How to Get Rid of Fleas on My Bunny
Fleas are attracted to warm-blooded creatures, including a pet bunny. Two common species of fleas can drink bunny blood, the cat flea or Ctenocephalides felis and the rarer European rabbit flea or Spilopsyllus cuniculi. Fleas not only are irritating, but can transmit tapeworms and potentially deadly rabbit illnesses such as myxomatosis. Getting rid of fleas on rabbits is a complex, multilevel task, but it can be done. Any other pet in the household also needs to be treated for fleas, because fleas can quickly hop from a treated pet to an untreated one.
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Things You'll Need
- Flea comb
- Container of water or alcohol
- Veterinarian
- Tuberculin syringe
- Topical flea application for rabbits or kittens of imidacloprid, lufenuron or selamectin
- Vacuum cleaner
- Washing machine
- Boric acid or fenoxycarb (if necessary)
Instructions
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Comb your pet bunny daily with a flea comb. Place a container of water or alcohol nearby in which to drown fleas. Fleas crawl away from the comb and can be caught before they hop off. Rabbits often enjoy the combing ritual. If the flea infestation is small, combing the rabbit and treating other pets and housecleaning may be all that is needed.
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Wash the cage or any toys made out of fabric in a washing machine. The hot water will kill the fleas. Vacuum around the rabbit's cage, where the rabbit rests or plays in the home when out of the cage, carpets and furniture. Fleas do not spend all of their lives on the bodies of their hosts and often hop off to rest in carpeting or bedding. Treat carpets with boric acid or fenoxycarb, if necessary.
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Treat the rabbit with one topical flea treatment made for kittens or rabbits. Rabbit safe topical treatments include the active ingredients imidacloprid, lufenuron or selamectin, or the brand names Advantage, Program and Revolution. Always call a vet to be sure of the dosage for your particular rabbit. Dosage is determined by how much the rabbit weighs. Fill a tuberculin syringe with a dose and apply to the back of the neck or where the rabbit cannot easily lick it off.
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Repeat as needed.
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Tips & Warnings
Dips or baths should be avoided when possible because being immersed in liquid stresses out a rabbit badly, according to the Sacramento House Rabbit Society.
Fleas like to hide in a rabbit's ears, so always check the ears when combing a rabbit.
If any linoleum or wooden surfaces are near the rabbit cage, clean with Murphy's Oil Soap. The scent helps to repel fleas, according to "Rabbit Health in the 21st Century."
Never use flea collars because the rabbit will try to eat them and may become poisoned. Collars are usually too strong for rabbits to tolerate.
Never use flea products containing fipronil, better known under the brand name Frontline. Fipronil can kill rabbits.
Never use flea sprays, bug bombs or flea bombs. These are far too strong for a rabbit. Rabbits clean themselves constantly and will swallow the flea killer.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit white bunny image by Val Gropo from Fotolia.com
