Furmites or Just Dandruff?

If you see dandruff or flake on a rabbit's skin, more than likely it's caused by furmites.

This is an example of the rabbit no longer has furmites but the dandruff got stuck in the wool.   If this is a show coat, it'll be wise to use a slicker brush gently break loose the dandruff flakes from the wool then use a blower.

To rid of the furmites, most rabbit people use Ivomec.   It's off label use not shown in the description.   Give 0.25 cc per 10 pounds of body weight, wait for 10 days and repeat; it can be done either by mouth or by injection (by mouth is a lot easier).   The dandruff will "lift" from the skin, what happens is when the wool grows, the dandruff that are stuck in the wool will grow with the wool.   It's to be expected that the skin will become clear after two doses of Ivomec.     The dandruff does not melt or go away even when the furmites are killed by Ivomec, use a slicker brush to loosen the flakes from the wool then use a blower to blow them off as much as possible.   

For those who show, it's common to get furmites from time to time.  Even those who do not show, the chance is that hay could hide furmites too.   It's nothing to freak out about, just learn to pay attention and manage it as early as possible as the dandruff certainly affect wool quality either for show or for spinning.