Fur Mites or Dry Skin/Irritation?

[Bonsai]

Hello!

I feel like I am posting a new thread daily but the past couple days, I'm sorry I am such a worry wart, but I've noticed Snickers is scratching at his neck, ears, and shoulders areas as well as chewing on his sides. At first I assumed he was beginning to molt (he is 2 months old now) or lose some of his baby fur as he is shedding a little. He came to me with a couple of patches where you could see his cream-colored undercoat so I thought maybe it was just molt.

Fast forward 2 days and he's digging pretty fervently. I had tried not to handle and poke and prod him too terribly much since he's still new to us, but today I decided to see if I could find out why he's scratching. I went to a well-lit area and inspected his ears. They're clean, perfectly healthy except for the rim of his ear (Arrow pointing to the area I'm talking about - photo is not mine, I just couldn't get a picture of what I'm talking about since I was using both hands when checking him). It was a little crusty, with white. The inside of his ear is fine but that area has some dry skin/flaking. It isn't a whole lot, though.

I've noticed he's losing fur on his shoulders (probably from digging) and his neck is looking pretty bare, too. I had read sometimes during a molt, rabbits can get naked patches on their neck (my other rabbit does this, too) but with everything else that's going on, I think it isn't as simple as a molt. His fur is pretty thick so I couldn't reliably see how the skin looked at the root of his fur on his shoulders but I could feel some "dry build up" type feeling and when I separated the hair to try and see better, I could see little "clumps" attached to the hairs. I've looked online and I think it might be fur mites but I don't want to use flea medicines on him (Revolution) or throw ivermectin at him either since he's so tiny and young. Little guy barely weighs in at 1lb.

His skin is not pink and inflamed (save for his neck, it looks a little pink, which may or may not be because he's been scratching it) so I'm honestly not sure if I've found the fur mites right at the onset or if he's just trying to adjust to going from being an outside bunny to being an inside bunny.

Does this sound like fur mites to anyone else? I've heard I can use kitten flea powder - does anyone know a good brand that works okay for this, and how do I go about using it precisely? I don't want to use Hartz - I refuse to buy anything of that branding - and that's most likely what my Walmart will have. I do have a Tractor Supply though, if you know of a type of powder they might have there that works well.

I just wanna give my little guy some relief! I feel so bad that he's so itchy and I'm afraid he's going to nick himself with his nails but they're still so small to cut so I am reluctant to trim his nails, they barely poke over the quick.

 

[Bonsai]

Goodness I forgot to include pictures of his back/ears where I'm noticing the most hair loss. Here's those pictures!

 

[JBun]

Fur loss can be from molting, but when there is any crustiness or flaky skin, coupled with excessive scratching, then it's likely to be mites. With the crustiness on the ears, it could be burrowing mites. Revolution(selamctin) and ivermectin are what is used to treat mites. I personally would use revolution. I wouldn't use powders or other treatments as some are not safe to be used on rabbits, and some are even toxic to use.
http://medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/earmite/Psoroptes.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/Mange/Sarcoptes.htm

But I am only making a guess based on your description of symptoms. Best thing is to consult with a rabbit savvy vet. They can do a skin scrape to verify if it is mites or not and measure out the correct dose to be given.

 

[Bonsai]

Thank you, Jenny! I contacted the breeder I got Snickers from and she has offered some of her ivermectin to apply between his shoulder blades to try and get rid of the mites since it does look/sound like fur mites. She knows the proper dosing and such and to her it seems like maybe some of the patches without fur on his back are from sibling squabbles which makes sense, some of the patches have no dry feeling at the base. Regardless, I think its a good idea to try the ivermectin and see if it alleviates it. He isn't scratching as much today but he's been resting a lot (I let him out to romp for a few hours last night, he barely stopped running - he was tuckered out lol!)

I read through the burrowing mites article and it doesn't really sound like his patches. His ear's skin is still its normal, healthy color - there's just a little dandruff/dry skin. That's what's so strange about it all, there seems to be almost no irritation on the skin and yet he is scratching. I almost wonder if he did get some hair pulled out by siblings/molting and is making him itchy with the new hair growth? I also had the thought that maybe it is the air conditioning. My room is small and sometimes I get dry/itchy skin from overexposure to the A/C. I wonder if perhaps him suddenly being introduced to it could also make the little dry patch on his ears. I'm not sure, but hopefully ivermectin will resolve it!

 

[majorv]

If it's fairly mild then one dose should clear it up. Make sure you clean and wash everything he has come into contact with or you'll be re infecting him.

