Insect Infestation and Your Pet Rabbit

If improperly tended to, rabbits can develop a variety of health threatening afflictions. The following are some of the more common insect infestations that can manifest themselves on your pet rabbit.

If a rabbit spends a lot of time outdoors or around plants and bushes during the warmer parts of the year, there is a decent chance that a tick will find its way onto it. Ticks will leech blood from your rabbit until they are fully engorged, at which point they will fall off. If you find a tick on your rabbit, you can kill it by cutting off its oxygen supply by smearing Vaseline or butter to the affected area. Then simply remove the tick using your hands or tweezers. If you try to remove the tick while it is still alive, there is a good chance its head will remain burrowed in your rabbit's skin.

Mites are a fairly common problem for rabbits. They can cause a condition known as ear mange, which is very irritating and itchy for your rabbit. If you notice your rabbit has a mite problem, seeking veterinary assistance is the best course of action.

Fleas are a problem for most domesticated animals, rabbits included. If fleas get into your rabbit's hutch and lay their eggs, you are in trouble. Their eggs are very difficult to eradicate as they can be laid in any crack or crevice. For fleas on your rabbit, there are powders available that can successfully eliminate them.

Flystrike is probably the most troubling of all the insect infestations. It typically occurs during warmer, summer periods when a fly gets into a rabbit's improperly cleaned hind area and lays its eggs. Less than a day later the eggs hatch and maggots emerge and begin to burrow into the rabbit's flesh. This can quickly bring about death in your rabbit so it is very important to immediately seek professional help. Flystrike can be prevented by more frequent cleaning of your rabbits and their living areas.

These are some of the most common insect infestations of rabbits. Normally, if given proper care, these problems won't develop. However sometimes there is little you can do to stop an infestation from developing. In these cases, the best course of action is to seek the help of a veterinarian immediately, because the longer you wait the more detrimental it will be to your rabbit's health.