Angoras and dandruff

[lonelyfarmgirl]

I picked up a trio of english over the weekend, and the buck has the most awful case of dandruff I've ever seen. None of the angoras I already have ever had this issue. The senior doe I got was badly matted and had some dandruff. I sheared her, but haven't the buck, because I can't bring myself to waste his wool as he isn't matted except on the belly.

What is it from? They feed top quality feed and use the right supplements. Is it from simply lack of regular grooming? How can I get it out, and prevent these two from having it as their coats grow back? Or is his coat a total loss?

 

[ottersatin]

That's not Dandruff!
It's Fur-Mites.
Treat with Ivermectine/Zimectrine Horse Past Wormer.
a droplet of the past the size of a Green-pea rubbed on the paws/lips. They like the taste
and will readily eat /lick it off their paws. Even a double dose is usually not a problem.
Re-treat 10 days later. You can also rub Listerine Mouthwash into the infested area.
See my Website crescentvalley.webs.com [Diseases & treatment section for more info.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Make sure to keep him isolated from the others- if it is fur mites, they will infest your other rabbits!

Food grade Diatomaceous Earth is very effective for controlling insects, and can safely be applied to animals and their surroundings. I would dust all of your cages with it just to be safe.

 

[LindseysWoolies]

It could be dandruff English need to be blown out with a blower. You can use a shop vac on reverse. Although the others are right, it could be mites if it really is severe.

 

[lonelyfarmgirl]

Its all over his whole body, and its fairly even, all white. I figure mites would have concentrations in some places and be light in others. I looked really close and saw nothing moving, unless they are that small, I don't know.

The junior doe is completely clean. And yes, they are separated from my other rabbits. I have thousands of dollars worth of rabbit stock. Im not dumb enough to make that mistake again. I did once, many years ago. Never again.

 

[Brody]

Puff Daddy had terrible dandruff when he came in

It has cleared up but I'd be hard pressed to explain why or how

 

[AnnClaire]

LFG, how goes the dander issue?

I find that my EAs will have dander when their coats are long if I don't blow them out regularly. I keep them sheared in the summer, but in the winter, they go to full coats and molting, so I use my shop vac to blow them out 1-2x per week. When it is really cold, I also blow warm air back into their coats with a blow dryer set on low, otherwise the poor thing has to sit there for up to an hour blowing warm air back into his coat

I also find that up to a half a cup of oats and a quarter cup of BOSS each day helps keep this down ... just be sure to provide plenty of grass hay to help balance out the amount of protein and keep the digestion working.

You will know to cut back on the oats/BOSS if they start leaving ceocotropes And work up to that quantity slowly in the fall and taper off the same way in the spring.