Rabbit Fur Mite Treatment?

[shadow rabbit10]

You'll want to skip the oil treatments, it won't work on fur mites(they are great for ear mites though). My rabbit had fur mites and what worked was Ivermectin. I red-necked a small rice-sized dosage out of horse ivermectin, but it is easy to overdose if not careful.
By the time you see the walking dandruff, your other rabbits probably have it at the beginning stages. The mites have a month lifespan if I remember correctly, and the eggs live in fur that has left the rabbit too, so a harsh, thorough cleaning of the cage is needed once you does the rabbit. Even if the meds work, the mites can come back if they are not killed off.

The mites probably were brought in through the hay, as rabbits can live in stacks of hay depending on where you live, and get your hay. Good news though, most species of fur mite that effect rabbits are species specific, so most won't transfer to you.

Yes I'm avoiding the oil since these are not ear mites. I also specifically avoided the paste because I've heard how hard it is to measure out (the liquid might be a small dose but at least it's measurable). I did clean out the cages, but I guess they'll have to get cleaned out again after dose two. Did you put anything in the cages to kill off the mites? I vacuumed them out pretty thoroughly but didn't know if there's anything I should use on the cages. Thanks for the advice.

 

[trahana]

The liquid is the way to go if you need multiple doses, I happen to be in the poor box so I used my horses paste.
If these are wire and wood cages, I suggest taking the rabbits out and spraying it with a bleach mixture(scrub it in too), that should kill the eggs and mites. Rinse it down with water afterward, and make sure any fur is gone from the cracks in the cage. I'm against using any pesticide(natural or chemical) because of the rabbits way of licking things. If there is fur on the ground, you'll want to get rid of that too.
You'll need to dose them again in a month and that would be a good time to clean everything again. Fur Mites are a tough mite, which is why they can travel in hay to your rabbits.

 

[Rietta]

I know this is an old discussion but I was wondering what the outcomes are. I am dealing with it for the first time. Treated with the pour on cattle ivermectin 2 times and I see no more like mites. However wondering how long it takes the "flaky skin" to go away. Thanks for any help

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I know this is an old discussion but I was wondering what the outcomes are. I am dealing with it for the first time. Treated with the pour on cattle ivermectin 2 times and I see no more like mites. However wondering how long it takes the "flaky skin" to go away. Thanks for any help

Hi! I ended up administering inject-able Ivermectin orally at 0.2cc per 10 lbs. body weight. Injection is supposed to be more effective, but I did not have access to needles. Since my rabbits did not weigh 10 lbs, this required some math to get the corrected dose but ended up being an extremely small amount! I treated three times, each dose two weeks apart. The treatment ended up working, I cleaned out the cages and the mites did go away. I did have a second outbreak, but it cleared quickly and I have had no problems since. The skin flakes will go away on their own and the skin typically heals pretty quickly. I wouldn't brush out the skin flakes and fur; I think it is better to let the meds do their job and kill the mites rather than spreading them with a brush. Cleaning out the cage/hutch is extremely important to getting rid of the mites no matter how you treat, and I highly recommend putting some flea powder around the cage if you can't wash it (i.e. wood hutches) and then use a vacuum to suck up the powder after it sits for a bit and any potential mites. It would have been best to see a vet, but in a pinch this treatment seemed to work (at your own risk of course; I am not a vet and this advice was not endorsed/provided by a vet). So in theory, your pour-on Ivermectin should work. I could not find pour-on which is why I went with injectable.

 

[Rietta]

Thank you so much for responding! I have been using my daughters microscope to check for live mites. things are looking good. I cleaned out the hutches with treatment one and plan on doing it again, the powder thing is a great idea and sounds a bit easier than scrubbing as mine are wood/ wire combo (12 cages), I have never had the issue before, it makes me wonder how the heck they got them. Any way.. thanks again for letting me know it really helps to know the outcome.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Yes my cages are wood/wire too so I couldn't spray them with bleach or anything unfortunately. And same I had my rabbits for YEARS before I had this issue. Even when I showed them I never got mites so I had no clue where they came from. Not to scare you but don't be surprised if they come back. Sometimes if you don't clean the cage thoroughly enough they can resurface. I had a second bout of mites a few months after the first, but I have not had an issue since and this was about 2 years ago now. The ONLY good thing about these mites is that they're fairly easy to get rid of and don't burrow under the skin.