Treating Fur Mites in Rabbits
(c) Gryph- if you repost this article, please post with a link back to my website.
SPECIAL NOTE: I am a huge proponent of natural treatments; however, mites are one of the few things that I automatically treat with medications because they can be so contagious and so time-consuming to treat naturally.
Fur mites (Cheuletiella parasitovorax) differ from ear mites (Psoroptes cuniculi). Less often seen, Leporacarus gibbus is another fur mite (treatment is the same). A fur mite infestation is often called walking dandruff (cheyletiellosis) because large, whitish mites crawl across the skin and fur and cause excessively flaky skin on the rabbit. These highly contagious, non-burrowing mites live in the fur and feed off the keratin layer of the skin and can live short periods of time in the environment and infested rabbits often spread it to other rabbits. The lifecycle of fur mites is about three weeks. Adult mites are very small, around .3 mm to .5 mm, with eight legs. Pale yellow to white, fur mites cause skin irritation because of a digesting enzyme that they excrete onto the skin which partially dissolves the skin, letting the mite eat the dissolved matter. This is what causes itching, hair loss, scabs, and discomfort. Walking dandruff can happen at any age and can be everywhere. The parasite often shows up in young, older, obese or debilitated rabbits, especially if they have teeth problems, mobility issues or underlying diseases that prohibit adequate grooming to remove dandruff and mites. Longer-haired rabbits are also at higher risk of fur mites. These mites can also infect dogs and cats.
Infested rabbits may show no obvious signs of a fur mite infestation and you might not see any itching or scratching. You might feel scabby lumps at the back of the neck or above the tail. Visual signs include chronic "dandruff" or large white flakes of skin over the shoulders or just above the tail, chronic scratching of the hindquarters, the nape of the neck and along the back, scabs or sores in those areas, and hair loss in these areas. Affected skin may be reddened, oily, hairless and/or have scaly patches on the head, shoulders and back. On close observation of an infested rabbit, movement of the dandruff is often visible caused by the mites moving underneath the scales. The presence of fur mites can lead to skin hypersensitivity reactions.
Fur mites are very contagious and can survive away from their host animal for days up to three weeks depending on humidity and temperature. They can be spread in the following ways:
It is imperative that you sanitize your rabbit's environment to prevent reinfestation. Fur mites can fall off of or crawl off of the rabbit and contaminate the environment. While treating fur mites, carefully and thoroughly cleaning the cage, hutch, feed dishes, toys, water bottles and anything the rabbit can or has come into contact with is necessary. Remove any potentially contaminated bedding. This is another reason I do not care for wood hutches where the rabbit can come into contact with the wood- they are difficult to sanitize after exposure to parasites or disease.
To prevent infestations in the first place, there are a couple of things you can do. None of these will guarantee that you will never have an infestation, but these steps can help lower your odds.
The best treatment in my experience for fur mites is applying an avermectin drug, such as ivermectin. Avermectins will not kill the eggs, but with an appropriate dose, the drug remains in the tissue long enough to kill the larvae that emerge from the eggs. I recommend injectable ivermectin (such as this one). Note: this is an off-label use. You will need a syringe and a needle (I recommend a 20g or larger needle) to draw the drug out of the bottle (note: I also find that the needles can help slow down the application, making it easier to use only a few drops). Apply several drops to the base of the back of the neck (like dog or cat flea drops). Repeat in 14 days, then again in another 14 days (to break the life cycle of the eggs). You can also give the drug orally. I have found that injecting it is no better than applying it externally, and any time you inject a rabbit you risk an abscess. Alternatively, Revolution® (Selamectin) is related to Ivermectin and can also be used. (I do not recommend this- use Revolution on rabbits 10 pounds or more, and at your own risk.)
DO NOT USE HORSE PASTE. Horse paste is designed to treat a much larger animal and the medication is mixed into the paste but is often not mixed so thoroughly that a pea-sized drop (as some people will tell you to use) might have none of the medication in it or might have a dangerous dose in it. I cannot tell you how many horror stories I have heard (from close friends and people I trust) about rabbits who were exposed to toxic doses from using even a pea-sized dollop of horse paste. Some of the rabbits recovered, and some did not.
Ivermectin works by stimulating excessive release of neurotransmitters in the peripheral nervous system of parasites. It paralysis the parasite and inactivates the parasite gut. Overdose of ivermectin (which is a neurotoxin) leads to continuous "firing" of the nerves. Problems can include limb paralysis, seizure, coma, tremor and sometimes death.
If you prefer not to use chemical treatments, another treatment option is to treat with oil. First of all, quarantine the infected rabbit- this is very important to prevent further infestation. Mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, corn oil, and even vegetable oil can all be used. Do NOT use motor oil. Add a few drops at a time into any infected area (don't overdo it- more will be unhelpful and could make the rabbit uncomfortable) and massage the oil into the skin. The oil will suffocate the mites and kill them, although this takes time especially with fur mites. Oil treatment should be done daily for 14 days, and then again on day 21, day 28, day 35 and day 42 so that you can break the life cycle of the mites. Again, remember to disinfect anything the rabbit may have come into contact with during the infestation.
