What's Bugging Your Bunny?

 

Summer's here and the time is right for....parasites!! Brace yourselves, because today your friendly neighborhood Education Bunny is going to show you some disgusting characters who want to make a meal of your sweet little fur baby!

Seriously, brace yourself. This is disgusting!

First - some dandruff you won't need Head And Shoulders for! What prompted this post is that one of my friends, Alanis, got "Walking Dandruff". Our vet noticed it on her last check up. Here's a picture of what "Walking Dandruff" looks like:

No, it isn't really dandruff. It's a mite called Cheyletiellosis. It looks like dandruff at first glance, so you might think your bunny just has dry skin. But under the microscope it looks like this:

Our vet gave Alanis medication and she's fine. But how did she get them? And what do you look for when checking your own bunny? 

Mites live in the environment, so they can get tracked in on your shoes, on hay, with other animals in your home. They tend to dig in and multiply on very young or older bunnies who aren't able to groom as well. Alanis is quite arthritic, so she just couldn't get to the area between her shoulder blades where these guys like to hang out. So when you check your bunny, make sure you look between her shoulder blades - it's prime real estate for parasites!

Want to know what's even more disgusting than "Walking Dandruff"? Ear mites!! Also known as "bloody cornflakes" - EWWWWWWW!!!

Warning: This next picture is of a sweet foster bunny named Buttons, who was rescued after someone dumped him in the woods. He was very infested when he came to us, but don't worry - he got better, got adopted and had a fabulous happy ever after!

We'll make this picture small so it isn't totally in your face. This is why I told you to brace yourself:

You can find the best article about ear mites here. Please ignore the treatment section of this article, and instead go to your veterinarian. She can give you the latest treatments and the proper doses. Also, in our experience the crustiness doesn't take 10-14 days to come off. It usually starts to fall off the next day, and just a couple of days later it's miraculously gone!

Here's Buttons all fixed up and ear mite free! 

Finally, we're going to talk about my friend here, Fanny Flea. Fanny was a promotion for a flea medication, but her living counterparts can make your rabbit miserable.

Rabbits get fleas just like other animals. Again, look between your bunny's shoulder blades, and also around her tail and lower back. You may not see the actual fleas, but there could be "flea dirt" (aka: flea poop!) which looks like small specks of dirt that disintegrate into bloody red when they get wet. I know - it's GROSS! You might also notice tiny clear specks, which are flea eggs.

Fleas are very treatable. They can be combed off using a flea comb, but probably the best thing to do is ask your veterinarian for medication. Please do NOT give your bunny any medication that is meant for a cat or dog, without checking with your rabbit-savvy vet! Especially not Frontline, which can be fatal to rabbits. Check with your vet! 

No matter what kind of parasites your bunny has - DO NOT GIVE HER A BATH!! This is so important - do not ever give bath your bunny! Rabbits are prone to hypothermia, and we personally know someone who lost their bunny this way. DON'T DO IT! Go to your vet and get the proper treatment which will break the parasite's life cycle, and then give your house a good cleaning. You can defeat these tiny things!!

And if you find any bugs, don't feel like you are dirty or that you did something wrong. Parasites are in the environment, they're everywhere. It's one of the reasons we recommend rabbits be kept indoors - they are much more likely to get bugs if they live outside. So keep your bunny indoors and check her frequently.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Maybe enjoy isn't the right word. Now go check your bunny for bugs! Look between her shoulder blades and in her ears! You got this!!

Byeeeee! Love,

Mrs. Kitty Brighton, Education Bunny