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Mites?

binka

New Kit
I just wondered, how do rabbits get them? Do they catch them from other bunnies, or do they just appear one day from nowhere?
I mean can they just come on all by themselves or do bunnies have to come into contact with someone/something that has them already? Because I scared of them! :? (Mites of course)
Thanks :D
 
binka said:
I just wondered, how do rabbits get them? Do they catch them from other bunnies, or do they just appear one day from nowhere?
I mean can they just come on all by themselves or do bunnies have to come into contact with someone/something that has them already? Because I scared of them! :? (Mites of course)
Thanks :D


they can come on there own via a stresses bunny, or the can come via contanimated hay! ie....badly stored hay/low quality hay, or so i am lead to believe by my vet!
 
That is true, old or dusty hay can be a cause. They can also catch them from other rabbits. Oli had ear mites after I got him - seems to be under control now, I just have to give him ear drops regularly to clean his ears. Poor little mite :lol:
 
My vet said that rabbit mites do not come in on hay as they wouldn't survive that long without a host. They are usually present on the rabbits in low numbers (as some mite species are on humans) and when the rabbit is stressed (new situation, bonding, other illness) it allows them to reproduce rapidly as the rabbit's immune system can't cope, that is when they get out of control and start to show symptoms. I think old and dusty hay causes the skin to dry out and irritates the rabbit possibly causing mites already present to get out of hand.

They can be caught from other rabbits and possibly through bedding etc that has recently been in contact with a heavily infested rabbit.

There are several different mite species that live in different ways on rabbits.

Caz
 
mites

well get that mite powder its real good i used to use it on my hamsters! you just rub it in to there fur and groom it out after a couple of days!
 
Oli has got mites again, it's really depressing. Thought I had it under control. He is only showing symptoms in his left ear - I am treating it with Aurotex. God this is so depressing :( :( :(
 
Re: mites

.::.whiterabbit.::. said:
well get that mite powder its real good i used to use it on my hamsters! you just rub it in to there fur and groom it out after a couple of days!

I think it would be better for a vet to diagnose which type of mite they are rather than just putting mite powder on and hoping for the best. Plus the mite powder may be harmful for bunnies even though it's safe for hamsters, as buns do a tremendous amount of grooming by licking, and it may not actually do anything to get rid of that particular kind of mite. If it was that easy, I could save myself a packet in vet bills :wink:
 
When I got Barney after 4 days he was scratching like mad and had patches of fur missing off his ears, we took him to the vets and they said that he had caught mites from the place we bought him from. So to cut a long story short he ended up having quite a bad case of this which ended up turning into ringworm (this can be caught by cats a lot so I was told) this is a fungle infection etc...etc... so the garden centre we bought him from ended up footing the vet bills as they where running over £150 by the time the treatment was up.

But the thing is he is all well again. Thank God!!!
 
I think Dillon (my male mini lop) has mites. Dry flakey skin and loss of hair appeared above his tail last week, so had a trip to the vets on Monday. Although they couldn't find anything under the microscope, they've given him an injection and he has to go back in a week.

My vet couldn't answer where they came from, so I'm non the wiser either!
 
Sounds like the same thing as Barney we had a session of the injections for mites and then antibiotics then it was on to the hibiscrub and when all else failed he had a night over at the vets while they gave him a special bath and took a sample of his skin. :cry:

i felt so sorry for him he was quiet for weeks!
 
i remember when one of my old ginea pigs got mites he went bald in places when i took him to the vets they gave me an oilment to put on his skin
 
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