NOTE: Ivermectin is safe for pregnant and nursing does. Because its use for rabbits is off-label there is no published withdrawal time. Humans can take ivermectin as well, so it's up to you to decide if you want to have a withdrawal time. For cattle and swine the recommended withdrawal is typically between 21-28 days.
Infested rabbits may show no obvious signs of a fur mite infestation and you might not see any itching or scratching. You might feel scabby lumps at the back of the neck or above the tail. Visual signs include chronic "dandruff" or large white flakes of skin over the shoulders or just above the tail, chronic scratching of the hindquarters, the nape of the neck and along the back, scabs or sores in those areas, and hair loss in these areas. Affected skin may be reddened, oily, hairless and/or have scaly patches on the head, shoulders and back. On close observation of an infested rabbit, movement of the dandruff is often visible caused by the mites moving underneath the scales. The presence of fur mites can lead to skin hypersensitivity reactions.
Fur mites are very contagious and can survive away from their host animal for days up to three weeks depending on humidity and temperature. They can be spread in the following ways:
- Coming into direct contact with another infected rabbit- they will climb from one rabbit to another
- Spending time in an environment where an infected rabbit has been
- Through the hands and clothes of the rabbit caretaker from handling more than one rabbit
It is imperative that you sanitize your rabbit's environment to prevent reinfestation. Fur mites can fall off of or crawl off of the rabbit and contaminate the environment. While treating fur mites, carefully and thoroughly cleaning the cage, hutch, feed dishes, toys, water bottles and anything the rabbit can or has come into contact with is necessary. Remove any potentially contaminated bedding. This is another reason I do not care for wood hutches where the rabbit can come into contact with the wood- they are difficult to sanitize after exposure to parasites or disease.
To prevent infestations in the first place, there are a couple of things you can do. None of these will guarantee that you will never have an infestation, but these steps can help lower your odds.
- Keep clean living conditions and try to keep dirt and dust at a minimum
- Do not use straw as bedding or in nest boxes (straw tends to harbor mites)
- Avoid use of wood hutches
- Avoid overcrowding
- Reduce stress to your rabbits
- Provide balanced nutrition
- And MOST IMPORTANTLY- quarantine any new rabbits coming into your rabbitry for a minimum of 30 days
The best treatment in my experience for fur mites is applying an avermectin drug, such as ivermectin. Avermectins will not kill the eggs, but with an appropriate dose, the drug remains in the tissue long enough to kill the larvae that emerge from the eggs. I recommend injectable ivermectin (such as this one). Note: this is an off-label use. You will need a syringe and a needle (I recommend a 20g or larger needle) to draw the drug out of the bottle (note: I also find that the needles can help slow down the application, making it easier to use only a few drops). Apply several drops to the base of the back of the neck (like dog or cat flea drops). Repeat in 14 days, then again in another 14 days (to break the life cycle of the eggs). You can also give the drug orally. I have found that injecting it is no better than applying it externally, and any time you inject a rabbit you risk an abscess. Alternatively, Revolution® (Selamectin) is related to Ivermectin and can also be used. (I do not recommend this- use Revolution on rabbits 10 pounds or more, and at your own risk.)
DO NOT USE HORSE PASTE. Horse paste is designed to treat a much larger animal and the medication is mixed into the paste but is often not mixed so thoroughly that a pea-sized drop (as some people will tell you to use) might have none of the medication in it or might have a dangerous dose in it. I cannot tell you how many horror stories I have heard (from close friends and people I trust) about rabbits who were exposed to toxic doses from using even a pea-sized dollop of horse paste. Some of the rabbits recovered, and some did not.
Ivermectin works by stimulating excessive release of neurotransmitters in the peripheral nervous system of parasites. It paralysis the parasite and inactivates the parasite gut. Overdose of ivermectin (which is a neurotoxin) leads to continuous "firing" of the nerves. Problems can include limb paralysis, seizure, coma, tremor and sometimes death.
If you prefer not to use chemical treatments, another treatment option is to treat with oil. First of all, quarantine the infected rabbit- this is very important to prevent further infestation. Mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, corn oil, and even vegetable oil can all be used. Do NOT use motor oil. Add a few drops at a time into any infected area (don't overdo it- more will be unhelpful and could make the rabbit uncomfortable) and massage the oil into the skin. The oil will suffocate the mites and kill them, although this takes time especially with fur mites. Oil treatment should be done daily for 14 days, and then again on day 21, day 28, day 35 and day 42 so that you can break the life cycle of the mites. Again, remember to disinfect anything the rabbit may have come into contact with during the infestation.
NOTE: Ivermectin is safe for pregnant and nursing does. Because its use for rabbits is off-label there is no published withdrawal time. Humans can take ivermectin as well, so it's up to you to decide if you want to have a withdrawal time. For cattle and swine the recommended withdrawal is typically between 21-28 days.
