Meet Caramel

[funnies50]

Welcome!! Meet Caramel Bucky P.!!!!!!!! So happy that I got a new bunny today. Can anyone tell me what color s/he is?

S/he's a lot more kicky and chubby than Coco. Super fidgety, a little bit nippy.
The thing that worries me is that there's pretty big black bugs - I would describe them as pincher bugs (it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw it :roll: ) but they're way too small - crawling through the fur. From 1 mm to almost 3 mm - that seems fairly big to me. I don't know how to get rid of them (remember, I just got him/her today :lol: ) and the people at Petco...well...they work at Petco. :roll:
Please, any help and info would be extremely useful. I have Timothy hay on hand as well as a variety of veggies, including carrots. :help:
*squee* So happy, otherwise!!! :mbounce:
*sigh* I feel as if I'll be training Coco all over again. I know it's not her, but this new bunny - well, suffice it to say that hopefully, this rabbit will live longer than Coconut.
I have a temporary cage setup that will be replaced soon. I'll post more when I get a chance. Thank you so much, guys - you're all so great!

 

[Susie570]

Cute bunny! The bugs sound... odd :x lice, maybe???

I would suggest maybe using a flea comb to try and get them off??
Normally it would require a bath, but yeah, we know that's not a good idea.


Do they look like this?

<br /><br /> __________ Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:10 pm __________ <br /><br /> Oh and looks like it might be a blue tort?

 

[funnies50]

Cute bunny! The bugs sound... odd :x lice, maybe???

I would suggest maybe using a flea comb to try and get them off??
Normally it would require a bath, but yeah, we know that's not a good idea.

Oh and looks like it might be a blue tort?

Yup, no bath this time. :x
While I know the biggest bug I've found is nearly 3mm, the biggest louse in the photo looks almost exactly the same as the ones I saw. :| But the ones on Caramel are super fast, ducking around in the fur so I can't catch 'em. :evil: Right now I'm just irked and/or pretty worried. I hate bugs crawling all over my pets (I had this ordeal with several others :? )
Blue tort? I have no idea...you guys decide :lol:

 

[Miss M]

Caramel's adorable! Double-maned Lionhead, I believe? How old?

You can use food-grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) for lice. You may have to go to a feed store for that. I was able to buy some by the pound, at maybe $1.25/pound -- you don't need more than one pound, I promise! Do not get pool-grade DE, as it is toxic. Only food-grade.

If you use DE, Caramel will be a genuine dust bunny for a while. DE is a fine powder, and you put a couple teaspoons on the bun and rub it into the fur. What area you don't cover will be covered by the movement of the bun. You also want to dust Caramel's cage, and probably the floor in the room where it is located. Vacuum it up after a few days. You'll need to repeat the DE a couple of times to get all the hatching eggs. The usual regimen is three treatments, 10 days apart.

Other than DE and the comb, you could use ivermectin. This is a medication. Caramel looks possibly Vienna-marked, which means ivermectin may not be tolerated well (it can kill some Vienna marked rabbits). Could possibly just be broken, rather than Vienna... I am not very experienced at that. If you decide to try ivermectin, ask us and we will give you directions.

Congratulations on your new bunny! :congratulations: You've learned a lot about rabbit care since Coco. And you know you can always search for information here and ask questions. No big lettuce leaves, now.

 

[funnies50]

No big lettuce leaves, now.

Nope. :lol: Thank you, guys.

I was able to buy some by the pound, at maybe $1.25/pound -- you don't need more than one pound, I promise!

That's odd. :mrgreen: I don't know of any feed stores around here, so I may have to get it online - which, while it may not be a problem, also seems to be VERY expensive. :shock: Seriously. 2 lbs costs $20, minus shipping. :evil:

You'll need to repeat the DE a couple of times to get all the hatching eggs. The usual regimen is three treatments, 10 days apart.

3 treatments - fine. Eggs? :x What the - I never even considered that.
My mood - / :rant:
I'l get more updates later.

 

[BlueHaven]

Lice usually latch onto the hair stem and look like little white or yellow things.
What you describe running fast are probably fleas.

 

[Susie570]

Of course, DE works for fleas also.

Either way, I can't imagine a breeder who would let their bunnies be infested with parasites. :evil:

 

[Preitler]

Be sure you let the breeder know, maybe he didn't notice yet.

Hay is good, I would be careful with veggies and greens when you don't know what the bunny is used to. Best is not to change her diet for now, and if then very slowly.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Cute bunny, Funnies!

Let her settle in for a week or so before giving any new foods (with the exception of hay and a little old fashioned oatmeal) and then you can start with tiny amounts of other foods. No bigger than about the size of a nickel, and give the same thing for about three days before trying something new.

The bugs are probably fleas, but could also be bed bugs, which is what Susie posted pictures of. I thought that bedbugs hid somewhere and then fed on the host at night, but it is possible that they would stay on a furry animal, I guess. :?

