Fleas

Treatment

Flea and Tick Medications

Advantage for small dogs or cats has been tried and tested safe for rabbits.

Natural and Non-Chemical Treatments

Many flea and tick medications are effective at eliminating and reducing flea infestations but use harsh, and sometimes dangerous, chemicals to do so. For mild to moderate flea infestations, there are several natural and non-chemical treatment options that can be effective when used properly. It is important to note that "natural" treatments do not necessarily mean chemical free or non-toxic to your pets.

Vinegar

Not only do fleas find the smell of vinegar offensive, but it makes environments too acidic for them to survive. There are several ways to use vinegar to eliminate and reduce fleas on your pets:

• Apple cider vinegar can be added to your pets dry/wet food; this works by making your pets blood taste bad to fleas.
• A vinegar and water solution (i.e. 1 part vinegar to 1 part water) can also be used when grooming your pet as a daily application. Spritz the water/vinegar mixture onto your pets coat and work into the fur.
• You can also use vinegar when bathing you pet. Unless your rabbit has a severe flea problem, bathes should be avoided to prevent unnecessary stress. In the event that you find a bath necessary, you should fill a tub or sink with about 1-2 inches of a water and vinegar mixture and create a soap and vinegar mixture (1 part soap, such as dish soap or plain hands soap, to 1 part vinegar). After placing your pet into this mixture, pre-rinse with vinegar starting at your pet's neck, lather your pet with the soap/vinegar mix and let set for at least a few minutes, and rinse thoroughly with water. While your pet is still wet, spritz their coat with water and vinegar and then thoroughly towel dry. It should not be necessary to bathe your pet every day or even multiple times per week. Just periodically spritz their coat with a water/vinegar mixture and comb for fleas.

Essential Oils

In addition to vinegar, there are other smells that fleas find offensive and make work to repel fleas.

Other smells/oil that repel fleas has been found in natural flea repellent products:

• Cedar Oil
• Cinnamon
• Lavender
• Eucalyptus
• Lemon grass
• Tea Tree Oil
• Peppermint Oil

Environment

• Create your own flea trap with easily available materials at home.
• Make your own diluted lemon juice water as repellent.
• Diatomaceous earth is one of the best organic substance that safe for human and pets. Diatomaceous earth (Short as D.E.) is good for pests with exoskeleton. What this substance does is it cuts into the bugs/pests exoskeleton and cause them to 'bleed' and dehydrate to death. Recommended use for flea infestation is spread this around the carpets and edge/creases of your homes for a few days and then vacuum the earth up. Repeat.

Further Reading

• House Rabbit Society, FAQ:Grooming, Fleas & Mites
• Sacramento House Rabbit Society, Fleas on Rabbits
• My House Rabbit, Treating Your Pet Rabbit for Fleas
• PetMD.com, Fleas Infecting the Body in Rabbits
• Kathy Smith, Fleas