One morning in early October I was carrying Cotton outside to the pen, and saw a tiny black insect disappear in her fur. I immediately thought it was a flea or a mite. It appeared again and ran along her face, I picked it off her and squashed it.
I went to the vet and asked about the best thing to get rid of mites and fleas on a 5 month old bunnies. The vet nurse gave me two tubes of Wagg & Purr for Puppies and Kittens up to 2.5kg (one tube per bunny). She said that it will kill mites, fleas, worms and heart worms.
Warning
I found out some time later that because it’s a topical medicine (put on their skin, not injected) it only kills insects that are on the surface skin and does not enter the blood stream of bunnies to kill internal parasites. So, the vet nurse was wrong saying it killed worms and heart worms in bunnies – it will kill those nematodes in dogs and cats though.
Plus, it’s not important to worm your bunnies, they can live quite happily with worms in their systems. But ask your vet to check whether your bunny needs to be treated or not.
I had to squeeze the whole tube on the back of their necks. After I did, both Cotton and Buttons shook trying to get it off. I realised it must have been cold because once it warmed up to their body temperature they went back to normal.
Each day I washed their bedding in disinfectant and let it soak for 4 minutes. In the water there are usually one or two dead little black bugs floating around. I made sure to rinse the disinfectant out thoroughly before hanging their bedding on the wash line to dry.
Cotton and Buttons got fresh hay in their litter box for the night, and a freshly washed and disinfected bed.
If I had known that my bunnies needed the Selamectin treatment, I would have given it to them earlier. In 5 days, they had put on weight, were eating more, happier and much more inquisitive.
Selamectin is reasonably harmless to bunnies over the age of 10 weeks. Vets usually recommend brands like Revolution for bunnies because it is the only accepted bunny-safe brand in Australia. Personally, I when I bring the bunny home, I would give it a single dose of Selamectin, just in case it comes with ear mites.
Fleas are pretty rare on bunnies, Buttons and Cotton got them because they dig around in the dirt under gum trees, and that’s a favourite breeding place for fleas. Bunnies can also get fleas from pet dogs and cats, because fleas can jump from one pet to another. So when you treat your bunny, make sure you do the same for any other pet in your house. Then wash all their bedding regularly, because fleas love spreading around.
Pet birds can also spread fleas and parasites to bunnies. You have to keep on top of the health of all pets in your house.
People can also get worms and parasites from bunnies, dogs, cats and birds, even though it is typically not the case, it can still happen. When parasites pass from animals to humans, it is called zootropic transmission.
If your bunny is a lop (has floppy ears) you may have to treat it for ear mites regularly, because they can’t clean their ears properly to get the mites out.
Or you can get a second bunny and it should do the cleaning for you.
Important
Only get the kitten and puppy treatment. Adult cats and dogs have a stronger dose of Selamectin in their tubes and its far too strong for bunnies. 60 mg/ml Selamectin is the normal dose for bunnies, no matter their size or age (older than 10 weeks).
Talk to your vet about the best selamectin (flea and tick killer) to give your bunnies. They will usually recommend Revolution Kitten and Puppy.
Selamectin does not kill parasites in rabbits.
Sometimes bunnies get a parasite. Selamectin will not kill internal parasites. Depending on how bad it is and which parasite they have, some people will suggest Panacur, because it is an all round killer. Other treatments like Ivermectin can be good, but the vet has to inject it into your bunny to start the dosage. On the flip side, Ivermectin only kills certain parasites and is not an all-round treatment for bunnies because parasites have become immune to it. Generally, it is not recommended for that reason.
Panacur is for the last resort. It is not something that you want to mistake for a simple treatment. It is nasty stuff and should not be the be-all-and-end-all treatment. People do misunderstand the dangers of Panacur and do miss-dose and misuse it. It is usually a 28 day treatment, which basically irradiates the inside of your bunny.
If you’re needing to use it, make sure you talk to your rabbit-savvy vet prior to starting any dosage. Never trust people’s opinions or knowledge alone.
Think of Panacur like this: It will either kill the bunny or the parasite, there’s no middle ground.