I saw a FLEA in Ralphie’s crate!

[Carey Mihal]

Ralphie is only 7months old. I saw some scary stuff online about bunnies dying! I don’t know if he has fleas or it was just jumping  through. I have 2 dogs and a cat, their flea treatments are being shipped. I’m worried all the fleas are going to jump on Ralphie once everyone else is treated. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Sarita]

Hi, is Ralphie an indoor rabbit?

Do not use Frontline on Ralphie – this will KILL him. You have to be careful what treatments that you use on your rabbit.

I use Revolution on my rabbits and it is safe for them. You do have to get this from your vet and they should be able to help you dose it based on Ralphie’s weight.

[JK]

You can also use Advantage for kittens and it is over the counter. Maybe you should treat everyone at the same time.  Maybe the bun just once and the cat & dog monthly.  I would think that would take care of it.  BUT run it by your vet first with the rabbit.

[Carey Mihal]

Yep Ralphie is an indoor Rabbit.

[Gravehearted]

welcome ctmihal! I am very glad to hear that Ralphie is indoors, it greatly cuts back on the risks to have our bunnies indoors with us. Plus, I think they are much happier since they are such social creatures.

My guess is, if you spotted fleas on your other pets and saw one in Ralphie’s crate, he very likely has them too. I would second was the other posters have said – and check with your vet since the dosing will vary based on Ralphie’s weight. Kitten Advantage is a safe choice that works well. Revolution works well too and also treats mites.

Do you have a bunny savvy vet yet? The HRS website is very helpful with finding one in your area.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome ctmihal! I got your email, but I will also post here. I use Advantage for my bunnies, but I only use the dosage that my vet recommends which is not the same as what’s directed on the box. So I echo what others have said – check with your vet.

[KatnipCrzy]

I would recommend talking to your vet about fleas and the best way to get rid of them in your area.  If you are already seeing fleas in the house- you might need to treat ALL the pets for more than 1 month due to the life cycle of the flea.

But there are other things you can do to help….wash all bedding the pets sleep on to get rid of flea eggs and larvae.  Vacuum your whole hose and discard the vaccum bag in the dumpster or if it is bagless- dump it and get rid of the contents.  Flea eggs can hatch out in the vacuum- so you want to vaccum and then get rid of what you pick up.  But it won’t do you any good to dump it in a garbage in your garage our house.  You will want to get it outside in a dumpster or whatever trash bin- away from your home and pets.

And as others have mentioned not all flea products are safe for rabbits.  Frontline is toxic- and there are even some DOG products that will kill CATS.  So always follow the label directions.  And if you have multiple types of animals- don’t let your rabbit around your cats or dogs if they are treated with a product that is not recommended for bunnies.  Wait a couple of days to make sure the product is completely dry.  I saw a kitten once with a reaction to a product that was applied to the dog- the dog and kitten were playing. The kitten had a lower level of toxicity than if applied directly- but it was still affected neurologically.  It survived treatment and was completely normal- but it is not worth taking a chance.

 

[BBMommy]

oh no i hope he gets treated right away

[Author]

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