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Can Hay carry mites?

Sarah1991

Warren Veteran
I'm just thinking after my little concerns about Milos ears here> http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...lo-has-a-scratch-inside-his-ear-(What-to-do-)

Could there be anything in the Hay that I bought from the farm nearby me?
I'm just wondering if the Hay could carry any mites or anything? I've read about straw itch mites. I doubt this stuff was treated and now I'm thinking even though the rabbits love the farm hay should I just used the bagged store stuff to be sure there's nothing in it? :(
 
Mine have got mites from bagged shop hay before, I don't really think there is any way to really avoid them.

The last time we had mites it was hay for pets hay about 4 months ago.
 
Mine have got mites from bagged shop hay before, I don't really think there is any way to really avoid them.

The last time we had mites it was hay for pets hay about 4 months ago.

So it is fairly common then? I'm sitting here itching at the thought of them! :lol:

Obviously I don't want the boys to have/get mites. But is it easily treated if they do get it? They do love the farm hay but now i'm a little paranoid about using it. The bagged stuff I used to get is thin and just seems rubbish compared to the farm stuff.
 
Mine have had mites occasionally from farm hay but they have had fur mites so they don't actually bite the rabbit just feed off dead skin so I just put some ivermectin on and this got rid of them. I expect other mites could come through hay as well. Have you treated yours with ivermectin recently? If you are worried then you could treat them anyway you can buy it online I use the pharmaq one as my rabbits are quite big and its cheaper to buy it in a bottle rather than those spot on ones. I calculated if I used the ones from the vets it would have cost me about £100 to treat 4!

I would just keep an eye on that little scab...make sure you check in each ear that there's no more scabs or brown stuff or wax or anything and if it clears up in a few days then you know it was just from catching the ear on something.

I still buy farm hay mine prefer it and they love having a full bale and if they get mites it's not a huge problem to treat them
 
Mine have had mites occasionally from farm hay but they have had fur mites so they don't actually bite the rabbit just feed off dead skin so I just put some ivermectin on and this got rid of them. I expect other mites could come through hay as well. Have you treated yours with ivermectin recently? If you are worried then you could treat them anyway you can buy it online I use the pharmaq one as my rabbits are quite big and its cheaper to buy it in a bottle rather than those spot on ones. I calculated if I used the ones from the vets it would have cost me about £100 to treat 4!

I would just keep an eye on that little scab...make sure you check in each ear that there's no more scabs or brown stuff or wax or anything and if it clears up in a few days then you know it was just from catching the ear on something.

I still buy farm hay mine prefer it and they love having a full bale and if they get mites it's not a huge problem to treat them

I might just get something to put on them just in case. Is it safe to put a treatment on rabbits that are 4 months old?

Where is the best place to get this stuff you use? Thank you!
 
Is it definitely OK to use as a preventative then? It wont harm them with them not having mites?

Should I just use it as directed or should I use less with it just being prevention rather than treatment?
 
Is it definitely OK to use as a preventative then? It wont harm them with them not having mites?

Should I just use it as directed or should I use less with it just being prevention rather than treatment?

I personally would not use it unless there is evidence of mites
 
One if mine had mites from hay too. She is a house rabbit so not much opportunity to get them from outside.

We had ivec stuff off the vets which cleared it up. She only had it once so I'm not sure I would use it as a precaution and i think it's quite a strong medicine. I would be worried about tolerance to it too as they can be horrid to get rid of.
 
One thing I do to try and prevent mites spreading to my rabbits from hay, is store it for over a month, where no mice or critters can get to it. If there are mites in the hay, then the storage time away from any access to animals can help disrupt the life cycle of the mite. Does take a bit of preplanning and space though, to make sure I have enough hay ahead of time to do this.

It's not too common for rabbits to have a sensitivity to ivermectin if dosed correctly. However it can happen, especially with Vienna marked rabbits such as those with the dutch breed genetics and blue eyed whites. I believe it's similar to the same sensitivities that can affect collie dogs because of the MDR1 gene. For these rabbits, selamectin may be a safer alternative for treating mites.
 
The farm hay is currently stored in one of these in my garden: http://www.coopersofstortford.co.uk...rodst09030i/?gclid=CJ-Cy5e3mb8CFenMtAodL0MAHQ

So if I perhaps waited a little while and then started to use it there would be less chance of mites? Last night I used some of the shop bought stuff as I didn't like the though of mites but my immediate thought was ''This is no where near as good''

Even the buns were sort of giving me looks like ''The heck is this!?'' they did eventually have a nibble though. The shop bought stuff I have is just thin and its only little tiny sticks of hay, where as the bale is lovely thick long strands of hay they can much on forever! I did put a little of the farm stuff in this morning as they just enjoy it more!
 
We buy baled farm hay and have done for many years. Mites only seem to be a problem when a bunny has a lowered immune system
 
All standard hay comes from fields and is not sterile. It is not 'better' just because it comes from a 'proper' shop in a plastic bag. It could actually encourage things to multiply in the warmer, moister conditions (moulds, mites, etc) as they are trapped in the bag and can't escape.

I would stick to the better quality hay. More hay eating = better teeth and fewer dental / digestion problems, which are much harder to deal with than the potential for mites. I always use baled farm hay.

As Hugo's There says - mites tend to only affect animals with a pre-existing condition - even if you are not aware of it yet. Healthy rabbits don't normally become infested, so any sign of of an infestation would warrant a vet visit to get a check over and appropriate treatment. As all my hay is from the same farm and supplied to all my animals, any that start to show signs of mites start to ring alarm bells for other health issues.
 
All standard hay comes from fields and is not sterile. It is not 'better' just because it comes from a 'proper' shop in a plastic bag. It could actually encourage things to multiply in the warmer, moister conditions (moulds, mites, etc) as they are trapped in the bag and can't escape.

I would stick to the better quality hay. More hay eating = better teeth and fewer dental / digestion problems, which are much harder to deal with than the potential for mites. I always use baled farm hay.

As Hugo's There says - mites tend to only affect animals with a pre-existing condition - even if you are not aware of it yet. Healthy rabbits don't normally become infested, so any sign of of an infestation would warrant a vet visit to get a check over and appropriate treatment. As all my hay is from the same farm and supplied to all my animals, any that start to show signs of mites start to ring alarm bells for other health issues.

Thanks for the info, I am going to continue feeding the farm hay, it would be a crime to take it away as they love it, I'm just going to use the bagged stuff as a base underneath the farm hay. I'm putting hay on the base of the entire enclosure at the minute as Milo had fur coming away from his feet where the callouses are and I wanted him to have a soft grassy base. Keeping a good eye out for anything that would suggest mites anyway. :thumb: They have no ''dandruff'' and ears are looking clean and lovely. They get checked every day so I guess I shouldn't worry.
 
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