Ok this si really weird. I have never had a rabbit before. My son was getting little bits on his legs and I couldnt figure out what it was. Well the yesterday he came out of his room with something black in his eyebrow (he has blonde eyebrows)I asked him to come over to me. When I picked it off of him it was a flee!! He has a rabbit in his bedroom that he got for easter. The rabbit has never been around dogs or anything, but I do take it out in the front yard in it's cage to let it eat grass while we clean her potty tray. She is an all white rabbit with lots of thick hair. I havent seen anything crawling on the top of her fur but flees stay close to the body. Do rabbits get flees and if so how do I get rid of them? Can I put cat flee drop on it? What kind and how much? I bombed his room tonight, but I'm afraid that if the rabbit has flee's then it wont work. Please help moms!!
Thank You everyone for you responses~!! I have called my vet but they aren't sure what to use on her so they gave me a number for a Vet hospital in Denton that deals with mostly exotics. I have to call them in the morning and get more info. I'm also going to call an exterminator place to see how to treat my house besides the bombing since it gets all over furniture. I did go in my son's room and wipe everything down. I forgot how much you get kicked when you have a 5 yr old sleep in the bed with you~! HAHA THANK YOU AGAIN MOMS FOR ALL YOUR HELP~!!
Yes, rabbits can easily get fleas like any other animal. I once had a roommate that had a flea infested rabbit. I don't remember what she did for the fleas, but I would highly recommend going to the vet!
Good luck!
All mammals can carry fleas. You should contact a vet about which flea control to use. The kind that is okay for dogs is not okay for cats and is probably not okay for rabbits either. You are right though, if there are still fleas on the rabbit, you will not get rid of them until that situation is under control. And also,if the fleas were in other rooms, they may have layed eggs in the carpet, so you may have to bomb the whole house. Contact a vet or Pet Co or Pets mart about the kind of flea contol you can use on the rabbit. Good luck.
Yes, to the fleas. We use Dawn dishwashing liquid(a few drops only)to bathe the rabbit, and that was recommended by our breeder. A flea comb will help remove the dead ones after bathing. Towel dry the bunny.
Bring grass, dandelions, other leafy greens to your bunny to eat if letting her out has this be a problem.
While youre at it...drop a flea collar in your vacuum. If you have a bag, that is. Helps to prevent them from staying alive in the vacuum.
If you have a bagless...be sure to empty in a bag, tie it up, throw it away OUTSIDE....again, no sense in leaving those little buggers in your house!!
Margaret :)
Yes, rabbits do get fleas. They are very prolific in our climate...you don't need a dog to have a problem. Any mammal is a suitable host...including humans (as you noticed). I've never had rabbits, but have had many animals and flea problems. I found this site that gives the pros and cons. However, you should ask a veterinarian that specializes in small/unusual animals.
Anything with fur can get fleas. Get some flea spray or flea dust. Also call the exterminator because if they are bad enough to be biting your DS, then they are in the carpet. Ask your vet if the rabbit can have program or advantix or something like that.
Any animal can get fleas. Usually indoor only animals like cats don't usually get fleas since they're never outside. Although you have no dogs, I'm sure others do or other animals that may've been in your yard at one point or another. What I'd do is either try to wash w/a flea shampoo or call a vet to see what's best to use on a rabbit. Usually we put 7Dust on our outdoor pets but since it's inside, that may not be a good idea for y'all to do. I had good results w/the flea spray that the vet gave me for the cat but I'd still call first to see what you should use since it's a different animal. Good luck.
Fleas can be hard to get rid of. Yes rabbits can get fleas. Call your vet and ask them what you can buy over the counter for fleas. You can also call a pet washing place and ask them. Hope you did not leave your bunny or son in that room to sleep in after bombing...sure you did not but if you did leave the bunny in there it might be bad news. Good luck with getting rid of the fleas.
D.,
Call a vet's office and ask a professional about rabbit physiology! I learned my lessons the HARD way. About 15 years ago I almost killed my dear cat by giving him a bath in flea shampoo made for my dear dog. I was devastated and we ended up at the vet's anyway, with my cat on IVs for 36 hours. My dear cat survived, regained full health and lived to be 19 years old (thank God!) However, at the time, I suffered the trauma of having harmed my beloved pet plus a very expensive hospitalization of my cat. So, I have never forgotten the lessons I learned. The vet impressed upon me to ALWAYS (1) read labels; (2) check with a professional if I have ANY questions; and, MOST IMPORTANT (3) to recognize that each SPECIES is different and unique, with different health guidelines based upon their unique physiology. When administering flea treatments, drugs or any other kind of chemicals (and even some foods) to our pets (or other animals), we should not think of "animals" generically, but of each as an entirely autonomous species.
