# Fur Mites?



## New Rabbit Mom (Apr 7, 2005)

I've got a mini-rex rabbit and she has fur mites.I would like to avoid stressing her out with an extra trip to the vet.(It's a two hour drive and she HATES cars.) So does anybody know of a place where I can order pet medicines? I've searched a lot of sites, but none of them seem to have medicine for fur mites. Or would I bebetter off to just go ahead and take her to the vet? Also, some sites say that it's okay to use cat mite medicine on rabbits, but I've always heard that was a terrible idea and could hurt them. So who is right? Thanks for reading...


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##  (Apr 7, 2005)

Never useCat anything forrabbits use only " for Kittens" on your rabbits whether it bespray , powder or dropsonly whats safe forkittens.

right now i am at warwith fleas on my rat but noone else has them yet and iwant to keep it that way .


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## Pygmy Fan (Apr 8, 2005)

You could try 1-800-petmeds . I'm not sure if they have rabbit medication, but they certainly have dogs and cats..-_-;


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## LittleMija2 (Apr 8, 2005)

Some people use a small pea sized drop of ivermectin, for horses.

The label says its dangerous and not to be used on anything but horses,but a lot of breeders and other people use it. I dont know what thegeneral consensus is on this forum about it, so maybe wait to see whatothers say about it before you go that route. I personally have used itonce but my girls reacted badly to it. I know people though who haveused it with no problem though. Im not recommending it because I dontknow enough about it to say weatherI'ts "safe" or notreally.Just letting you know thatits out there asan option.


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## dajeti2 (Apr 8, 2005)

Hello and Welcome. 

Here is a link to information on mites.



*Mites*:http://www.mybunny.org/info/mites.pdf

There is also a post about this.



Kitten flea powder works on rabbits forfleas.Dry skin can be a sign of [highlight=#88ffff]*mites*. Is it flaky?Looks like dandruff? 

At least three ivermectin 1.87% (it'sa horseworming paste that can be purchased at a feed store for between$12-$20) pea-sized amount on the forepaws where they can lickit off at 7 to 10 day intervals three times would help clear of anybugs. Be sure not to overdose. It's important to finish thecourse of treatment even if the condition seems to have disappeared.Although ivermectin isn't licensed for use in rabbits, it has beenwidely used for a number of years without many reportedproblems. That said, you might want to check withyour vet first. I know many breeders and pet owners that haveused it with great success.


If it is dry skin, there is an oatmeal shampoo that is made forrabbits.Should you decide to go that route, thewater should be lukewarm and best not to get the rabbit's head wet atall. Youhave to be careful when bathing the littleone because theyare verysensitive when it comestohot/coldchanges. Although I don'tnormally say shampoo them, if the problem persists, it's anoption. Make sure you use a hairdryer on them to completelydry them down to their skin.


Mineral Oil can be used for ear [highlight=#88ffff]*mites*, but is _very_messy.It clogs their pores and they suffocate, butI wouldn't suggest using it. I've done it and poor Tucks hada heck of a time getting that oil off of his [highlight=#ffff88]*fur*. 

Good luck and keep us posted.

Tina


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## cirrustwi (Apr 8, 2005)

Oh, that doesn't sound like fun at all.Maybe you could call your vet and explain what is going on and see ifthey could order you something? Maybe you could pick it up ata local vet. (When I moved, my vet did this for my cat whohas a chronic respiratory issue.) Good Luck!!

Jen


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## pamnock (Apr 8, 2005)

Since some rabbits may exhibit a sensitivity to certain medications, I'd advise going through your vet for the first treatment.

Common fur mite medications include, Ivomec (Ivermectin), kitten flea powder, Sevin dust or advantage.

Pam


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## New Rabbit Mom (Apr 9, 2005)

After reading the article and seeing the pictures, there is no doubt inmy mind that Maybelle has fur mites. I tried 1800petmeds and they saidthey didn't carry any medicines for it. (But I did find a lot of othercool stuff that I had to have ) So I decided to try the kitten fleapowder before I made her suffer through yet another trip to the vet.(She had ear mites when we got her and then an eye infection. poorthing) So I looked on the internet and found out that there was a newPetSmart about an hour from where I work, so I went to get Maybellesome kitten medicine and some treats, and guess what I saw... UltraCareFlea medicine for kittens and RABBITS! I'm going to put it on her firstthing after I get home from work tommorow so I can watch her and makesure she doesn't have any bad reactions to it. So I'm hoping thatshe'll soon be mite and flea free! Thank you all so much for answeringmy post! This is by far the best rabbit forum that I've come across,and I'm definately going to add it to my favorites and recommend it toeverybody.


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## LittleMija2 (Apr 9, 2005)

I just edited my post because as i re-read it inoticed i wrote that the stuff was strictly for bunnies. No, I wrotethat wrong, it was supposed to say stricktly for horses lol. Not surewhy it came out backwards but i corrected it lol. HopeI didntconfuse you, my apologies.


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