My 8-week-old bunny scratches a lot, but I see no fleas. What's wrong?

Mites would be the most common reason for scratching, mites cannot be seen with the naked eye at all (only under the microscope). you might want to take him to the vet in order to get a treatment for mites.

Usually if a pet is going to have an ectoparasite (parasite that lives on the pet's skin/fur), it will be on the pet itself and not out in the environment/on the floor. I would recommend getting a fine tooth comb and using it to look over your rabbit carefully. Based on the photo you provided it is possible this is a tiny baby cockroach (if you google search baby roaches you may find some similar looking bugs). Mites would be too small to see with the naked eye and lice have a different body shape. If you don't feel you can look through your rabbit's fur carefully/closely enough, a vet exam is never a bad idea!

It's very difficult to check for mites, when such an itching problem occurs the first thing that should be done is treating her for a possible mite infestation, i would recommend to take her to the vet ASAP, the treatment is usually by injection and it requires 3 sets of treatment 1 week apart.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

If his coat is as healthy as it appears in the photo you provided, I would not worry about this behavior at all. Rabbits can get a variety of skin diseases so be on the loom out for any redness, hair loss or flaking of the skin. If you notice any of these issues then there may be something to be concerned about. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi there. Some possibilities of what may be causing Opie's symptoms would be: 1. Fur mites (microscopic so you will not see them) 2. Lice 3. Fleas 4. Ear mites 5. allergies 6. ringworm 7. bacterial skin infection Many of these things look similar grossly. It is impossible for me to know for sure what it is. I suggest you get Opie to your vet for an exam so you can get him the best treatment depending on what the underlying cause of his symptoms are. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello, thank you for using Pet Coach. If she has no spots of hair loss/baldness and the skin looks normal then this may be normal behavior for her. That being said, she could have a skin parasite or allergies too. It is impossible for me to diagnose her over the internet. I suggest you get Cookie to a vet for an exam if this behavior persists or you start noticing bald spots or skin issues. Best wishes.