Bubbles Scratching his Ears

[Bubbles]

- Location
Bloomington, Indiana

- Description (Breed, color., weight)
I think Bubbles is a Holland Lop, he's black, probably 2-3 pounds (haven't weighed him)

- Age
Unsure-young, maybe 3 or 4 months

- spayed/neutered?
Not that I know of (just received Bubbles a week or so ago and am trying to find a vet to take him in and get checked out)

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal?
yes
- When did they last use their litterbox?
he only pees in one spot in his cage-have yet to get him a litterbox
- Any unusual behavior?

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?
nope and nope

- Diet - what does your bunny eat?
Bubbles eats pellets and timothy hay with a treat here or there. I gave him some apple the other day
- when and what did s/he eat last?
this morning he ate his pellets but has been ignoring the timothy hay

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?
he shakes his head from time to time after scratching

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?
no

- has the rabbit been outdoors?
no




Ok, so here's the deal. Bubbles, my new bunny, is a lop...either a mini or a Holland. I THINK he's a holland. Anyway, I've noticed him scratching behind his ears A LOT lately and then he shakes his head. He does this fairly often, but not all the time. He seems to be acting fairly normal other than that-except he's been ignoring his hay recently.

Should I be worried about him scratching? I'm looking to take him to the vet within the next week or two at the latest, but not sure if I should hurry him to the vet.

Anyone???

 

[Flashy]

Is it behind his ears or in his ears?

If its in his ears then potentially your're looking at something like ear mites or an ear infection, but if it is behind his ears then those could be possibilities, but also so could things like fur mites, regular moulting or other things too.

What does the skin look like where he is scratching?

Its something that should probably be checked within the next couple of days 'just in case', but obviously sooner if his behaviour changes or anything obvious shows itself.

Have you managed to find a rabbit savvy vet in your area? If not, check out the link in our sub forum (it's a subforum for the Infirmar) about rabbit savvy vets. Hopefully there will be something of some use in there

 

[Bubbles]

Thanks, Flashy.

He scratches both inside and outside his ears, but mostly outside-then he licks his toenails. His skin on his head looks a little red but not flaky or bumpy or anything else like that. It seems that is just from scratching but I'm not sure..I only looked at it because he had been scratching and I got concerned. I haven't noticed anything at all unnatural on his fur and I looked in his ears and didn't see anything except a tattoo. He IS shedding a lot, though.

I think I have found a vet. I was referred to three and I've heard amazing things about one of them.

 

[tonyshuman]

Bunnies will scratch their ears sometimes as part of normal grooming, but it may be good to have a vet check to make sure that it's not mites or an infection. It's also good to get a new bunny to the vet soon upon getting them in order to make sure they're healthy.

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles has an appointment this week so I will let you all know how he does and if anything is wrong!

Thanks for the fast responses! I was feeling really nervous about it and its nice to have ideas of what it could possibly be...from normal grooming to an infection.

 

[kirbyultra]

Let us know how it goes! My Kirby has been going through a month long molt and he was scratching in his ear, causing redness for several days, then went to scratching behind his ear causing almost a bald spot. He also licks his toenails right after scratching. Nothing irregular about his ears or fur and my rabbit vet found nothing abnormal about the fur or the ears. It's possible something bit him and irritated that spot or it's possible he's just grooming extra hard from the molt. I am leaning towards the lesser offender for Kirby, I have also heard lots of bunnies are shedding like mad this summer.

I hope it's nothing for bubbles! Keep a close eye on the bun. That's what I'm doing for Kirby at the moment. If anything unusual occurs I am heading straight back to the vet! Good luck!