FLEAS HELP

[happymoon]

Hello Everyone….. I’m a new bunny owner, and I think I’ve encountered a problem. I thought my bunny Oliver had snuffles, because their was some white discharge, sneezing, and itching around the nose and ears. I had him treated for it, and it disappeared after a week. The itching however continued, and it’s odd to me because with the exception of four days he was primarily an indoor rabbit, but the itching started before then. I noted that he frequently bit himself while grooming and he grooms frequently. I thought about it, but nothing much came out of it until recently, and in that time, I’ve made my whole house bunny safe, so…. Imagine my nightmares, as I discovered I may have flees.

I should note that the itch doesn’t appear to bother him all the time, nor does it ever become more severe, or I think I would have noticed. Primarily it has become an issue for me, as I wake up and find what appear to be small mosquito bites all over my ankles and wrists. I’ve also never seen these fleas. Oliver is a Standard Rex with grey fur. the undercoat is white, but pulling back his fur to see them is basically impossible. He also refuses to allow me to hold him. I first thought it was bed bugs, but my mattress is brand new….so the chances are impossible. the bites are more frequent since my bun got access to my bed. He doesn’t seem to feel any differently. In fact the itching seems to have died down as it increases for him.

I’m not sure what to do, because my house is like a 3 room apartment with one of those rooms being a bathroom, the other is my bedroom and the last is everything else. Perhaps I’m paranoid. I hate bugs with a passion. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’ve heard about revolution and not to give my bun frontline, but my house being as small as it is, where should I put my bun while I get rid of fleas?

Also Oliver has a neuter this Friday, should I cancel and ask for a flea examination?

[Deleted User]

it might be mites, not fleas. Can you check to see if there’s a lot of dandruff or a scab like area? My buns both have mites currently. Asriel’s skin looks crusty and there’s a lot of dandruff on him, but it doesn’t turn to powder, it stays the same. Neither one of them are itching a ton. What area is it in?

[Bam]

Fur mites (cheyletiella) can bite people. They can’t survive on people, but they can cause serious itching. Revolution is the best thing for mites. If it’s mites, you wont see them, they’re too small. If it’s mites and you get Revolution, normal cleaning will do, although don’t steam clean, because mites like moisture. You can use diatomaceous earth on carpets and let it sit for 24-48 hours, it’s really difficult to vacuum out, but it’s effective against mites and its non toxic to buns. Cracks between floorboards, thresholds, window sills etc can also be treated with diatomaceous earth. The bun shouldn’t be on the carpet while its being treated, because its not good for those tiny lungs to directly breathe in the fine clay dust.

Mites typically come from the mama bun when the bunny is a baby. Small numbers of mites find a home on the baby bun and live there and the bun’s immune defense keep them in check. But if the bun later in life gets an infection or is subject to some other type of stress, the immune system can’t keep up and the mites are given the opportunity to proliferate freely. This is very normal, but of course not nice. 2-3 rounds of Revolution usually gets rid of the problem.

[happymoon]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 9/18/2017 9:23 PM

it might be mites, not fleas. Can you check to see if there’s a lot of dandruff or a scab like area? My buns both have mites currently. Asriel’s skin looks crusty and there’s a lot of dandruff on him, but it doesn’t turn to powder, it stays the same. Neither one of them are itching a ton. What area is it in?

He’s primarily itching around his legs. At this point I’ve just started spraying down everything with Apple Cider vinegar and water. I also put coconut oil with witch hazel on his neck and between his shoulder blades.

I haven’t seen any scabs. Rex fur is very dense. I can’t really see anything.

[happymoon]

Posted By bam on 9/19/2017 12:19 PM

Fur mites (cheyletiella) can bite people. They can’t survive on people, but they can cause serious itching. Revolution is the best thing for mites. If it’s mites, you wont see them, they’re too small. If it’s mites and you get Revolution, normal cleaning will do, although don’t steam clean, because mites like moisture. You can use diatomaceous earth on carpets and let it sit for 24-48 hours, it’s really difficult to vacuum out, but it’s effective against mites and its non toxic to buns. Cracks between floorboards, thresholds, window sills etc can also be treated with diatomaceous earth. The bun shouldn’t be on the carpet while its being treated, because its not good for those tiny lungs to directly breathe in the fine clay dust.

Mites typically come from the mama bun when the bunny is a baby. Small numbers of mites find a home on the baby bun and live there and the bun’s immune defense keep them in check. But if the bun later in life gets an infection or is subject to some other type of stress, the immune system can’t keep up and the mites are given the opportunity to proliferate freely. This is very normal, but of course not nice. 2-3 rounds of Revolution usually gets rid of the problem.

If I use apple cider vinegar will it help? I could look around for some diatomaceous earth.

[happymoon]

Hey you guys! Just updating! Turns out it’s the worst. It’s bed bugs. I recently bought my mattress. So I’m lead to believe that it’s either something I bought from a thrift store or I’ve been hearing rumors about the critters in my partment complex. So I’m going to show the pictures I took of them to the land Lord.

I decided to treat for mites on Oliver and will continue to do so anyways. I’m using 2 drops of pepermint oil to one tablespoon of coconut oil and putting on just enough to lightly coat my hands. It seems to soothe his itching which may also be from bed bugs. Not sure. Either way he seems to itch less. If nothing else he smells great.

Thank you so much for your willingness to help. It meant a lot to me!

[Author]

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