Mites & Fleas

Always check your bunny's fur for flaky skin or flea dirt.  Treatment is easy

Fur mites
Fur mites are quite common in rabbits and can be brought into your home in hay.  

The mites live on the surface of the skin around the hair shaft and cause damage resulting in hair loss and a dandruff appearance. If you are concerned that your rabbit might have mites, please see an experienced rabbit vet for treatment.  The vet will be able to to check the presence of these tiny insects under the microscope.

You can treat your rabbit for mites at home or at the clinic.  At home you can safely use Revolution for puppies & kittens.  It is the only safe flea treatment that we use if our buns ever have mites.  Each vial for kittens treats a 2 kg rabbit.  If you do not know the weight of your bunny, please visit your vet for advice.  Never home treat or overdose a rabbit on medication if you are unsure.  Do not use powders or flea collars.  These are dangerous to rabbits.

Please DO NOT use the other flea spot on treatments.  Some are toxic & fatal to rabbits.

Ear mites
Ear mites are a small microscopic mite that lives in the ears of rabbits. Because rabbits have very long narrow ear canals it can often be difficult to see these creatures even though they are visable to the naked eye. These mites cause severe irritation and large numbers of crusty painful scabs that can be seen in the ear. Your vet can find these mites by examining the wax and crusting from the ear under the microscope. The damage that is caused in the ear of rabbits with an infection of ear mites can predispose them to ear infection that can extend into the inner ear.

Lice
Lice are rarely found on domestic rabbits, but can be occasionally found in their wild counterparts. They are quite large and at 1.5 - 2 mm in length easily seen with the naked eye.

Fleas
There are two types of fleas seen in rabbits. The common flea (Ctenocephalides canis or felis) is often seen on rabbits
and if your rabbit lives closely with a feline or canine companion then they are very likely to get fleas occasionally.
Fleas can cause skin irritation and cause your bun to over groom.  This can then predispose the skin to bacterial infections once the skin's protective barrier is damaged by scratching and biting.

Rabbits can also get the Spanish Flea, Xenopsylla cunicularis smit. This is a flea that is specific for rabbits, it was released into Australia in 1993 to try and aid the spread of Myxomatosis in the wild rabbit population. This is a very real threat to outside rabbits and we strongly recommend regular monthly flea treatments to help prevent infection.