It’s not commonly known but rabbits can catch fleas much like your other pets.  They catch the common fleas off other pets but can also catch a rabbit specific flea from domestic or wild rabbits. The rabbit flea can infect other pets but the flea acts in an unusual way when on a species other than a rabbit, the fleas line up on the ears of your cats and dogs. If you see this sign it is likely your  pet has rabbit fleas!

A good way to check for fleas is to look for the flea dirt. Flea dirt is the faecal matter produced by the flea and it stains red on damp white tissue because of all the blood contained in it from feeding on your rabbit. One of our vets or nurses would be happy to check your bunny for fleas for you.

It’s important to control fleas in your rabbit as the flea is one of the insects that pass on the fatal disease myxomatosis. Additionally blood loss from feeding fleas may cause your bunny to become anaemic. The main symptom of flea infestation is poor skin and coat condition and chronic scratching which is very unpleasant for rabbits to live with.

You can use a monthly spot on for protection of fleas in the same way that you do with cats and dogs. If your rabbit is infested with fleas consult your vet as we may choose to increase the frequency of flea treatment application to control the outbreak. Additionally it is important to treat the environment that the rabbit lives in and other pets within the household.

Rabbits can be very sensitive to other medications so it is very important that a rabbit specific  flea treatment is used (they should never wear a flea collar).

If you have any questions relating to fleas in your rabbit or would like advice or assistance with treating your rabbit for fleas one of our team would be happy to help, please email or call 01363 772860.