mosquitoes

[sanjoman]

Hi folks,
growing up we raised rabbits. They were primarally meat for us, in the end tho they started getting lethargic, just real ill. We were told they were allergic to mosquitoe bites. Is this true or was this just a myth?
thanks,
D

[MaggieJ]

I've never heard that idea before. Plenty of mosquitoes here in Ontario and the bunnies do fine. It is possible, however, that the mosquitoes passed something on with their bite to the rabbits... a parasite or virus. West Nile Virus and malaria are a couple of examples of diseases that can be contracted from mosquito bites.

[o&itw]

While I guess it is possible for a certain strain of rabbit to be allergic to mosquito bites, it is not the norm. Any animal that is plauged by a infestation of flies or mosquitos, though, would be stressed and at risk for other diseases. (think about haveing to live in an area like a swamp where one was getting a mosquito bite every couple of seconds ..... for you nothern poeple ...Blackflies..)As Maggie stated, there is also a posiibility that the rabbits got infected by the mosquitos with some other disease.

[Bamboorabbit]

Here in Florida we have skeeters 365 days a year and unlike up north there are a bunch of different species. Always see them in with the bunnies but the fur protects the rabbits from most of the bites. I'm sure the rabbits do get bit but they don't seem to care in the least.

[Terry W]

Mosquitoes actually are capable of draining the blood from adult caribou-- and those critters aren't necessarily thin coated, even in the summer when the mosquitoes in the Arctic circle are feeding..
any type of blood feeding insect can cause debilitating health issues in our livestock. whether it is the actual cause of the problem, or acting as a vector for something like a bacteria or parasite...

[Bamboorabbit]

Originally Posted by Terry W

Mosquitoes actually are capable of draining the blood from adult caribou-- and those critters aren't necessarily thin coated, even in the summer when the mosquitoes in the Arctic circle are feeding..
any type of blood feeding insect can cause debilitating health issues in our livestock. whether it is the actual cause of the problem, or acting as a vector for something like a bacteria or parasite...

That is a very different circumstance. Every couple of years he head to Alaska to salmon and steelhead fish and the skeeters there are out of this world....would have to see it to believe it. Not to mention the skeeters come at a time when the caribou have very thin coats. There can be tens of thousands of skeeters on each animal...... Even here in Florida the mosquitoes are not like that, annoying yes but not plentiful enough to drain an animal. Far as disease and bacteria you are dead right.

[o&itw]

There are a lot of blood sucking and just plain annoying insects and mites; mosquitos, fleast, ticks, chiggars, black flies, horse flies, deer flies, buffalo gnats etc. Some may transmit disease, some are just plain annoying. I have been lucky here, and have had no problem, but I have lived places where they were terrible on animals. I think part of the problem is the availbility of their prefered hosts. I have been in houses that have dogs with fleas, the fleas never bother the people, until the dogs are gone, but then they are a real problem.

I think each of us has to deal with the problems that we have at hand within the environment we (and our animals) live in. Maggie has suggested catnip (I think) as a repellant, and of course there are lots of other methods. Saying that they are or are not a problem, is purposeless, as we are not living in anothers location.

Sanjoman, I still doubt that your rabbits are "allergic" to mosquitos, that would be very unusual. If you do see, however, that you are having a problem with them, no matter whether it is from disease vectors, or sheer anyoyance, I hope you can find a solution.

[MaggieJ]

Sanjoman, talking about this with local rabbit breeders would likely be the best way to get accurate information about any dangers from mosquitoes in your area. It could be that whatever killed your rabbits all those years ago had nothing to do with mosquitoes... people get funny ideas sometimes. (For instance, pork is dirt cheap here right now -- apparently because a lot of people associate it with swine flu! )

I have found catnip useful to repel both flies and mosquitoes in the rabbitry. I just hang up big bunches and bruise the leaves whenever I go in to release the scent. A bunch works for several days before the scent fades. I do this mainly for the rabbits' comfort, not because I think they are at risk of disease.