I think we've identified Junior's problem: fur mites (thanks Annette!) His coat is strange, and he has little flakes of skin on his neck. I picked up the Ivomec and some 3cc syringes, the smallest they had at the feed store, and tried measuring out the .12 cc dose for the little man, only to realize it's about a drop, and I could not tell if it ended up in his mouth or not. Before I dose the other rabbits, I need to track down some tiny 1cc syringes, or maybe just add water.
I'm wondering now if everything is crawling with mites, and whether I need to get rid of the fur I harvested from Junior. I've been using the same grooming tools on all the rabbits, so I'm also wondering if I need to disinfect everything, and how to go about that. Anyone have experience combating dreaded mites?
The mites aren't slowing Junior down: I got him a rolly ball at PetSmart and he loves flinging it around. Right now it sounds like he's having a throw-down in the laundry room. The other toys I've tried are not nearly so much-loved, so next time I'm out I will have to get balls for all.
btw, I also joined the yarn-a-day challenge posed by Blonde Chicken. It's a little ambitious, and I am late to the draw, but tonight I spun up the entirety of Butch's coat. It's silky white and smokey, heaven on a bobbin - hopefully sans mites since it will become a hat for my head - pics to come.
Hi Jere, Mites are the bane of angora breeders existence and a part of life. Once you wash your spun angora it will be free of dander. You can treat your others as well even if you don't see them. I tend to not worry too much about grooming tools. I see the sun as a natural cleaner disinfect so maybe just sitting them outdoors would work? Also there is a product called vanodine that you can dilute and spray on things. It is really good to have on hand to disinfect grooming tables, etc. Juniors yarn is lovely btw.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Denise. And I use Vanodine too. It helps cut the smells in the rabbitry. Your ivomec dose should amount to more than a drop. I'll see if I can send you some sort of visual on the amount I give mine. I have read that it is hard to overdose your animal on ivomec within reason. You may have to soak some calf manna in the proper dosage and when they eat that they will get the treatment. It's easier than trying to squirt it into their mouth. Just get them a little hungrier than usual by waiting 2 or 3 hours past their normal feeding time and then give them the calf manna and they should gobble it up.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The calf manna trick worked perfectly.
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