# Treating fleas on a rabbit?



## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

I have a 7 year old angora pet rabbit and recently we are seeing fleas in the house which I believe are being brought in by our puppy (she keeps outgrowing her flea controls before the month is up) so I know I need to likely treat the rabbit to keep him from becoming a host for them but I have no idea what to use for him. Thoughts? I've not actually seen fleas on the rabbit but he has a TON of hair so it wouldn't be hard for them to hide on him. I think I'm more concerned that they will jump to him once we get the other critters under control


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I'm not sure if fleas can live on a rabbit. They can't on some animals so if you eliminate the source the fleas will go away without treating the rabbit. However advantage and revolution should be safe for use on a rabbit. The difficulty would be measuring the dose which is usually done from a tube of cat advantage. If you want to spend the money a vet could easily do so for you.


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

Thank you! I'll probably wait and see then, I'd hate to overdose the old guy


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Oh yeah fleas can live on a rabbit! Ever had your hands on a wild one? Shoot yourself a wild rabbit and let it lie while you watch. As the body cools, the fleas will leave in droves. 

I know Ivomec can be used on a rabbit, but thats not for fleas. Maybe calling a small animal vet, or even an exotic vet in another city would help? Simply ask an anonymous question..what is safe to use on rabbits for fleas? I know most vets refuse to talk to you without seeing the patient, but that seems like a fairly safe and neutral question to answer.


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

Advantage for CATS is safe for rabbits.

Advantage for Cats - BayerAnimal - Product Detail


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## Zilli (Apr 1, 2012)

BoldViolet said:


> Advantage for CATS is safe for rabbits.
> 
> Advantage for Cats - BayerAnimal - Product Detail


This doesn't surprise me. I used to use it on my ferrets, per vet instructions.

To the OP: If you already use Advantage for your other pets, you can find out the dosage for a rabbit and use a syringe to measure it out appropriately. I buy the largest dog size and just adjust the dosage accordingly for all my cats and dogs - much (!) cheaper than buying the individual weights tubes.

My vet had told me to use one full cc for my ferrets (the larger dose had something to do with the ferret's metabolism - I can't really remember, it's been awhile) but I was never comfortable using that much, so I would just put one drop on, wait a couple of days and see if I could find any fleas, and if I could, I'd put another drop on. I don't remember ever having to do more than the two drops. Maybe you could do something similar for your bunny.


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

Zilli said:


> This doesn't surprise me. I used to use it on my ferrets, per vet instructions.
> 
> To the OP: If you already use Advantage for your other pets, you can find out the dosage for a rabbit and use a syringe to measure it out appropriately. I buy the largest dog size and just adjust the dosage accordingly for all my cats and dogs - much (!) cheaper than buying the individual weights tubes.
> 
> My vet had told me to use one full cc for my ferrets (the larger dose had something to do with the ferret's metabolism - I can't really remember, it's been awhile) but I was never comfortable using that much, so I would just put one drop on, wait a couple of days and see if I could find any fleas, and if I could, I'd put another drop on. I don't remember ever having to do more than the two drops. Maybe you could do something similar for your bunny.


That's a great idea, do you happen to know what the rabbit dose is?


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## Zilli (Apr 1, 2012)

eclipchic said:


> That's a great idea, do you happen to know what the rabbit dose is?


I found this:


> Topical products are gel-like substances that come in little pre-measured tubes. You apply the solution to your pet's neck, and you don't have to treat the household or surrounding areas. But before you try this approach, make sure you know what you are buying! Advantage, made by Bayer, is the only topical product that is tried and tested safe for rabbits. Dr. Brick says that Advantage is "a lot less hassle than the other stuff," and adds that she considers it a safe product for adult bunnies (she has seen only rare topical reactions from using Advantage, and even then, it was nothing serious). In general, a very small or dwarf rabbit should be treated with half of a pre-filled tube; bigger rabbits can be given a full dose. Because it takes a while for such topical flea treatments to disseminate through a dog or cat's coat, the HRS recommends that rabbits be kept apart from other animals that have been treated for at least 12 hours. Check with your veterinarian for specifics.


Fleas on Rabbits



> Rabbit
> 
> Adult less than 4 kg bodyweight (older than 10 weeks)
> 
> ...


Advantage Green for Small Cats, Dogs and Rabbits 1-10lbs (<4kg) - PetDrugs.com - Products for Dogs

So, the way I'm reading this is that a small breed rabbit would get the same dose as a small cat - a little less than half a cc.

Large breeds rabbits would get the higher dose - a little over 3/4 cc.

Maybe somebody could confirm that for me, to make sure I'm reading that correctly, but that would make sense because I give my cats 1/2 cc to 3/4 cc, depending on their size.

Again, if you're doing multiple animals, it is way cheaper to buy the large dog size and measure it out:

Advantage II for Dogs


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

Just be careful - with *AdvanTIX *for dogs, it can be deadly to cats- they cannot metabolize it. I would assume the same for rabbits and ferrets.


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## Zilli (Apr 1, 2012)

BoldViolet said:


> Just be careful - with *AdvanTIX *for dogs, it can be deadly to cats- they cannot metabolize it. I would assume the same for rabbits and ferrets.


I'm not familiar with that.

I know I've seen some debate about Frontline and whether or not you can use Frontline for dogs on cats - I've seen some people say it's fine, and others say it's not. Since there is a question, I would choose to err on the side of caution and not take the chance.

So, anything other than Advantage, I would not use - unless, of course, someone, such as a vet, could guarantee me it was safe.

Edited to add: If you look at a package of Advantage for Dogs and Advantage for Cats, it is the exact same formula. The only question, really is dosage.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I wouldn't use advantix on anything. It contain moxidectin which is related to ivermectin but it overdoses extremely easily. Even the equine crowd won't use it. People have killed mini ponies by being off on the dose and that's a whole lot more margin of error than something the size of most dogs and any cats. Cats are also sensitive to ivermectin so probably sensitive to moxidectin which makes it extra dangerous for them. I definitely wouldn't try to measure the stuff out for a small animal. Far too easy to make an error. Regular advantage and the other avermectins (ivermectin, ingredient in revolution, etc..) have a huge safety margin making it hard to over dose even small animals although I have seen it done with dwarf hamsters. With the exception of cats and certain dogs who are sensitive to them.


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

I picked up the xlarge dog advantage II since that's what was on the shelf. Boy you aren't kidding about the pricing...the xlarge dog was CHEAPER than the much smaller cat version. I double checked the concentrations and they matched perfectly. I have a pyrenees puppy so it won't be long before she takes the full xlarge dog dose so I consider it a good buy. Anyhow, everyone is getting treated tonight and I'll probably give him the small cat dose .04ml since he's probably around 6-7lbs.


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## Zilli (Apr 1, 2012)

eclipchic said:


> I picked up the xlarge dog advantage II since that's what was on the shelf. Boy you aren't kidding about the pricing...the xlarge dog was CHEAPER than the much smaller cat version. I double checked the concentrations and they matched perfectly. I have a pyrenees puppy so it won't be long before she takes the full xlarge dog dose so I consider it a good buy. Anyhow, everyone is getting treated tonight and I'll probably give him the small cat dose .04ml since he's probably around 6-7lbs.


:thumb:


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## Elsbet (Apr 2, 2009)

I almost think it was Advantage I used to treat a mange mite infestation in my meat rabbits. It worked great. This was a few years back.


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