Mites or Allergy?

Ok, so I took Rocky to the vet the other day and I asked about fur mites. The doc said that he didn't think he had them. The reason I asked about it was because Rocky gets very itchy all over and it annoys him. When i lightly scratch his back he starts licking and wiggling like dogs do when u give them a good scratch. I looked at his skin and it looks a little dandruffy.

The doc said that he thinks it's an allergy because he hasn't got bald patches and his fur isn't falling out. He is moulting, but he has been moulting for months which is another reason I thought mites. I know some bunnies are just constant moulters and he is only 1 and a couple of months old so not old enough for me to notice a moulting pattern yet.

Could he have fur mites? And what would he be allergic to? he gets in the grass a lot and has meadow hay. There is nothing else that I can think of that would cause a skin allergy that is so wide spread. He chews and scratches a lot and I want to give him some relief. Would it hurt to treat him with some revolution? I have a feeling the vet wont do it so can I do it myself? if it is an allergy, is there anything can do for him?

Sorry for the novel, thanks in advance

Unless he's getting bare patches I wouldn't worry about mites. If you can access a microscope you could tell easily. Usually allergies are to bedding or type of hay. Molting, is there a pattern? Serena goes Cacti but and Peter goes from back to front or bottom to top so he ends up with a Mohawk.

I don't think I can get to a microscope. Only bad thing about not being in school anymore lol

He is only just over a year old so I don't know what his moulting pattern is yet, he has had one big shed and since then he has juts been moulting a little. he has had dandruffy skin for a while and it has only gotten a little worse

I had a Rex buck who had exactly this problem. He had springtail mites....it looked like he was shedding all the time with lots of dandruffy stuff in it. No he did not have patches missing, no he did not get sores.....my vet mixed up some diluted ivermectin solution for him...ask your vet about it and if he wont help try another vet it wont go away on its own and the rabbit can possibly get thickening of the skin not to mention he's miserable....also wash your hands well because u can get them too if you aren't careful

I know my first bunny had mites with no hair loss. If your not sure, the skin prob needs scraped.

Oh Larry, did you mean pattern as in what his fur looks like when he moults? lol I thought you meant as in 'cycle' he kind of does get a pattern, his back looks like it has a grey blob at the top. He has it a little bit now but he always has it and is always moulting :S

I can't find a vet that will treat him without bald patches. There aren't any specialists here really, and the closest I could get to a specialist said that he probably has an allergy if it hasn't gotten worse.

He is probably right but I think I will just treat him for mites, if anything it will just prevent fleas or something

Testing for mites is not always accurate - sometimes they do not show up on scraping or on cellotape tests but are still there. I had a rabbit with itchy dandruffy skin and the vet scraped two different timesin several places and could not actually find any mites. He finally had me treat with Revolution anyway and after two treatments the rabbit was OK. There are other mites in addition to the usual fur mite that can cause itchy dandruffy skin and fur loss.

I have a rabbit with mites, and the vet didn't find any on her until her third visit (after 2 months of scratching and wondering what was going on). Ask if you can get some Revolution, even if they don't find any mites.

Also, him licking/wiggling when you scratch him isn't necessarily a signs of mites. My rabbits have been doing this for their entire lives. My vet says this is an "anxiety" reaction, because they don't like being scratched where you're scratching them. (I, on the other hand, believe it's like a dog kicking his leg when you scratch him. I think they enjoy it.)