Hot ears

[cwolfec]

I have a 3 month old lop mix, and I noticed last week that her ears are really warm compared to my other bun's! She is eating/drinking/pooping just fine and running the bunny 500 every day.

Ever heard of a bunny having hot ears? I hope she doesn't have a fever or something...she's been itching them some, so could it be an indication of ear mites? I looked in her ears, but I know they are so small you can't really see them, but I didn't see scabs or anything.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[caustin4]

Is she your only lop? Sometimes lop ears get warmer than other rabbits ears because they lie down against their bodies rather then stand upright. If you're worried though you can always take your bunnies temp.

 

[cwolfec]

She is my first and only lop...thing is, her ears are airplane ears. They never lopped! And um, how do you take their temperature? Rectal?

 

[MiniLopHop]

yes, use a little lubrication and a dedicated themometer.

Sometimes they are shedding heat but sometimes it is a fever. Over time you will learn what is normal for your bun.

 

[LakeCondo]

If you're unable to get a rectal reading & haven't learned how to use the thermometers made for babies that take a skin temp, just apply some water to the ears & do other things to cool her down, such as a frozen water bottle for laying with, ice chips in the water bowl, etc. She may just be more sensitive to heat than the other rabbits are & the ears are where rabbits get rid of their excess heat.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

It is normal for the ears to be warmer--it's how they cool themselves.

 

[wendymac]

:yeahthat:

 

[cwolfec]

Thanks, all. I have been feeling her ears several times a day now, and I think before I had just been catching her after she ran around like crazy. Her ears were nice and cool when she was sleeping. I'll definitely keep in mind the cool water, ice chips, water bottle ideas for when she gets herself really worked up!

I think she's fine. I'm just a bit of a nervous mommy

 

[MiniLopHop]

It's good you are paying attention. The ears will definately be warmer when they are running around because they are cooling themselves (rabbits can only sweat on the pads of their feet). If you have a true fever you can also put rubbing alcohol on their feet, but they would want to be seen by a vet if it were that bad because it probably would need antibiotics.

 

[LakeCondo]

Brandy, your post made me realize why Honey digs at her ceramic platter when I give it to her straight from the freezer. She must be cooling down the sweat.

 

[gmas rabbit]

Derby is a french lop and usually has pretty warm ears, especially in this heat. We have been encouraging him to come in where it is cooler in the heat of the day. We have found with most of our lops that they have pretty warm or hot ears.