De Fleaing Rabbits

[stubert]

Hello peeps,

Just deflead my rabbits for the first time with Johnsons spray, i sprayed them on their back basically from behind the ears to the tail, pushed the hair forward too, and rubbed it in a little bit not down to the skin incase it irritated, Just wondering if thats fine or would i have to do their undersides a little bit?

Thanks for any help

 

[phoenixgsd]

do rabbits get fleas? ive heard so many things about the over the counter ones i dont bother with them for the cats, the majority of them dont work or just repell the flea to elswhere in the house anyway, bob martins have been the cause of a few fatalities

 

[Tuxyu3]

Pretty sure most household pets (apart from the obvious exception) get some kind of flea or tick. I do not know about rabbits but the idea of de-fleaing dogs is to put the poison on the back of the neck where the fleas go to lay their eggs or feed or something so they all die. That thing about repelling them to the rest of the house, i think you'll find they end up there anyway if left alive.
We use Frontline on our dog, not sure if they do anything for rabbits though.

 

[phoenixgsd]

yes fleas live and breed in your carpets and if you put a repellent on your animal they will feed off you instead, fleas only jump on a animal to feed, hence the repellents arnt worth the money, they are also like headlice, they adapt, thats why vets no longer sell frontine, because it no longer works, you have to go with the flow and use what works at the moment, stronghold, advantage or fibrospot all are really good (at the moment) the last two can be bought at pets at home, i have used all of these just this month and have been very efficient in killing the little devils

 

[Tuxyu3]

Really? I was under the impression fleas lived on animals and only jumped of in order to find a new host because they cannot survive without one for long, i could well be wrong though as i am not very up to date on flea biology . I personally don't deal with the dog but all i know is last time i checked we used Frontline and she is flea-less (we may have changed brands though).

Back to your problem stubert, if you followed the instructions then i am sure you will be fine. If you are not convinced maybe you could have a look on the internet to see if anyone else has been in your situation and received advice?

 

[Baccus]

To effectively get rid of fleas (and yes rabbits get them that is how myxomatosis was spread through feral populations as well as from mosquito bites), you need to treat all of the environment. If the rabbit is inside a hutch outdoors then the entire hutch will need to be treated with something that will get into all cracks and crevices. The bedding will need to be changed as well. And if the hutch is off the ground then garden lime (not hydrated lime) can be sprinkled on the ground under the hutch, even throughout the yard/ garden if the rabbit is allowed to play on the lawn.
If there are any other pets in the house then they too will need to be treated for fleas, as well as all the carpets etc in the house.
A vet will be able to tell you what chemicals will be safe for use on a rabbit, different chemicals react differently in different species, that is why what is safe to give a dog, can be lethal to a cat.
Once all of these measures have been taken there is still the chance that stray fleas will be dropped in your yard/ garden by wondering cats/dogs/ native mamals that roam about at night, so your best bet would be to now use the repellents on your rabbit. Natural herbs such as tobbacco, eucalyptus, sassafras, bayleaves and vetiver can be powdered and sprinkled through a pets bedding. Although if you can get a supply of eucalyptus leaves then these can be added whole to the rabbits bedding and it wont matter if the rabbit nibbles on them. In fact many a rabbit has been cursed in Australia for eating entire new eucalyptus reforesting efforts.
Apple cider vinegar added to a rabbits water is also refuted to aid in repelling fleas, apple cider vinegar has amazing qualities for many other purposes so it wouldn't surprise me if it can help with flea control too.

 

[stubert]

Well they are in the kitchen/under stair cupboard stay in the cupboard mostly but have free run, ill leave them in there for a while before bringing them in the house or interacting too much with them fleas wont have anywhere to go? will disinfect everything aswell maybe could help, and will take advice of previous poster only just seen thanks!

Also only other animals that have come in contact was my brothers labradoodle when i looked after him one night dont have anything else personally