My Wonderful Flea Adventure! *pics included, GRAPHIC*

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OwnedByTheBuns

OwnedByTheBuns

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You know, sometimes it stuns me thinking that some people's most important thing to worry about is "the royal baby". And I am sitting here fretting about flea ridden rabbits. Anyway.

I can't believe I let this happen. I want to kill this rabbit. Okay, I don't want to, but do I let her suffer?! GAH! I am so upset with myself right now. I almost cried last night about how bad this is. I will honestly tell you guys, I did NOT notice this. I go out and feed everyone twice a day and I did not notice.

This is my rabbit, Holly. She has fleas and mites. Don't look if your plan is to harshly yell at me (trust me, I understand but no thank you). I am so stressed out. I can't stand this! What the HECK DO I DO?!?!?!?!?!

I treated the whole place with DE and dosed everyone with ivermectin. I'm just scared out of my mind, frustated and honestly can't stand myself at the moment. *sigh* :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :wall: :help: :cry_baby: Holly is the only one that is like this. Those dang mice.
 

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AWWW good video....POOR bun....Its ok....you obviously care,,,your doing SOOOOOO much to help them. its not your fault...just keep doin what your doin!!! and stay on top of it , and It has to get better!!!!
 
Thanks Flemish! I needed that! Oh trust me, I care! lol

But, it is my fault completely. ;) I have to stay on top of it if I ever want to breed her again!
 
We've all been there in one way or another! We know what your going through from our own personal experiences. When you got critters, you have critter related problems! [[HUGS]] To a fellow french lop lover!!! :)
I thought I was going to lose my one and only french lop the other day. :( He was coughing and sounding like he had snot in his nose. I could hear it but not see it for 2 days so I told my DD that he'd have to go, I didn't want it to spread to the other rabbits. The next morning he sounded clear as a bell. He must gotten something up his nose but I'm still worried and doing him last, just in case but he seems his normal self so I'm just keeping him in QT for awhile just in case.
Wish you were closer, only one guy has french lops hear but he never has any available. I would loved to have had a mate for mine.
Its hard to believe in the 80s I had 31 french lops! I sooooo wish I had some frenchies from the 3 lines I had back then. :)
 
I do love my frenchies. :) They are cute. I have 7 right now, used to have 14. I have Holly, Tom, Adelaide, Marmalade, Sweet Pea, Fresco, and Ginger. They are my babies but most of them aren't tame. Especially the one in the picture.
 
One of my boys lost a bunch of fur from his face (and a few others...but no one as bad as him), but about a month later and he looks just fine! ^_^ It was pretty shocking to go out to give everyone breakfast and find him bald though. D:
 
Poor thing, she does look pathetic, doesn't she? :(

I think most of the damage is from the mites. Now that she is treated, you will be surprised at how quickly the fur begins growing back. :)

If you don't note growth within a week, it may be that she has a secondary fungal infection. One of my rabbits had a case develop on his back from a leaky water valve, and I felt just as guilty as you do now.

I applied Blu-kote once and it cleared up, although his fur is STILL blue! You can also use plain vinegar which will change the Ph of the skin and kill the fungus. Another option is Nu-stock, which contains sulfur.

Continue applying the DE in your barn- especially in crevices and any damp areas. You may also want to apply it to the walls around the rabbits since mites like to hide in small cracks.

Good luck- don't worry, you will solve this problem!
 
You're not finding a lot of outrage because I think most of us have had at least one moment like this! I know I have.

I got sick, and my mom and the kids had to do all of the bunny chores. Guess who was the only one who knew the signs of wool block? Why would it never occur to me to make sure and spread the knowledge around? My son's favorite bunny died because they didn't realize anything was wrong.

I changed out the water bottle on Pinto, my son's other favorite bunny, because I needed his large bottle for some growouts. It never occurred to me that he would have trouble adjusting to a different spout. I could whack myself! That's one of the most basic things... making sure a rabbit is able to adjust to something new like that! And now he has wry neck because he dehydrated. Or, at least, that is the most likely explanation. My fault!

It happens... stuff gets by us sometimes, even when we care deeply and try to pay attention. Not that there's a good excuse, but it has happened to most, if not all, of us. :grouphug:
 
Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!! SO much! I needed this support just to make me feel better. I was walking around this place basically depressed. So I made this: post180201.html#p180201 to keep my mind off of things.

I know that fur loss if prom the mites, but I can't stand this. I can SEE the flea eggs AND fleas. I didn't even feel this bad when I watched my favorite lamb choke to death, to be honest with you.
 
I see no fleas, fleas cause crazy itching.
Just use horse paste wormer, ivermectin and the mites will be gone in no time.
 
I used ivermectin. OH trust me, there are fleas. Bad. Let me zoom in on the pic. It about makes me puke zooming in. I can not believ I let it get so bad. Hopefully I will see a tiny reduction tomorrow.

2eft8ps.jpg
 
Do you have a flea comb? They are invaluable. Invest in a metal one, and it will last you forever. Mine are over twenty years old.

Flea larvae feed on flea poop (the black specks which will turn blood red when wet), dander, and tapeworm segments.

By removing the feces and fleas, you will not only take adults out of the breeding pool, but will also be limiting the food supply of the juvenile fleas. Not to mention immediately getting the little bloodsuckers off of your rabbits.

A small container of water with a bit of dish soap will drown the adult fleas. Use something with a wide mouth so it is easy to scrape the fleas and poop off of the comb and into it quickly and easily.

In addition, if you have a shop vacuum, I would highly recommend that you vacuum your barn to remove as many eggs and larvae as possible. Make sure to apply DE afterwards because the vibrations will cause eggs to hatch and pupae to emerge as adults. You want to make sure they have to travel through the powder to get to a host.
 
It's ok, don't beat yourself up. Rabbits are very good at hiding things, they really are.

They are so good at it that when you feed/water they perk up, look normal and then one feeding it hits you that something is wrong.

I think we have all been at a point where all of a sudden we notice something wrong and feel guilty that we didn't notice earlier.

I second the flea comb and using a wide mouth jar with dish soap and water. It will drown any fleas you get off. Hope the fur grows back quickly and that the fleas and mites are dead by morning.
 
I hate to break this to you OBTB, but you're not perfect.

What would make you a bad bunny owner, in my opinion, is if you did nothing to fix the problem now that you've seen it. But...you are. You are doing everything you can, and asking for even more advice. That makes you about as far from a bad owner as you can get.

I know you'll fix this. You know it too, I bet.
 
That was nice, Marinea. :) Really. Oh, I KNOW I am not perfect, found that out awhile ago!

I know I don't have a cold heart. I wasn't raised that way. From the time I was born I at least have 3 kitties in the house, all rescues. I was "trained" to love animals and my heart skips a beat when I let these things happen. About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I noticed she was losing a bit of fur. She had mites and fleas. So I put DE on her. I thought I did it right. Well, things got worse. I did notice she was losing more fur, but I never even knew it could get this bad. Much less knew that it DID. So, it is horribly my fault and I know my family isn't happy. The house and barn. The 6 Dogs and eight cats. All infested. It is freaky. I am just so stressed. There are other things going on that are just stressful and so this doesn't help. I tried and I am not giving up. I am about to go broke but I am buying flea stuff tomorrow. Sheesh. Thank you cyber shoulders to cry on. :..(
 
Please don't ever beat yourself up about anything like this! You are doing your best. It happens! When you have animals, I don't care how big or little your facility is, things like this will get ya at one point or another. Don't fret! :D Ignoring the situation would make you a bad caretaker, and you're not doing that!
 

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