Fur Mites

[Peach]

Well I brought in a Mini Lop I think could of brought fur mites to my herd.....eck.

I would take pictures but my parents just got home from a trip and when they took the camera they misplaced the USB cord -___-

I haven't taken my Mini Lops anywhere, so it's my only conclusion since this has been the last rabbit to enter the rabbitry...otherwise said rabbit is healthy and I'm waiting on a litter....

I have to go to work, but I'm going straight to TSC to pick up ivermectin. Do you just put ivermectin behind the neck or do you do both oral and on the skin.

At first I thought my rabbits were picking on each other, but some are getting it that are in divided cages (probably from me handling them after touching effected rabbits)

 

[OwnedByTheBuns]

I used Sheep Ivermectin. My friend told me: 1/10 ml per 5 pounds. I did that.

Mites were very easy for me to get rid of. I honestly do think that the DE helped. I just put DE on their necks. I did 2 doses of Ivermectin, 10 days apart.<br /><br />__________ Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:24 am __________<br /><br />Oh, and I did it on the neck. It seemed to work well.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

My Beveren buck had fur mites when I got him, and I have had a couple others with them as well. One application of DE was all it took to clear them up. I just put approximately a teaspoon in my hand, and start at the neck and rub the DE into the fur down the length of the body. Swipe their ears and forehead as well.

 

[OwnedByTheBuns]

ONE APPLICATION?! Mine took at least 4, AND ivermectin! Is your DE stronger over there or something, MSD? lol

 

[MamaSheepdog]

ONE APPLICATION?! Mine took at least 4, AND ivermectin! Is your DE stronger over there or something, MSD? lol

If it took multiple applications, they had already laid eggs and/or were already established in the surroundings. Mites will hide in cracks and crevices of wood, in bedding, etc. In your avatar, I see that you have straw in the rabbit area- the mites may have come with that, so every time you rebedded the area they were reintroduced.

I routinely apply DE underneath my cages, and sometimes apply it to the rafters in the BunnyBarn to control flies and other insects, so the mites had little chance of colonizing anything but the rabbits themselves.

Peach, since you bed your barn with shavings, I would powder that with DE, and you may also want to treat the walls of the shed. However, as long as the rabbits have DE on them, the mites will die within a couple days of coming in contact with it.

 

[OwnedByTheBuns]

Oh, well I didn't when the mites happened. Well, I had straw in there, and had tha same straw (like didn't rebed) for several months. It never got very bad. THEN after about 3 months, the mite problem started. So I put them in wire cages, and they still stayed even with several applications of DE. I don't know.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have never had more than two cases at a time, but treated all of the rabbits with DE as a precaution in case they had a few mites but were not yet numerous enough to cause hair loss.

It sounds like your mites had a stronger foothold in the area, so would be harder to eliminate. If your rabbits were in a colony at the time, the mites would spread a lot more rapidly, because they could easily move from animal to animal, and could also hide in the bedding.

There isn't anywhere for them to hide or lay eggs in my all wire cages, and any eggs that fell off the rabbits themselves would have ended up underneath the cages with the DE.

I have attended a couple of shows where rabbits were DQ'd for mites, so now whenever I return from a show, all of the entrants get powdered with DE. Even if no rabbits in their class have mites, there is no way to know if any of the rabbits in the classes prior had them and left some in the judging coops.

 

[ottersatin]

FUR-MITES
Will look like flakes of dandruff. It is caused by: Chyletiella Parasitivorax and Listrophorus Gibbus. They occur most commonly on the back of the neck. An over-population may cause Dermatitis.
SYMPTOMS
An un-thrifty coat, loss of fur around the face , neck and back.
TREATMENT
A good Cat flea powder, Listerine mouthwash rubbed into the infected area will make short order of the Mites. You can also use a droplet the size of a small green-pea of Ivermectine/Zimectrine Horse Paste Wormer. Repeat treatment in ten days. Do NOT use treated animal as a meat source for at least 30 days after last treatment.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

My friends rabbit had what I guess were mites, as I was advised here. I figured I'd use some DE to see how it worked, since I keep it on hand anyway. I did pretty much the same as MSD, just poured some in my (gloved) hand and rubbed it in. I also poured it around his hutch. I did a second round a week later just for good measure. They seem to be gone. His hair is growing back and I don't see any more flaking. I did notice my friend had flea spray for him, so I guess she thought he had fleas. I'm kind.d if annoyed she didn't tell me he had an issue, but he's not near my rabbits so it wasn't too bad. My plan was to use the DE first and if it didn't work then use ivermectin and kitten flea powder, since I read those were both good treatments.

 

[Peach]

Awesome! Thanks guys We are going to head to the feed store in a bit. Might as well pic up their feed for the month while I'm there so I won't have to make another trip any time soon.

I think raising rabbits should be a requirement for kids lol... I put my "rabbit" cash in a box for only rabbit use. It fluctuates with buying feed, equipment,sales...etc...but if I were younger, it would teach me more about living in my means and prepares you to have enough money for the unexpected like fur mites and such.

 

[OwnedByTheBuns]

I do the exact same thing. I think it probably is a great idea for kids, makes them learn more about "business". How much money you make, how much money you can spend, what you absolutely need to buy, etc.