Flea related question! How long would it take for flea treatment to work...?

Er, this is assuming the little midgets in my rabbits' fur ARE fleas. But, let's suppose for a moment they certainly are, and that in any case, they've all been treated for them yesterday. I used Advantage that I bought from my vets, and applied it to all four bunnies, as directed, at the base of their skull. Their fur was nice and dry again by evening when they were returned to their hutches, which I had cleaned thoroughly (swept out entirely, squirted with cleany-fluid and then steam cleaned with a thingy-ma-bob we bought recently). So I did as much as was humanly possible, for me, to get rid of potential fleas lurking in the woodwork.

The way I understand it is that the flea stuff absorbs into the skin, and, from that, will kill the fleas when they try and feed from the bunny? I checked them today - they're most visible on Barney & Bella, because those two are half white - and I could still see them moving. Around their ears and neck, they seemed to have turned blackish and did appear to be dead... but further along their back, these little things are a reddish colour and were moving. They seem to be found mostly along the fur strands, not on the skin. But I was wondering how long it would take for those ones furthest from the site of application to die?

It's not that the rabbits appear is discomfort - in fact, I wouldn't have known they had fleas at all because they don't seem uncommonly itchy. I just don't like the thought of them having these little parasites, I feel as if I've somehow let them down by allowing them to get them in the first place.

I'm wondering if using something like a very fine toothed comb - like those used for children with headlice - would help remove them at all? And I read somewhere that applying Listerine to a cloth and wiping an animal over with it makes the fleas jump onto the cloth...? :shock: I'd be half curious to try THAT just to see if there's truth in it, but don't really want to do so if the rabbits would somehow suffer from it, obviously.




All the kitty-cats in this house have been de-flea'd.

Just wondering how long I should leave it before looking into treating them all again or something, because my vets charge me twenty quid a time for four pipettes, and I have four bunnies... So I'm trying to work out if I should go back for another batch now, or wait and see how this attempt goes first.

I've used one of them combs before on my dogs & cats, not exactly the same i no, but by brushing with one of them it gets all the dead fleas out aswell as the flea dust and just generally cleans them With regards to how long it takes to work do you still have the packet? it might say on there I'm sure someone will advise you who has more experience

it works or starts working as soon as it is applied and can take a few days to be effective.
Are you sure theyre fleas and not mites? does sound a bit odd. when you look at them are relaly smalla nd dont hop or move suddenly? if they kinda wigle or move slowly but steadily..its mites.

Hi

It's most certainly fleas - my bunny Ellie has been plagued with them this Summer.

I have also used Advantage, plus a flea comb, but they still persist. The Vet told me that the flea products have to be applied very frequently to be effective, which makes it very expensive unfortunately.

I just hope that when the weather starts to get cooler they will go. Ellie is a house bunny and I also have a dog (with unfortunately,fleas which I treat with Frontline), so I don't know who contaminates whom!

Best wishes

Bunty