What You Need to Know About Ticks in Rabbits

It can be common for rabbits to get ticks throughout their life, particularly if they spend some time outdoors. However even though ticks can be common occurrences in many pet households, it doesn’t mean that they should be taken lightly. Ticks can carry dangerous diseases or cause infections, especially if they’re removed incorrectly. It’s important for rabbit owners to know how to treat ticks and to take great care while doing so.

They are two main species of ticks that affect rabbits, the ixodid ticks and argasid ticks. Ticks are generally quite small (unless engorged with blood) and reddish to brown in colour.

Ticks can be very harmful to rabbits. In small numbers, they can attach to a rabbit and feed on their blood. The tick bite can cause a localised infection on the skin and irritation. If larger numbers attach to a rabbit, they can cause anaemia (blood loss).

Unfortunately, as ticks feed on blood they can also spread many harmful diseases to rabbits. The main ones are myxomatosis, Lyme disease, tularaemia, viral haemorrhagic diarrhoea, and papillomatosis.

Outdoor rabbits are particularly prone to ticks, but indoor bunnies can get them too! Ticks love to hide out on blades of grass and it’s in these areas of long grass that rabbits will be at risk of getting a tick. Rabbits that go outside even for a small portion of the day are still at risk of getting a tick and even rabbits that are 100% indoors can get ticks from contact with humans and other pets.

If your rabbit has a tick(s), there may be no signs at all. Watch out for any changes in grooming behaviour, irritability, weakness (due to anaemia) or sore areas of skin. As ticks can spread diseases to rabbits, also watch out for generalised signs of illness such as;

Rabbits can get Lyme disease if they’re bitten by a tick carrying the bacteria. It can cause skin lesions, such as inflamed and reddened skin. It’s a highly contagious bacteria and it’s zoonotic, meaning that it can spread to humans.

Suppose you think your rabbit has Lyme disease. In that case, you need to seek immediate veterinary attention and avoid coming in contact with your rabbit’s urine and faeces and be very careful handling your rabbit in general.

Ticks that are noticed on rabbits, should be removed whenever possible. Don’t try to attempt this at home if you’re unsure how to do it. An appropriate tick removal tool or tweezers needs to be used and the tick should be removed in one whole piece, without leaving the head of the tick in the pet’s skin. If you’re unsure about how to remove a tick, you should bring your rabbit to your local vet.

Never use dog or cat tick prevention on rabbits as many of these are toxic to bunnies! Your vet may prescribe a medication suitable for rabbits. Clean out your bunny's bedding and enclosure to get rid of any other ticks. If your rabbit lives indoors, you may need to wash bedding and any other household items they come in contact with. Treat any other pets in the house.

It’s not always possible to prevent ticks, as they’re very small and present in many parts of the world. However, rabbit owners can try to prevent ticks by keeping the lawn cut short, regularly inspecting their rabbit’s enclosure, and checking their coat daily for ticks. If you have cats and dogs, ensure you regularly treat them with tick prevention from your vets as this will help prevent transmission to rabbits.

Ticks in rabbits are a common occurrence, particularly in rabbits that go outside or in households with other pets. Ticks should always be removed as they can make rabbits unwell but it’s important to do this correctly so bring your rabbit to the vet if you’re unsure. Prevent ticks by keeping a close eye on your rabbit’s coat and keeping grass short in your rabbit’s enclosure. Find everything you need to help your rabbit live a healthy life, in-store and online.