You may be terrified of these little guys or perhaps indifferent, but either way many bugs mean trouble for rabbits venturing outside.  Here are some of the more common problems bugs can cause:

• Mosquitoes: Okay nobody likes these guys and we all know mosquitoes can carry lots of nasty diseases that they spread to us humans.  Well, it’s no different when it comes to our pets.  A pet bitten by one of these buggers could contract a disease or illness that could be fatal.  Take this in to consideration when building an outdoor rabbit run or letting your rabbit play around.  Although you want to keep your rabbit in a shady area, avoid places that are damp.  Areas in your backyard that are marshy, or where you have a pond or bird bath are major mosquito attractions.
• Fly Strike: Rabbits who are older, living in poor or damp conditions, have weak immune systems or have poopy bum syndrome (as I like to call it) are more susceptible to fly strike.  Flies are attracted to smelly, damp areas to lay their eggs.  Within a 24 hour period their eggs can hatch and maggots can burrow in to your rabbits skin to grow.  I know, doesn’t it make you gag just thinking about it?! Although rabbits outdoors are more likely to become victims of fly strike any fly flitting around your house could cause this.  Another major reason to keep those cages clean!
• Ticks/Fleas/Mites: The reason I personally hate ticks and fleas is because they can go unnoticed!  Mites pretty much go undetected to the naked eye, only their symptoms show up in your rabbits.  Fleas and ticks are fairly small so unless your looking for them, can be hard to detect in the early stages.  One of the most creepy things I’ve read is that where you find 1 flea, you can expect another 100 to be around.  Blech!  The fur mite is the most common mite to infect rabbits and causes dandruff like symptoms.  These bugs can be transmitted easily from outdoor wildlife to your rabbit if they come in contact.  They can cause itching and quick infestations in your house if left untreated.  All of these cause discomfort in your rabbit and lead to intense scratching.  If left untreated they can cause hair loss and damage to the skin including open wounds which may quickly become infected.  Checking your rabbits fur regularly is a great way to make sure their skin is healthy.  You can also use a flea or tick comb when grooming to see if anything comes out of their fur.  Contact your Vet if you suspect one of these culprits.  Revolution has been approved as a safe program to use on your rabbit and treats fleas, mites and ticks.  Shots of Ivermectin are also options your vet may recommend to kill mites.  This is applied just under the epidermis, every 2 weeks usually for 6 weeks.  If you have multiple animals in your house, it is recommended that you treat them all since these bugs spread so easily.  Then it’s time to thoroughly wash, clean and vacuum repeatedly for the next month or so to make sure you kill all bugs, eggs and larvae.  We somehow ended up with mites in the middle of our -30C Canadian winter and have been fighting them ever since.  I now keep all of our pets on Revolution so they can’t be infected again.  Talk to your vet about prevention, especially if you have other animals in the house or those who are frequently outdoors (such as dogs) and oh yeah – these can spread to humans too!
• Myxomatosis: This is a horrendous disease that kills approximately 90% of the rabbits it comes in to contact with.  The good news for us fellow North Americans is that it is unheard of in Canada and has only been reported in a few coastal areas in the United States such as California and Oregon.  In Europe and Australia however, it is a widespread and much feared disease for pet bunnies.  Myxomatosis is actually man-made and was created to control wild rabbit populations.  The problem with it is that it can now easily be spread by fleas, mosquitoes, ticks, lice and through contact with infected rabbits.  This disease causes puffiness and tumor like lumps around the head and nether regions of the rabbit.  Later on it can cause blindness, seizures, fevers, loss of appetite and listlessness.  Within approximately 2 weeks follows almost certain death. In the UK your vet can administer an annual vaccine to protect your rabbit from Myxomatosis.  It is recommended that rabbits in any susceptible areas are vaccinated (if it’s offered) and kept away from areas where wild rabbits frequent.  Again rabbits outside should be kept away from damp, moist or wet areas that could draw infected bugs.

I realize this is a pretty gruesome blog.  Nobody wants to think about these pests infecting our rabbits and getting in to our homes.  I do however, believe that knowledge is a great form of prevention so although this is not a happy post it will hopefully make you more mindful of the dangers your rabbit faces when being taken outdoors and preventative measures that can be taken first if you are planning to bring your Bun outside.