I also learned that here in Texas (and I suspect in most states) back and front yards are indeed prone to have fleas -- even if you do not have pets "living" in the yard. Birds continually carry fleas from place to place and most urban yards have transient animals such as squirrels, opossums, raccoons, stray/neighboring cats and even deer. So, I recommend following the guidelines for controlling fleas in and outdoors, at the following link:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1985-0...
I also hope your son's "bites" are all better. :) Fleas are a vexing problem. I'm very susceptible to both flea and mosquito bites, and I empathize with how much they itch :( I'm a big believer in dabbing on Campho-Phenique to relieve the itching; it absolutely works the best, for me.
Happy 4th of July,
K.
We had rabbits many years ago, and they can definitely get fleas. There have been good suggestions about the yard but please talk to the vet before you put any flea control product ON your rabbit. FRONTLINE is toxic to rabbits and causes seizures and often death. I have heard that REVOLUTION for kittens can be used carefully on rabbits successfully. Be prepared for a little bit of a fight if you do give your rabbit a bath. Best of luck and enjoy your bunny!
Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I had an indoor only rabbit and it did get fleas. Definitely check with a vet on the right product for your breed of animal. I used cat flea powder. Also if you get cedar woodchips for their tray that helps because cedar is a natural insect repellant. You can also buy shampoo for bunnies and put about 1 inch of water in the tub and give them a bath. (Make sure to clip their nails first.) Or take them to a groomer that has experience with bunnies.
It's very important to get the fleas under control before the rabbit becomes anemic and possibly dies. Rabbits have very delicate systems and can get deathly ill in a very short time.
Good luck!
There are plenty of products you can buy over the counter for flea treatment, but they 1. may not work well enough to rid your HOUSE (yes, house) of fleas and 2. may not be entirely safe for your son to be exposed to.
I would call a small animal vet to find out what they recommend. Yes, they probably came from the yard. Yes, if they are getting on your son (and not just the rabbit), you have an infestation and therefore are in your entire house. Yes, (as you have figured out) rabbits can get fleas.
It will not be cheap to take care of this problem the right way, but well worth it to do it right and make sure everyone stays safe.
There is probably something that you can use to treat the yard so you can continue to let the rabbit be outside while the cage is cleaned. I'm sure she loves getting to go out.
Good Luck!!
Only if they are outside.
D..
I used to work as a vet tech. First, please don't put anything on the rabbit til you get a vet's approval. Alot of flea medications can be serious/fatal if they are used on the wrong animal, or wrong dosage.
Also, anyone can bring fleas in on their shoes, pants from being in the yard with a dog, at a park, just about anywhere, so that is very possible that your rabbit got them from someone carrying them in the house.
It would be worth a call to a shelter/vet clinic to ask. Good luck b/c fleas are no fun.
Pesticides are extremely hazardous to children. Bombing is not the answer. It can cause neurological problems and break down their immune systems. In fact, epidemiologists are starting to think that pesticides (and disinfectants) in the home are probably the strongest predictor of autism in children.
The best way to deal with fleas is to use a vet-recommended medicine for the rabbit and vacuum vacuum vacuum. Vacuuming 3-4 times a day for a week will suck up all of the flea eggs, so they can't hatch and breed. As long as the rabbit is washed and/or treated, the fleas will disappear.
I just got a kitten and she was covered with fleas. I bought a flea comb and was able to remove most if not all of the fleas. I comb her frequently and haven't had a problem. If you can get your rabbit to sit still, get a flea comb and comb the fleas out. Dip the comb in soapy water to remove the flea from the comb. Fleas breath through there backs so, the soap kills them as well as keeps them from getting out of the water. My vet told me to bath my cat in baby soap too to help. I would think baby shampoo would be gentle enough for a rabbit too but you might want to ask a vet.
I just want to second the suggestion for using nematodes for your yard. Our yard and our dogs have been flea free for years.
Ok I have never actually HAD a rabit but any animal that has hair on it like dogs and cats I would think would be susceptible to getting fleas. You might start by using some sort of treatment on your yard since you let the bunny go out there. Before you use any type of flea preventative it would probably be a good idea to contact your vet to find out what might be safe for rabbits. One thing you could do that wouldn't hurt the bunny is to give it a bath. My vet suggested to us to use Dawn to bathe our dog and cats as it works pretty well on fleas. Not sure how much the rabbit would like it:-) Good Luck!