 

[Bonsai]

Hmm. I use puppy wee pads on the bottom of his cage (since he is still learning the litterbox thing) so those are fresh everyday but what should I clean his cage/my linoleum floor/his play blankets/water bottle/bowl and his litterbox with? Will it be okay to give him his litterbox back everyday provided that I sanitize it each day or should I buy him a 2nd one and rotate them?

 

[JBun]

I would still verify the dosing, as some people will dose at far too high of a dosage, which can result in a possible OD. Dosage is 0.4mg/kg, and the amount given will depend on the concentration of the solution. Most common one used is the 1% solution, and if so, that comes to 0.018ml per lb of body weight. This is repeated 3 times, every 10-14 days, to interrupt the mites life cycle. Just DO NOT use the paste made for horses. You can't get an accurate dosage from it and it can sometimes lead to an OD.

I also don't know that topically would be as effective as orally, since it is not a solution prepared specifically for topical administration. Usually it is given orally, or vets will usually give an injection.

It may not be mites and may just be from a new environment. You could give your bun another couple of weeks to see if it is just the environment change. If it gets worse and your bun gets flaky skin and is scratching a lot, then you could treat for mites.

 

[Bonsai]

I have heard the paste is bad! I saw people suggesting a pea-sized dose of it but it is way, way too high, I agree! Thank you for the measurements I will jot those down somewhere in the event I have to measure ivermectin out myself sometime.

As for topical applications, I saw some online for sale but now I cannot find them now. It was a UK brand, though, and it was labeled for use in small animals (rabbits, guineas etc). If I could purchase just one us of revolution somewhere, I would, but most vets seem to want you to buy the whole pack - which I don't really have the money for (Comes out to $90+ in my area). If you really think the Revolution would be a good idea, I'll keep poking around and see if I can find someone selling the single dose. Is he too small to have the kitten dose? He's only 8 weeks old (going on 9) and I know some things labeled for cats say that it needs to be 12 weeks+. I don't want to make him suffer with these any longer than he has to.

I'm noticing a lot of shedding but less scratching than the previous days with him. I am wondering if it IS a molt. Is it normal for an 8wk old rabbit to molt, though? Everywhere says they molt at several months old for the first time. One or two spots seem to be filling in but I still feel like maybe one treatment of something, for extra measure, is a good idea just to make sure he's doing okay. Other than the mild scratching going on, he seems pretty hunky dory. I've taken note of a few spots that are looking more bare than they were a few days ago as well, though.

 

[majorv]

It's not really normal for an 8 week old to start molting. You could just watch him, but it would be better to get a skin scraping to confirm whether it's mites or not. The vet we go to for our rabbits will sell us how ever many doses of revolution we need. We've used both revolution and ivermectin (orally) for mites. For adult rabbits I prefer the ivermectin because it's cheaper to use and very effective. However, for a youngster I'd be more cautious and confirm if it's mites and then get 1-2 doses of kitten revolution. The vet can tell you how much of it to use at one time. If it is mites you need to wash the blankets etc in hot water and put in the dryer.

 

[Bonsai]

Thank you everyone for the help! I finally found a couple vets who sell Revolution by the dose but it'll have to wait until first of July since I have to take my cat to the vet this week for what I suspect is giardia and I'm not sure how much money will be left after that but I don't want to let the giardia get any worse so have to kinda juggle things. Everything all at once, I swear! I have noticed a marked decrease in the scratching, however, so I am hoping it could just be stress or something just beginning. To be safe, I'm going to take him by the breeder's house soon and let her look him over and see if there's anything she can tell in the meantime. If I have enough after the vet visit, I may see if I can get my rabbit weighed and ask the rabbit vet he'll be going to for a dosage amount on the Revolution until I can get him in next month. If he improves with that, I'll probably get another few doses just to be extra sure. Things are just tight right now, this month has been a pretty draining month on the finances. Seems things always strike when you have things planned or something goes amiss!

I've noticed his scratching is more localized to his ears so the shoulders/neck may just be accidental scratching and the white clumps on his shoulders are just bits of scabs that have hair growing through them; his other 'bald spots' are completely clean of any debris and the skin underneath is healthy. I think he may be stress-grooming because those areas are areas he grooms a lot. Regardless, gonna let the breeder have a look-see until I can get him in at the vet. He's still eating and drinking water wonderfully and really enjoys his out time so I don't think there's anything too terribly serious going on. Lots of poops though was over-producing cecals; I've cut his pellets back for the time being to see if that helps with that at all.

