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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Fleas On My Indoor Bunny!

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    • Jess
      Participant
      1 posts Send Private Message

        Hello,

        I have a 4 month-old Holland Lop buck who I very, very recently discovered to be afflicted with fleas! I was actually quite surprised by this for several reasons.

        I groom him approximately once a week which includes brushing him, inspecting his eyes, ears, teeth, and nose, and occasionally clipping his nails when needed. I clean the room he primarily plays in and his pen where he resides at night at least once a day. I change out his litter box as well more than once a day in most cases. 

        He does roam around the second floor of our town-home in Michigan and is strictly an indoor bunny. He is the only pet we have so I am not convinced he obtained them from another animal unless they are spreading into our unit from another. As it is, we do have a dog that lives next door to us. 

        He had been itching for a few days but the itching became more aggressive and although he was still behaving as a happy bunny should be, he was grooming himself much more frequently and shaking himself off and scratching. 

        Concerned, I told my boyfriend that we needed to check him out and brush him. Unfortunately, I only have a rubber bunny brush I use and not a flea comb. However, it was not difficult to determine that there was a problem. 

        We discovered a small bald spot on his head and by further inspection, I found two black, crawling insects (I originally suspected were mites) and the very next day he was at the vet. The vet examined him thoroughly and only found one flea which I thought was mysterious, because I had found two which means one is on the loose! Most likely somewhere in that room!

        I can get pretty neurotic and paranoid, especially when it comes to potential infestations of pests that are hard to exterminate (especially those that could harm Benny!) Fortunately, the vet did prescribe Revolution for him, said he was perfectly healthy aside from the ‘very mild case of fleas’. I had classes that day, so my boyfriend had to take Benny to the vet. I told him what he needed to ask her (which mildly annoyed him because he not only thought I was overreacting but also deemed the questions as obvious to ask). 

        The vet stated that we did not need to throw out Benny’s hay or anything else and also said that there should be no need to treat the house.

        I was rather perturbed by this because based on what I read of fleas they reproduce rather rapidly. In addition, they do like to hide in carpet and they actually do not spend very much of their time on their host. In fact, I read that the eggs laid on the animal actually fall off and the can hatch and spread larvae in the carpets. 

        I was not informed as to what species of flea this was (I wasn’t able to ask and we were not specifically told) but a common species in Michigan as far as fleas go is the ‘Cat Flea’. I know that there are rabbit fleas but I cannot find much information about them. 

        Below I have included links to some of the sites I gathered information from. 

        I apologize for the long explanation but the reason I am posting this is because I do have a couple of questions.

        1) Do any of you know much about rabbit fleas and/or have any of you had a rabbit that has had rabbit fleas? I do know that they are not native or naturally occurring in the USA based on some of what I read. Could they be ‘Cat Fleas’? I hear that those are far more common on domestic bunnies.

        2) Where could these fleas have come from? Is it possible they came from my neighbor and if you think so, what do you recommend I do to prevent more from coming in? 

        3) Should I be as concerned as I am? Because honestly, one flea is more than enough reason for me to go all out and detoxify the house. 

        Thank you for your info./advice!

        http://www.netvet.co.uk/rabbits/fleas.htm

        http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/spilopsyllus-cuniculi

        http://www.allearssac.org/fleas.html

        http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-health/treating-your-pet-rabbit-for-fleas/

        http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/fleas/Fleas.htm


      • ThorBunny
        Participant
        824 posts Send Private Message

          Hi, I’m sorry to hear about your flea problems!

          I know it can be crazy-making, but sometimes we just don’t know where fleas or little bugs come from. There are cases where mites can come from hay, but I haven’t heard of fleas arriving this way. It definitely could have been some random bug that made its way in from outside or another apartment. Luckily it seems to be a mild case!

          The good thing about Revolution is that it gets taken up into the bunny’s skin and fur, so when the bun sheds the pesticide goes with it. In this way, it can kill fleas and eggs living off of the bunny as well, such as in the carpet. One dose should take care of it, but in some cases vets prescribe a few doses of Revolution to make sure the bugs are gone. When I took Thor in for treatment (had fur mites when we first got her), we got 3 doses of Revolution, to be given at 6 week intervals.


        • LBJ10
          Moderator
          16870 posts Send Private Message

            If it was just a couple of fleas, one dose of Revolution should do the trick. And yes, some Revolution will be in then environment via your bunny’s dander. I would avoid using any chemicals in the room because they are often unsafe for bunnies. IF you are really concerned about fleas in the carpet, you can use diatomaceous earth. You would remove your bunny from the room, sprinkle the powder on the carpet, let it sit for a few hours, then vacuum it up really well. It is non-toxic and won’t leave a residue. But bunny should not come in contact with the powder because it can be easily inhaled and will irritate the lungs.

            It’s difficult to say where the fleas came from in the first place. It could be the neighbor dog. Or you could have picked up flea eggs outside on your shoes. Preventing them entirely can be difficult. But my guess is that this was a fluke. So I wouldn’t worry about it unless they show up again. Then you will know for sure that they have a consistent source and it isn’t a one time thing.

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        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Fleas On My Indoor Bunny!