Fur Mites found on 4 month old German/French Angora bunny

[scarymary]

Hi Everyone,
Since my bunny is four months old, how would you treat the tiny bit of fur mites I found at his rump. He just had a clipping and that is how I discovered them. I have been researching.

I called Jeffers Animal supply and they recommend the Performer Ear Mite Killer to dab with a swab on his rump for three to five days.
The breeder thinks I should use a flea powder safe for kittens and leave it at that for now and not give ivermectin shots because he is so young right now.
I have read about Listerine to put on the rabbit.
I have read about Sevin powder working.
And a bunch of other things.

I am wondering which thing will kill the mites, not kill the bunny, not destroy the Angor's dijestive track, not give me cancer, etc.

Thanks for any help,

Mary<br /><br />__________ Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:21 pm __________<br /><br />OOPS! Sorry for the misspelled words.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I am wondering which thing will kill the mites, not kill the bunny, not destroy the Angor's dijestive track, not give me cancer, etc.

Food grade Diatomaceous earth. It will dry the bugs out, but wont harm you or the animals.

 

[scarymary]

Thank you MamaSheepdog

 

[Miss M]

I second MamaSheepdog's suggestion. Food grade Diatomaceous Earth can be bought at a feed store or over the internet.

A tablespoon or two, sprinkled on his fur and rubbed in a bit, every week or so for 4 - 5 weeks, should take care of the mites and any that will hatch from eggs they've laid. I'm sure if there are any corrections to the regimen you should follow, MamaSheepdog or someone else will correct me.

I am currently treating with DE on my rabbits.

The only things you have to be careful of with DE are:

Don't get it in their eyes
Don't get it so close to their nose, or make a cloud with it, so that they breathe it in. And you don't breathe it in.

DE is the shells of diatoms, ground into a powder. Microscopically, DE is full of extremely sharp edges. It kills things like mites by scratching up their exoskeleton, causing them to lose water and dehydrate. At our scale, though, those edges are way too small to do anything. DE will not hurt a mammal unless it gets into the eyes or lungs. It is routinely added to livestock food. Some people even mix it in water and drink it.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I second MamaSheepdog's suggestion. Food grade Diatomaceous Earth can be bought at a feed store or over the internet.

A tablespoon or two, sprinkled on his fur and rubbed in a bit, every week or so for 4 - 5 weeks, should take care of the mites and any that will hatch from eggs they've laid. I'm sure if there are any corrections to the regimen you should follow, MamaSheepdog or someone else will correct me.

I am currently treating with DE on my rabbits.

The only things you have to be careful of with DE are:

Don't get it in their eyes
Don't get it so close to their nose, or make a cloud with it, so that they breathe it in. And you don't breathe it in.

DE is the shells of diatoms, ground into a powder. Microscopically, DE is full of extremely sharp edges. It kills things like mites by scratching up their exoskeleton, causing them to lose water and dehydrate. At our scale, though, those edges are way too small to do anything. DE will not hurt a mammal unless it gets into the eyes or lungs. It is routinely added to livestock food. Some people even mix it in water and drink it.

Your timing is amazing, I was just coming onto the forum today to ask about DE. Thanks for all the EXCELLENT information!!!