Ear Mites

[RabbitLover9]

First of all, hi, I'm new here, just joinedtoday. I have two bunnies, Oliver and Junior. Bothare rescues, so they're not purebreds or anything. Oliver'sabout 3 pounds, Junior is a little less than that... so they'relittle. Bothareblack with a littlewhite. Very cute. I'll post picturessoon. But anyway, on to my question....

I took Oliver to the vet about a week ago because he was scratching hisears and shaking his head, and the diagnosis was that it was probablyan infection, but could be mites, and the vet gave me medicine that'ssupposed to treat both (Tresaderm drops). The next day Inoticed Junior scratching (they live together) so I called the vet andwas told to start him on drops too (this was on Tuesday). Somy question is... they've been living in the animal room at myschooland I just took them home for the summeryesterday. Can they give the ear mites to my cats?How long do mites live on things like clothing, towels, carpets,floors, etc? How long after starting the drops are all themites killed? (I know I have to give the meds for 10 days,but are they pretty much all killed sometime before that?)Basically, any information on ear mites would be greatlyappreciated. I would call my vet but I didn't really think ofit until last night after I got them home, and they're closed for theweekend now.

Thanks in advance.

 

The ear dropsgenerally kill a good majority of themites right off , but 10 days is properbecasue of hatching eggs , I wouldnt letthe cats interact closely withthe rabbits they mayacutually get transfered to thecats , and then you will betreating the cats , Keep them seperate forthe 10 day treatmentthen they all should be fine

 

[Carolyn]

Hi RabbitLover9,

Gypsy's got it right, as usual, but I just wanted to add that mitesthat affect cats are usually different from the ones that our rabbitsget. Cats can carry the mites that effect rabbits and pass them on.Definitely want to keep them all separated until the mites are dead.

It's very important to treat the mites and fully get rid of thembecause they can cause so many other more serious ailments for rabbits.They can get a head tilt from it, have difficulty hopping around, orlose their ability to use their back legs.

You might consider getting some NutriCal (nutritional supplement soldfor cats and dogs that runs about $10-20 a tube) and give it to yourlittle ones. It will help give their immune systems a boost, besidesit's just good to have around if the rabbits ever go off their feed. Itwill supply them with the nutrition they need until back on it, it haslaxatone in it in case they're having a slowdown of their system, itstimulates their appetite, and as mentioned earlier, boosts theirimmune system.

In the post entitled, "Top Picks", there's a link to what's called "ACheat Sheet for Rabbit Care". If you go into that link, you'll findnotes, book recommendations, and website links. When you get to thewebsite links, click on the website about parasites/mites/fleas. Itwill take you to a website that has all the information on the lifecycle of the parasites.



-Carolyn