I found what I'm assuming is a tapeworm in my rabbit's feces. It's long, white, and segmented. However, all my rabbits appear to be healthy and well fed. Maybe I'm wrong, but they don't look as though they'd been troubled by any tapeworm. I'm fairly sure one of the rabbits passed the worm, though. This raises many questions.
1. Do I have to worry about my rabbit getting more tapeworms now that this one is passed? Did it lay eggs in my rabbit?
2. We have multiple rabbits. Based on where I found the feces, one of two rabbits had the tapeworm. How do I figure out which one?
3. Should I worry about my other rabbits getting a tapeworm?
4. Should I take my rabbit to the vet, or is there something I can do at home? Do I have nothing to worry about now that the worm is passed?
5. How did it get the tapeworm in the first place?
Thank you if you can help. I'm very worried!
2007-02-01 07:03:31 · 6 answers · asked by Steph 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Don't panic, you probably found it pretty early and it can be easily taken care of. Yes, you need to be concerned that there are more and your other rabbits can/will get the parasite. And you should be concerned about yourself and family. Wash hands (and clothes if they come in contact) after handling the rabbit. Passing the worm is only an indicator that they are there. A rabbit can live a while with a tapeworm, it won't kill the bunny. It will weaken and sicken it, making it prone to other diseases. So the sooner you take care of it, the better for all your rabbits.
Tapeworms are most commonly transmitted by fleas (spread by birds, mice, rats, dogs, cats, etc.) Check and treat any other animals in your house or that come in contact with the rabbits.
I would treat all my rabbits, regardless of individual symptoms. There are over the counter products available from farm supply stores, but if you are not sure, ask your vet. He/she can give them each an injection of Ivermectin, (and it may need to be repeated in 10 - 14 days). It's a very powerful anti-parasitic med. That will take care of it. Be careful where you dump the rabbit droppings (when you clean cages/liter pans/etc.). Don't let any other animals come in contact with it (you know how some dogs can be! If they ingest it, they can infect themselves.)
I would also thoroughly clean all the cages and trays/litter pans and wipe them down with a bleach solutiion (3 tbsp/gal water). Let them dry completely before you put the bunnies back. You may want to have a fecal float done (by your vet) a few weeks after treatment to make sure they are all gone.
2007-02-05 06:36:00 · answer #1 · answered by Blue Giants 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tapeworms have a life cycle that usually involves 2 different species of hosts - the species of hosts depend on the species of the tapeworm.
1. Your rabbit may have additional tapeworms or ingest the intermediate tapeworm host and get re-infected. The segments you found contain the eggs. If fleas (or another insect) are the intermediate host they would eat the eggs which then develop to the intermediate stage which is then eaten by the rabbits.
2. You can check the feces for tapeworm eggs under a microscope after proper preparation of the fecal material. This is probably a waste of time (and money if you don't have the expertise or equipment to do it yourself) since both are probably infected.
3. Yes and also be concerned about you or your family getting an infection of one of the tapeworm stages. Depends on species of tapeworm. Wash hands thoroughly after handling rabbits and feces.
4. I would get medication from a farm feed store - which carry worm medicine for domestic animals.
5. It ate something that contained the intermediate stage of the tapeworm.
2007-02-03 11:26:07 · answer #2 · answered by Ray 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would assume it laid eggs and your rabbit will continue to have tapeworms until it is treated for it. You should take your 2 rabbits to a vet. It could have caught the worms from another animal's feces, perhaps outside. I haven't dealt with this particular problem, but I think you should definitely bring your bunny to a vet. I've heard worms can be treated in rabbits with a small dose of horse deworming meds, but I wouldn't have any idea what the dosage should be.
2007-02-01 13:51:46 · answer #3 · answered by learning_to_live_616 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your cat has worms by the sounds of it. go to the vets and pick up some worming tablets, treat all cats in your house hold if you have more then one. if you don't already, treat the cats every 3 months (for most tablets, check the box). this should stop this from happening Again.
2016-05-24 02:35:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
take your rabbit to the vet right now!
2007-02-04 12:26:45 · answer #5 · answered by Conna Sta 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
call your vet
2007-02-03 09:11:46 · answer #6 · answered by jerry 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