New Rescue Bunny!

PenelopeBun · Apr 26, 2018

Hi all, don’t really know if this is the right place to be posting this but hey ho! So on Saturday I went and picked up a new rescue rabbit, she is 8 weeks old but was assumed to be the runt of the litter because of how small she is, naturally I opted for her because she didn’t look well and I felt I needed to take her to nurse her back to health! Anyway, I took her to the Vets on Sunday because she had a sniffly nose and I was given a course of antibiotics which she has taken well and seem to be clearing up her nose, however I checked her fur this evening and she has white dandruff within it, and very small white things which seem to be moving but that could just be my eyes, so I have concluded she has a case of the mites. So my first question is, I have a vet appointment on saturday already, so will she be okay until then? If not what can I do to help her in between? And my second question is, she is a house bunny, and I use blankets in her cage and a fresh hay, instead of sawdust as I personally prefer this and believe it is better for her, so at what temperature and how should I disinfect these? she is also open range except at night so can hop around the entire house, so does this mean I have to disinfect not only her bed but my entire house, and if so, how!?

I have 4 guinea pigs and she has only been in contact with them whilst they’ve been in their cage and she has hopped around them, I’m hoping it’s not spread to them but will check them just incase.

Blue eyes · Apr 26, 2018

Some of the medical advice I will leave for those more knowledgeable. Just wanted to hop on here to warn you against allowing the piggies and rabbit to interact at all. They should not have any direct contact. Each species can be a common carrier of disease that doesn't hurt them, but is harmful (or fatal) to the other.

They (piggies & rabbits) also don't speak the same language. There is no benefit to allowing them together. We had/have a member on here that ignored such advice given here, swearing that her rabbit and piggie got along famously. That is, until the rabbit inadvertently kicked the piggie causing a few broken ribs and internal injuries. Best to keep them apart.

Popsicles · Apr 26, 2018

Hi Penelope bun,
So she will be fine a couple of days, other than being a bit itchy it shouldn’t cause any problems. Maybe keep her enclosed in a smaller area until she is treated, to prevent further spread around the house. I would keep an eye on the piggies, check their fur to look for the same lesions you have on the bunny but I wouldn’t worry too much. Humans can also get a few bits from the mites so look after yourself too!
I would wash any soft furnishings (bedcovers etc) that your bunny has been in contact with. Her blankets and your blankets, just washing them will kill them but just to be safe id put it on a 40-60 degree wash.
Like you said, disinfecting the whole house will be hard, just make sure you Hoover thoroughly, wash the carpets if you really want to, and ventilate really well - the mites thrive in dark damp conditions. It’s hard to know how well they can persist in the environment. Keep her shut away while being treated and hopefully there won’t be any left in the environment once she is better. Hope this isn’t awful advice haha!
Ask your vet about cleaning the house - we do learn it at vet school but honestly nothing is staying with me right now so not 100% sure haha. Good luck!

squidpop · Apr 28, 2018

Hopefully your vet is rabbit savvy and gives you the right mite treatment. When I suspected my rabbits might have mites I gave them Revolution for cats - and my Vet told me it was the one to use and gave me the dose. It was drops on the back of the neck and I think I did it twice with 21 days between. So the second dose would kill any new mites that hatch out in the environment later.

PenelopeBun · Apr 28, 2018

Thank you for your advice everyone, just to clarify she hasn’t actually been in direct contact with the Guinea Pigs, she’s hopped around the outside of their cage..vets today went well and we were sent home with good news that she’s put on weight, and is fully healthy, just have some more treatment to apply to her today and in two weeks time. Also bought some for the Guineas purely as a preventative measure!

PenelopeBun · Apr 28, 2018

Blue eyes said:
Some of the medical advice I will leave for those more knowledgeable. Just wanted to hop on here to warn you against allowing the piggies and rabbit to interact at all. They should not have any direct contact. Each species can be a common carrier of disease that doesn't hurt them, but is harmful (or fatal) to the other.

They (piggies & rabbits) also don't speak the same language. There is no benefit to allowing them together. We had/have a member on here that ignored such advice given here, swearing that her rabbit and piggie got along famously. That is, until the rabbit inadvertently kicked the piggie causing a few broken ribs and internal injuries. Best to keep them apart.

She hasn’t actually been in direct contact with them, she just hopped around the outside of the cage, and wasn’t really phased by them, and vice versa. I wouldn’t dream of putting them together.