Worried baby bunny has fleas

[Sir Ollie]

My new bunny is 11 weeks and we’re starting to get worried that he might have fleas. He seems to scratch a lot and sometimes it sounds like he’s biting/chewing the fur on his hocks. I’ve been researching and it seems like this could be fleas but could also be normal? We’ve had him two weeks and it doesn’t seem to have gotten any worse. I’ve brushed him a bit with a flea comb and haven’t found anything but he also doesn’t sit still long enough for a very thorough check. I’m worried about him but also want to avoid an unnecessary trip to the vet if I’m just being paranoid.

[sarahthegemini]

I’d take him to a vet. It’s good to get him checked over anyway as he is so new to you. Plus if you’re in the Uk or Europe, he’ll need vaccinations too so might as well do it all in one trip!

[Bam]

It could be normal, but you can’t tell for sure if you don’t find any fleas or flea poop in the fur. Here’s an article from Medirabbit with pictures of how a typical flea infestation can manifest, warning though, there are nasty big pix of how the various fleas that can infesrt rabbits look too:

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

You can use Advantage on rabbits, for fleas. You can use the kitten dose. This is an issue we always issue when external parasites are mentioned: Never use any compound containing Fipronil on a rabbit. It’s deadly toxic to rabbits but very commonly used on dogs and cats. It’s sold under many different brand names, for example Frontline and Sentry, so be observant.

Do you see any kind of dandruff or flakiness in his fur? Rabbits can have fur mites (often from their mother). Advantage would not cure that. For that you’ll need Revolution (selamectin) or ivermectin.

Here’s some info about flea treatment from the Sacramento House Rabbit Society, scroll down to “what about topical treatments”
http://www.allearssac.org/fleas.html

It’s always advisable to take a new bun to the vet for a check up. And, as Sarah also says, if you happen to be in Europe or Australia, there are vaccinations a bun absolutely should have, and that could be combined with a general health exam.

[Sir Ollie]

I have been reading about mites and fleas so I think I know what to look for. I’ve parted his fur in a whole bunch of places and brushed with a flea comb and haven’t found anything. He skin isn’t dry or flaky either. I’ve read that baby bunnies get a new coat of fur around 3 months so I’m wondering if it could be that making him itchy? Also I’m in Canada so I don’t think there’s any vaccinations he needs but I think I’ll take him in for a check up once I find a decent vet (I live in a rural area and while there are many vet clinics there aren’t many that take rabbits. I’ve started the process of contacting them to try to find the best fit)

[Bam]

There are no vaccinations available in Canada atm.

If you haven’t seen any sign of any parasites and the skin looks smooth and fine, I’d just keep an eye out. I do think it could be the new fur. With young puppy dogs of that same age, frequent scratching is very common when the new fur comes in, but it should be “light” scratching. Frequent, but not, like, heavy duty. Obviolsy if he’s scratching himself madly so he could hurt his own skin or if it looks like he can’t get any rest or if his appetite starts declining, take him in. Really excessive itching can mean food allergy or sensitivity to certain foods.

It’s good that you brush him, it’s very good to get a young bun used to being brushed, because brushing is so important when he gets older and has real molts.

It’s smart of you to look into vets, it can be difficult to find a good one. Rabbit vets are sadly not super-easy to find in most parts of the world.

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