Overall he seems to be feeling pretty good minus the mild itching. I really do think it could be ear mites since I saw a bit of brown stuff in his ear when I checked him over today but it was very little and could have been a bit of blood from him scratching. Was only a few specks so it wasn't too terribly alarming! I didn't see any open sores so it may have just been a little nick. He doesn't react painfully when I check his ears and there is no head-tossing so it could be very early stage ear mites. Other ear was clear but it isn't the one he scratches so much.

I know none of this is ideal but having to work with what I've got! I never intended for things to be so tight this month and a lot of unexpected things happened, mostly after I picked him up, so been a little blind-sided on things. Hopefully I will have good news very soon and everyone will be on the mend!

 

[Bonsai]

I was terribly sick shortly after I posted my last response and just got better enough to piddle around and I have a few updates/questions.

I will be getting a dose of Revolution from my dad tomorrow as I discovered he uses it for his cats and he has 12 doses right now and is willing to give me one for Snickers. The problem is that it is for 7+ lb cats. I understand it is possible to split the doses and I wanted to verify I found the right equation for it.

HRS says:

"Revolution is usually dosed at 6mg/kg. If you have the 60mg/ml solution (i.e. the kitten solution), use 0.1cc per kg of body weight (1kg = 2.2lb). If you have the 120mg/ml solution, use 0.05cc per kg of body weight."

Is this correct? I will be getting a kitchen scale tomorrow and I'll weigh Snickers before I dose him (of course) so that I get the correct dosage using that math - if it is correct. I also took a look at his pedigree yesterday and discovered he was a week younger than I thought he was initially! So this makes him just barely 8 weeks old but from what I gather, it is indeed okay to dose an 8 week old rabbit, unless I am mistaken. Please do correct me if I'm wrong!

Because my head is still a little swimmy/disorganized, I'll put my next questions in numbered format for easier sorting on your end and my own.

1. I understand that for ear mites, it is typical to dose 2 weeks apart. I have seen suggestions to dose 2 weeks apart the first time and then monthly thereafter for prevention. Because Snickers will be going outside for playtime a few hours daily once he's old enough, I do fully intend to keep him UTD on his Revolution to prevent, at the least, fleas. Here is my concern, though. If I dose him tomorrow (June 14th) do I dose again 2 weeks later (June 28th) and then again on July 14th or do I wait until July 28th for the 3rd dose? I'm not sure if people mean to dose monthly from first application or second. Sorry for the weird question, math and calculations are going right over my head right now with this whatever I've caught.

2. I know that I must launder all linens he has in hot water and then dry them but what of his dog kennel he's in and the pull-out tray he is on? Do I use a 1:10 bleach solution to clean them or do I soak/scrub it in dawn soap water or something? Usually I wash his cage in 1:2 vinegar-water solution under hot water from the shower head. I plan to fully wash all his stuff everytime I give him an application, as I've seen suggested, but I welcome all advice that can be given in this area!

3. How and where should I store the remaining Revolution, since I am sure I'll have plenty left over?

4. When I am drawing the doses, where should I have the actual fluid? Do I keep it in the applicator and draw it out with the syringe or put it in a small something or other and draw it in from there? The applications my dad has are in the little tube things (I don't know what else to call them LOL). I have seen some people say to keep the needle on, draw it in, and then take the needle off - is this how I am supposed to draw it?

Sorry for potentially stupid questions! I just want to make sure everything is okay. I do plan on taking him into the vet in July if he has not improved but I want to give Revolution a shot until then (since it is immediately available and highly suggested for ear/fur mites). At the worst, I can use it and rule out fur/ear mites if he does not improve before July. I don't want to put him through the stress of a 2hr drive + vet prodding and probing if I can resolve his problem with Revolution at home.

I do believe it is very early ear mites, he doesn't scratch too terribly often and I am beginning to see a little brown waxy buildup in his ears - literally just a few specks but it isn't blood from scratching. Speaking of which, should I use some baby oil on a q-tip or cotton swab to gently remove those specks? They're not down-in-the-ear but close enough to the rim that it wouldn't be difficult to remove them, if it is safe/advisable to do so.

 

[majorv]

I hesitate to offer an exact dosage. Did you weigh him yet? We have rabbits ranging in weight from a little over a pound to almost 5 pounds. We've always used the kitten dosage (the whole vial) on each one. Then we repeated it 14 days later. Because Revolution can be so expensive and we have 20+ rabbits, we only used it for a few of them and then used ivermectin for the rest.

If you can treat his environment, inside and outside you may not have to treat him every month, just depends. After the first two doses you would wait one month to give the fhird dose. If it doesn't look like it completely cleared up you might want to give it sooner, or consider seeing the vet. If the mites are just starting, then 2 doses may be enough.