Tick Treatments

[Kricket]

HELP! Both of my buns have had a tickon them in the last two days. I've found information aboutremoving ticks, butare there any successful treatments (tickdips, collars?) for rabbits? By what I understand ticks cancause all kinds of diseases like lyme disease and I've even heardrabbit fever can be a disease caused by ticks.

My bunnies are inside for the summer months, but when it isn't so darnhot in the morning, I take them to their run for some fun andexcerise. I am assumming they picked up the ticks outsidefrom the dirt...? I am SO worried. I am not againsttaking them to the vet, but sometimes I think we can share opinions andtreatments that are just as, if not more effective than the vet'srecommendations.

Anyone? Please

Thanks and BIG hugs!

 

[CorkysMom]

If you think they are getting it outside whenyou take them out to play, I think theres stuff you can get to treatyour yard...and if you do that, just treat around the area where theyplay so they can't get in it....just a thought anyway.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

I wouldn't use anything on yourrabbit. Treating the area around where they play is a greatidea. There is nothing, I believe, out there for use onrabbits. I would keep the grass cut short in the area wherethey play, no leaves, etc.

Sharon

 

[juicyjuicee]

Can you remove the tick from the rabbit?, butyou might want to take them to the vet because of diseases:?, if youtreat the yard , is that like using pesticides? and if your rabbit eatsthe grass if could eat the pesticide also.

 

[Trina]

I agree. If your rabbit eats the pestiside fromthe grass, (If you are going to put pestiside.) it's really dangerousfor your rabbit's system. Maybe, it's just a thought, that after allthe ticks are gone, sendyour rabbitto the vet so itcan be tested for any transmitted diseases from the tick.

 

[CorkysMom]

The stuff I'm talking about I *believe* is likesomething you can put around the parameters of your yard...and I getthe impression her bunnies play in a run, so it wouldn't be hard tokeep them away from the treated area itself....that was my thought.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

You treat the area around the run, not in therun itself. Maybe would keep the ticks and other bugs fromcoming in the run. I am sure that they make pesticides thatare non-toxic. I would use those but still only treat theoutside. Just to be safe.

 

[Kricket]

Great ideas! I have removed the ticksfrom my buns. Both ticks were on their noses (by theirwiskers). I used a drop of soapy water to get the ticks toback out, then I tugged on the ticks and they came right out.I put them in a ceramic dish and burned them. EW!

The ticks were really easy to see. I have Dutch buns and theticks were on their white areas near their noses. I am afraidthere might be ticks I can't see on their black areas.

Does anyone know if I should put some antiseptic on the spot after theticks have been removed? I was thinking Bactine might be bestbecause it doesn't burn like alcohol.

Also, sidenote how do ticks work (so to speak)? The last timeShorty & Star were outside in their run was Sunday.Star had the first tick on Tuesday and Shorty had his tick lastnight. Do ticks attach and move to different spots?I give them look-overs twice a day and there were no ticks on themSunday or Monday. Wasn't until Tuesday night that Star hadthat tick. I am just puzzled...?

 

[juicyjuicee]

Kricket wrote:

Also, sidenote how do ticks work (so to speak)? The last timeShorty & Star were outside in their run was Sunday.Star had the first tick on Tuesday and Shorty had his tick lastnight. Do ticks attach and move to different spots?I give them look-overs twice a day and there were no ticks on themSunday or Monday. Wasn't until Tuesday night that Star hadthat tick. I am just puzzled...?




Try this website:

http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/rbkimsey/tickbio.html

 

[Kricket]

Thanks Juicy! Great info! Kinda GROSS! :shock:

I feel terrible. Like it is my fault. Do you think I should NOT let them run outside anymore?

 

[juicyjuicee]

Ticks are awful, i saw on tv how this germanshepard was covered with SOO many ticks that they were just taking allof his blood, they were just crawling all over him, it was terrible,but he was saved.but anyways, Do you have a rabbit run outside?because like other people have said, you could treat the parimeter(sp?)of therun and not inside, but do they make nontoxicpesticides?- but i still wouldn't trust them- it could be non toxic tohumans but toxic to other animals. I really don't know what else tosay. good luck.

oh yeah i forgot to say but, don't ticks live in trees and then dropdown onto the host? Thats what i thought, so is your rabbit run locatednear or under a tree?


and.. i just found these quotes after i posted this:

"One of the most common questions people ask when there is atick outbreak is what pesticides can be sprayed to kill them. There areseveral chemicals recommended for this use but in most cases there islittle if any impact on the tick population. They are amazinglyresistant to most pesticide use."

"Since most tick-transmitted diseases are not transferred to the hostuntil the tick has been feeding for some time and is almost full, theearlier the tick is located and removed, the lower the chance of beinginfected by the tick pathogen. Never allow more than four to eighthours to pass without a thorough tick inspection. Make this a regularhabit, particularly when you are in tick-infested areas during thesummer months."

-found on this site http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/arthopo/ticks/

 

[Zee]

Poppy had a tick on her nose a little while ago and this is how I removed it.

1. With a cotton bud, smear some olive oil around the area of the tick, also on the tick.

2. With a pair of tweezers, gentle start to pull at the tick, apply more olive oil is necessary.

3. Repeat until the tick becomes off.

4. Burn in an ashtray or cermaic dish.

Presto, tick gone.