelons on this. Except most pillows are washable, just look on the tag on the pillows and see if they are washable.

 

[MsBunBun]

Thank you both. Ive been working on washing stuff all day long. How I hate fleas.
We've had a flea problem in the past that was just annoying, since we had an outdoor cat that brought them in.

Do you know the price of Revolution and Advantage at all? (I live in the States)

 

[Watermelons]

Revolution is more expensive, and can usually only be purchased with a perscription from the vets. However IMO it is well worth it, I bypass advantage totally and head right for the revolution for the rabbits, dogs, rat, cats, etc... (however our cats all get program injections now, they only go outside on out deck in a fenced kitty area) Its also nice revolution deals with mites and some internal bugs as well great drug.

Down there everythings cheaper and advantage can be purchased almost anywhere (crazy) Just make sure its the normal advantage. However I have had tons of clients complain that advantage stopped working halfway through the month and their pet had fleas again.

 

[MsBunBun]

Thank you. I will look into getting Revolution (and hope I can afford it! lol)

 

[tonyshuman]

Also, make sure your cats don't get Frontline, especially if your bunny is in contact with them. A lot of times you can buy a multi-dose pack of Advantage or Revolution for the cats, and use one of the doses on your rabbit. Oftentimes, the cheapest thing is to call up your vet and tell them your animals have fleas, you'd like Revolution or Advantage, and have their weights ready (weigh them with a kitchen scale). Not all vets require an office visit to prescribe those.