Treating Your Rabbit for Lice

Consult Your Vet for Medication

If you suspect your pet rabbit has lice because it seems to be itching much more than usual, seek medical attention from your exotic pet veterinarian immediately. Your exotics vet can diagnose your pet with lice and treat it appropriately. Usually, vets prescribe drugs such as ivermectin or selamectin off-label (meaning the drug is not intended for this purpose but veterinarians routinely use it).

Do not attempt to buy over-the-counter medication from a drug store or pet store to treat rabbit lice. Human lice treatments are far too strong for a small pet and can kill your rabbit. Always play it safe and speak with your vet.

Clean the Cage Thoroughly

After your rabbit has received proper treatment from your vet, and before returning your pet to his enclosure, thoroughly clean and wash the cage, dishes, and any toys in the cage with water and some mild dish detergent. Be sure to rinse all the soap off before putting fresh bedding in. Throw out any bedding and food that could have been previously infected, and freeze any remaining materials to kill insects that may be hiding out. If it is below freezing outside you can also place the cage and belongings (without the bunny in it, of course!) outside to freeze and then replace the food, water, and bedding the next day. Be sure to freeze everything for at least 24 hours.

You Can't Be Infected by Your Rabbit's Lice

Lice are host-specific parasites. This means humans get human lice, mice get mouse lice, guinea pigs get guinea pig lice, and rabbits get rabbit lice. So don't worry about you or your child getting lice from their pet rabbit with pediculosis (lice infestation).

If a rabbit louse jumps on you, it won't bite you and it won't survive. You can't get lice from your pet rabbit, and you can't give lice to him either.

Mites Versus Lice

Simply put, mites are arachnids like spiders and ticks, and lice are insects like ants. There are also two kinds of lice, sucking lice and biting or chewing lice. The sucking lice are more worrisome than the chewing lice because of the possibility of blood-borne disease transmission and anemia (excessive blood loss). Mites, lice, and fleas are all parasites that cause intense itching and should be treated immediately.