Booklice on rabbit

[tigerbabe]

Hi, My rabbit shed, hutch and run have a book lice infestation. I know how to kill them and sort out the housing as I had to do it once years ago.
The problem is the book lice are also in my rabbits fur.
So any housing I clean will just be reinfested as soon as I put her in it.
It also means I cannot bring her indoors for any reason (if she became poorly etc) as I cannot risk my house becoming infested with booklice.
How on earth do I get rid of the ones that are living in her fur!????

 

[tonibun]

I am sorry you have this problem. I have never heard of it before and suggest you ring your Vet for advice.

 

[Shimmer]

I would also ask your vet. You have to be careful which insecticides you use on rabbits, and you need one that works on the pest you have.

Meanwhile, will a human headlice zapper comb help? It's a fine tooth comb (like a flea comb) but battery operated so it kills insects that come in contact with the teeth, so no risk to the rabbit, and you can use it as often as you want.

 

[SarahP]

I'm really no expert, but I thought those sorts of lice live on dust, so probably also live on the hay dust? I can't imagine that they are living off your rabbits. :?

 

[tonibun]

I have just Googled this and it seems book lice live in damp places and one way to get rid of them is by extra ventilation.

 

[SarahP]

I have just Googled this and it seems book lice live in damp places and one way to get rid of them is by extra ventilation.

Yes, I think you want to keep the humidity under 60%.

 

[SarahP]

Thinking about it, are you sure they aren't hay mites/lice? That's really common.

 

[tigerbabe]

I'm pretty sure they are booklice. I dealt with them years ago and they aren't uncommon in hay / straw.

Humidity and dampness isn't really something I can control as my rabbits are outdoors.

They aren't living off of my rabbit Sarah but they are on her... They are in the environment she lives in so it seems logical enough that they would also go on her.

I've spoken to a trusted rescuer and they said ivermectin would do the trick and that their vet also does a disinfectant to clear them from the housing.

 

[tonibun]

Ivermectin is very good so I hope you can eradicate them soon.

 

[Elena]

I'm pretty sure they are booklice. I dealt with them years ago and they aren't uncommon in hay / straw.

Humidity and dampness isn't really something I can control as my rabbits are outdoors.

They aren't living off of my rabbit Sarah but they are on her... They are in the environment she lives in so it seems logical enough that they would also go on her.

I've spoken to a trusted rescuer and they said ivermectin would do the trick and that their vet also does a disinfectant to clear them from the housing.

I think this is what Imogen had, we treated them for fleas but made no difference. I swapped from baled hay to Dust Free Hay and they went.

 

[keletkezes]

Booklice and hay mites look very similar and do the same sorts of things. They are different but can be treated as the same in rabbits' housing. I've found with outdoor stuff you just have to accept bugs are a thing. We've never had enough to worry about but there's always a couple of mites on the wall behind the hayrack. It's not dropped below 65% humidity in Nottingham (probably even higher in my microclimate) since early October.

 

[Shimmer]

I would be worried about why they (whatever they are) are actually visible on the rabbit. There are mites etc in their normal environment, but they shouldn't infest the rabbit to the point where it is noticeable. A rabbit would normally groom the beasties out. If they are unable to groom properly, it needs investigating by a vet. Often it is dental or arthritis which makes it harder for bunny to groom efficiently, or they are run down for other reasons and are not grooming themselves - then you notice hay mites, etc in the fur.