Ear itching

[jude]

Hello.. my rabbit 2 months old i feel it scratches its ears alot specially the left one
I read about ear mites but my rabbit lives indoor never been out and in a very clean enviroment
How can i know if he is infected
Altho i check his ears frequently never noticed something suspecious

Any experiences here?

 

[mike158]

Fur Mites: One of my rabbits had what looked like very small dandruff on her back so I took her to the vet. She took a sample of hair and view it under the microscope and confirmed that she had mites; she said "they are clinging on to the hair". She gave my rabbit a drop on INVERMICIN - applied to the skin between her "shoulders", but said I should do the same to my other rabbits and gave provided me with a new container of Ivermicin (which contained about 5 to 6 drops). She said the treatment should be repeated after 1 week. If you have a Lion Head, I recommend you repeated again after another week. You should also brush them at least once a week - outside when there is no wind. (Same treatment will work for Ear Mites).

 

[JBun]

If you feel like the scratching is abnormal and excessive, it is possible your rabbit has ear mites, as even indoor rabbits can get them. Another possibility is an ear infection. Check the ears and see if there is any crusting, wax, or a strange smell.
http://medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/earmite/Psoroptes.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm

Only way to know for sure is if you have a rabbit vet that can get a look inside the ears. Or you can wait to see if any more obvious signs occur.

 

[jude]

No dandraff at all nor crusty places
But i checked ears today it have a tiny stain of something brown dont know if its wax
But wouldnt it be normal to have wax since he is a baby still
And might not know how to clean ears well ?

 

[bunnyrose]

Hi Jude--Bunnies clean their interior ears by scratching with the hind feet, and babies can do it just as well as adults. Ear mites arent visible to our eyes, but have to be discovered by the crusts they cause or the head shaking or scratching of the bunny. Anything in the ear including a stain means something is wrong. I'd go to your vet for a diagnosis plus medication--Ive had success with Revolution, which needs a veterinary prescription. It sounds to me as if youve caught it early by being observant.
But do follow up! Ear mites are serious if untreated. (Note--dandruff would be from fur mites, which are also treatable by Revolution, but are a different mite with a different natural history.Not all medications treat both kinds of mites.) And a bunny vet really is needed to diagnose ear problems.

 

[doodlebugger]

One of our rabbits had a yeast infection in her ear that sounds similar to what you are talking about. That can make them scratch too. They gave us some special ear cleaner and ear drops to clear it up. I would definitely have the bunny looked at by a rabbit savvy vet and they can do an ear swab to make sure there isn't anything major going on.

 

[jude]

Thank u all i went to a vet sadly foe another problem which ia stasis and vet checked ears and said nothing ia wrong with it
Plua the stain i talked about just vanished hours ago seems i looked at the wrong time ( before cleaning)