Here is another picture of them:

Caramel looks possibly Vienna-marked, which means ivermectin may not be tolerated well (it can kill some Vienna marked rabbits). Could possibly just be broken, rather than Vienna...

I vote for VM, so no Ivermectin.

I don't know of any feed stores around here, so I may have to get it online - which, while it may not be a problem, also seems to be VERY expensive. :shock:

I sell small amounts for parasite problems in rabbits, since you don't need much at all when just applying it to the animal itself.

3/4 cup D.E. in a sturdy plastic box $2.50 plus shipping:



www.facebook.com/critterzchewzit

 

[akane]

http://www.amazon.com/Diatomaceous-Eart ... eous+earth Be careful not to breathe too much DE. It can damage lungs.

Ivermectin won't treat fleas or other external parasites than mites and lice anyway.

 

[MaggieJ]

Your new bunny looks very sweet and cute, Funnies. Hope she brings you much joy.

Edited to add:
I was concerned enough about the idea that the rabbit may be carrying bedbugs to do a bit of a Google search. I have no way of telling if bedbugs are the problem here, but you don't want to get them established in your home. Can you quarantine Caramel in a shed or garage until you sort out what's happening? Bedbug infestations are on the rise in North America and they're not fun.

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp
http://www.bed-bugs.com/habitat/bed-bugs-on-pets/

 

[funnies50]

Can you quarantine Caramel in a shed or garage until you sort out what's happening?

Yes, definitely. That won't be a prob.

The adult-fed one looks like some of the ones on him/her. But then again, they all look the same to me. :?

Be sure you let the breeder know, maybe he didn't notice yet.

The bunnies were kept outside in the yard, which actually explains a lot. :shock: Still, I can't believe nobody noticed the bugs. They are grouping especially around the rabbits eyes, which may/may not be confusing depending on your point of view. :x

Lice usually latch onto the hair stem and look like little white or yellow things.
What you describe running fast are probably fleas.

They look way too big to be fleas. Elongated, flatter. :shrug:
By the way, I'm almost sure there are worms. On the fur. Idk why or what they're doing on the fur. I don't know if it's larva (I don't even think lice have larva. Do they? :x ) I know they're worms because...well, they're moving (fortunately easy to pick off, but there's quite a few) and...I know what worms look like.

To the other things, guess the bun is VM, then! :lol:

 

[Zass]

I've seen feline advantage advertised for use on rabbits.
It's expensive, but it would protect your rabbit from pretty much everything, including some types of intestinal worms, I think, and it lasts long enough that you probably wouldn't have to mess around with repeat treatments.

 

[Celice]

If it's bed bugs you should be worried! check your furniture! if it's fleas then that's no much of a problem there are sprays and powders that will kill them off.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

Funnies, can you get a. Picture with a cell phone? We might be able to enlarge it and see. If it is bedbugs it's very serious--not so much for the bun, but for you and your family. They infest homes quickly and are very difficult to get out of your home (and away from yourself.)

Who did you get the rabbit from?? she is adorable but this sounds like a hot mess. My buns are living outside, and I've never seen worms crawling on them or had other parasite infestations. What did the other rabbits look like or the area she was kept in look like at her last home?

 

[funnies50]

Funnies, can you get a. Picture with a cell phone? We might be able to enlarge it and see.

I could try, definitely. The only problem is that these stupid bugs just move too fast. :evil:

If it's bed bugs you should be worried! check your furniture! if it's fleas then that's no much of a problem there are sprays and powders that will kill them off.

Don't worry, the bunny isn't currently allowed on the furniture or even the carpet. :lol: My mom's too worried that the rabbit's business will get all over the stuff. But I could check anyway.

Does anybunny happen to know why Vienna marking is so bad?

 

[akane]

Vienna marking is not bad. It can't be shown and it hides and shows up in later generations sometimes so it's annoying to breeders. There's no problem with it in pets or programs breeding for BEW.

 

[MaggieJ]

Funnies, I urge you to get the rabbit out of the house right now. If it turns out to be bedbugs, you and your family will have a serious extermination problem.

If your parents are agreeable, the best thing would be to take the rabbit to the vet and have the problem identified asap.

I'm sorry to come on so strong, but "it's for your own good." (Don't you hate it when people say that? :? )

 

[Miss M]

I have to agree with Maggie... I hadn't thought of bedbugs, and that has some really, really bad potential!

 

[funnies50]

"it's for your own good." (Don't you hate it when people say that? :? )

Yes. Yes, I do. :angry:
_________________________
Update:
The bugs are fleas. Definitely fleas. They look as if they're running on their sides.
I found a site where it said salt could be used to treat fleas? :shrug: Your opinion, please.
There's a few ticks ( lil yellow dots ) but that's not so worrying as the fleas.
No worries people, no bedbugs.

Btw, what is BEW? *geeks*