SH*T, we have baby bunnies AND FLEAS!

[LillFilly]

Ok, either the little bastards came in on the hay we gave momma bunny for bedding, or she brought them from the shelter, or I got them from someone else with pets. In any case, I've seen 1 on her and one on a baby. I've looked-up several chemicals; Advantage and Revolution being the only ones safe for rabbits. I also looked-up natural remedies such as adding a 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar to the water bottle, some garlic powder to the food, and some lavender oil or crushed bay leaves behind the ears. I'm trying the vinegar and garlic powder with momma bunny and put a little lavender on her and sprinkled some around the cage after I vacuumed. I'm trying the garlic powder and bay leaves with a 2nd pregnant female we have in the house just to be safe. I'm going to look for flea powder for the carpet and try to find animal-safe solutions for outside, because our yard was overgrown so badly when we moved into our house that it seems to be a haven for flies, chiggers, gnats and you name it! Also going to pick-up some fly bait&killer.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I haven't seen any fleas around the house, just one on my arm after I brushed momma bunny. I can't get a flea comb through her fur, and the babies don't really have any to comb so I tried to crush the fleas I found on them. I'm a little paranoid because I HATE FLEAS!!! I'm itchy just typing this!

[CorneliaMarieRocks]

hmm, well, the only thing I can suggest is to go to http://www.rabbitsonline.org & ask, there's a lot of fairly knowledgable folks who might have some ideas..I have a rabbit myself, but I've not had any problems with fleas, which is shocking considering he lives outside 24/7

anyway, good luck

[Merriweather]

I second going to the rabbbits website to get help, I'm sure rabbits are much different than dogs or cats, and then you have those tiny babies to worry about. In the meantime, maybe give them all new bedding in a different spot, and clean the old area, so you're starting in a flea-free zone for new treatment?

Wish I could help more, but I don't really know bunnies, and have only had one experience with fleas, and it was non-pet related - had to set off bug bombs in my apartment, luckily I had no pets at the time. It was the early 70's. I was young and stupid (all of 18). I decided to make sand candles. I used beach sand. Then I went off for the weekend to visit my parents. Came back to a house full of sand fleas. As i said, young and stupid, LOL.

[MoonCat]

Keep up the vacuuming, too. Fleas spend more of their time elsewhere than on the host animal, so you can get a lot of them that way. Put some fleakiller on a cotton ball or two, and let that go up the vacuum hose first, so any fleas you vacuum up will be killed. And when you change the bag or empty out the canister, do it outside so any that are still alive won't end up back in the house.

[Aethian]

In a three inch bowl full of water and a bit of dish detergant, a bright bright light about a foot above the water, and watch thoe little *beep beep beepidy* things drown themselves. Oh it helps if it's a little dark so that, that light is the brightest and hotest.

[strawbabies]

I don't know if you can bathe the bunnies, but I've washed kittens with fleas with Dawn dish soap (being careful to keep it away from their eyes), and it took care of them.

[LillFilly]

I'll look into washing the babies. I did go to a farm store and got a flea powder that is safe on all livestock and will be getting a spray for the yard that is eeeexpensive but perfectly safe for the rabbits and any food plants. The outside rabbits love wild onion, so maybe that will help them. I also got a fly bait trap. I'll keep up with the lavender and garlic with the indoor mama and babies; figure that can't hurt them.

OMG THE BABY'S EYES ARE OPEN NOW! Hee, they don't look impressed and one keeps falling out of the nesting box and stalking mom for milk!

[Elspeth]

OMG THE BABY'S EYES ARE OPEN NOW! Hee, they don't look impressed and one keeps falling out of the nesting box and stalking mom for milk!

And where are there pictures?!

I want to snuggle them.

[Seraph]

GAH MORE PICS!


Also, I totally got itchies just from reading this. I hate fleas too, my sympathies. ><

[LillFilly]

Ok doke. So I picked-up Wisdom Flowable Insecticide that was the only bug killer recommended as safe for livestock. We sprayed the backyard thoroughly with it. In the front yard and gardens, where the rabbits won't be going, I spread Spectracide granules. For the rabbits themselves the employee recommended a particular flea powder that she uses on her farm that won't harm the rabbits if they decide to groom each-other. So I'll use that on the ones outside, but continue with the more natural remedies inside, as well as get something to sprinkle on the carpet. I haven't seen a flea since putting the garlic in their food and the lavender behind their ears though.

Oh, I put new pictures on the other baby bunny post.