Author Topic: walking dandruff (Read 5010 times)

princesspiggy · « **on:** March 11, 2011, 07:06:51 pm »

one of our does has had a bad moult, with bald patches. vet diagnosed "walking dandruff" (mites i think) and gave drops every 2 weeks for 6 weeks. only one rabbit is affected and she is in quarantine. apparently caught from the hay and theres no preventative measure, just treat when seen.
has anyone else experienced this?

Joe11 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 11, 2011, 10:38:00 pm »

We had a guinea pig which sounds like it was the same thing. We were told too that was caught from the hay and had a spot-on for it if i remember correctly. From then on we only used hay thats for small animals as it has been treated apparently!? Cleared up no probs tho so your lil one should be fine

princesspiggy · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2011, 05:31:15 pm »

i did ask the vet if i should have bought hay from pet shop but he said it might be even worse if the shop is full of rabbits. it hasnt spread through the others so thats ok.

Hopewell · « **Reply #3 on:** May 07, 2011, 08:49:49 pm »

I think that the parasite that causes this (Cheytiella parasitovorax) is carried by rabbits in low numbers and it is only when they mites get out of control that the 'walking dandruff' occurs. This can happen in heavy moult or if the rabbit has difficulty grooming itself. It will need treatment to bring it back under control.

princesspiggy · « **Reply #4 on:** May 12, 2011, 06:33:02 pm »

she recovered completely after a few weeks of treatment. luckily she was the only one to get it, which was a relief as the spot-on was not cheap and wev a few rabbits in the same shed.

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2011, 04:26:53 pm »

We had this too, during Easter. I'd used some of the hay that I feed the goats (farm hay) and it seems that the mange mites were in that. so now I only give the bunnies pet shop hay that's been treated and comes in the clear packaging. We used panacur to worm and spot on for the walking dandruff and they are looking lovely and shiny again now!

princesspiggy · « **Reply #6 on:** June 27, 2011, 11:51:29 pm »

the vet bill for the spot-on for her and her baby came to £50. it could have been expensive as we have about 20 rabbits. ikept her separate in a hutch outside for ages before i brought her back indoors. we only feed haylage in winter, otherwise i cut grass instead especially for them.