Rabbit Crusty Ear Problem

[Kissysquirrel]

I just noticed that my 6 yr female rabbit (not sure what breed) has a LOT of dry, flaky stuff clogging her ear. It is horrible. Does anyone know what it is, how do I get it out of there and what should I put on it to prevent it from happening again? Thank you.

 

[ScissorChick]

It looks like ear mites to me. If left untreated, the rabbit can get a serious

infection, or become deaf. Theres a few ways I've read about treating it,

some say use cat ear mite treatment. If you have a good vet in your erea

that sees rabbits, I'd take her in.

SC

 

[Kissysquirrel]

Thanks for replying and your tips. It totally shocked me to see her ear all clogged up like that. Her other ear isn't as bad but it freaked me out. How do they get ear mites? I have a male rabbit with her that looks fine.

 

[sourland]

Ear mites for sure. They get ear mites by being exposed to other rabbits that have ear mites. Get some dog or cat ear mite medication and treat both her and the buck. He may not be showing signs of infestation, but he most likely has ear mites too.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

The best treatment and one that I recently used is ivermectin paste (horse paste wormer, 1.87%). I just went to my local feed store and bought the smallest tube I could get (cost about $7). You feed one rice grain sized bit of paste for every 4 pounds of body weight. I gave my 6 month old large breed does one green pea sized bit. My 9 week old buck I fed one rice sized bit.

To feed the past I used a baby spoon and smeared it over their upper lip (or as close to their mouth as I could get, not an easy task but the spoon helped a lot). They immediately start lilcking and cleaning the paste off their face with their paws, in that action they injested all of the medicine.

I will treat twice more, every 10-14 days. This should kill the mites and take care of the eggs that will hatch in the mean time. All of your rabbits need to be treated whether they show mites or not.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

The best treatment and one that I recently used is ivermectin paste (horse paste wormer,

I agree Ivomec is the best treatment, but it's much better to buy the liquid so you can gat an accurate measurement.

The proper dose is 0.2 ML per 5 lbs.
It can be mixed in their water

Give it 3 times, spaced 2 weeks apart until all symptoms are gone​

 

[Kissysquirrel]

Thanks everybody. Is there a way for me to get rid of the crusty stuff that is filling her ear without taking her to the vet? It looks as if it would take a spoon to dip it out that's how much is there. The vet said they sell drops for mites so I hope it is Ivermectin. I wonder how long she has had them to have that much buildup in her ear?

I am very bad on measurements like ml. , mg. and all that. If I put it in their water it may take a long time for them to drink it. I like the idea of a liquid that I can rub on their lips.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
Personally i would stay away from liquid, not because of my recent (and only) experience with rabbit ear mites, but because of my experience with it and dogs. If the animal isn't nearly 100% cooperative then you are not going to get the correct dose into your bunny. The paste is more fool proof I feel even if the doses aren't 100% accurate, it's working well for me and I will continue to use this method. Putting a medication in water when you dont' know how much the rabbit is getting isn't really helping much. Water bottles leak, water drips when they drink...ect.

 

[Kissysquirrel]

That makes sense...if I don't get the right amount into my bunny then it won't work. Thanks for your help.

You don't know anything about chickens do you?

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

I use to use baby oil applied with a q tip to smother those buggers. Always worked well for me. But that was many many moons ago sure they came up with better methods by now