Irritated Skin, Wax build up, Or....??? Please help!

My naughty little bunny, Olaf has ear mites. I found out a while ago from one the AMAZING members of this forum ( you know who you are! ). My big sister ( another AMAZING Member on this forum) researched it and said to treat it with oil for two weeks and then clean his cage really well to get rid of ALLLLL the mites. Then to treat it again for another two weeks and another cage clean to get rid of any left over mites. I've been treating his ears with Sunflower Oil for about almost two weeks now. About halfway through the treatment, I noticed his ears inside were flaky and all scratched up. My big sis said to stop the treatment for a few days and see if it cleared up. It didn't- it got worse. I don't know what it is, so if you know please let me know as I am a little worried. He scratched his ears all through the treatment and I thought it was normal for him because oil in your ears must be uncomfortable. I haven't treated his ears for awhile now just in case. It's gotten a little bit worse. Is the type of oil irritating his skin? Is it just wax build up? Is he scratching them to much? I honestly have no idea.
For a little description on how the ears feel:
Little clearish whitish flakes can easily fall off with a gentle rub. He is shaking and scratching his ears a lot. I can still see the pale yellow wax inside deeper inside his ears as well. It's soft and very slightly sticky if that makes sense.
And of course, as I have learned from u guys, u LOOOVVVEEEE your pictures! :lol:

I would think it's the scratching that's causing irritation. Vegetable or olive oil are fine so I dont think sunflower would be an issue.

You need to continue treatment, BUT how much oil you are using is important. insted of dropping oil in his ears, I'd just gently rub some on with you fingers. Also a cone of shame might be good to stop him from scratching.

It would be good if you could find some ivermectin in your area, not only would it treat the mites, but it'd protect him from other potential parasites. I know that's not possible for everyone though.

Thanks so much! Will put the cone on and just start his treatment over, also maybe with a different oil just in case Finding a cone small enough........well that's an issue! But I'm a crafty/diy type of person so I'll probably just DIY one! :lol: Thanks again!

Try to avoid putting a cone on them. They need to be able to eat their cecotropes which a cone can hinder.

Olaf, you've had two very accurate responses here to help your little guy through this. No cone! That will invite G.I. problems. Get some ivermectin 1%, injectable for cattle & swine and give that orally. it only takes .08cc per pound of rabbit and works every time.

Ditch the oil. It only works if you catch the mites very early. Use to little and it doesn't work at all. Use to much and you'll have a very dirty, unhappy bunny and it still probably won't work.

Do a search here on the site for "fur mites" and or "ivermectin" to learn more.

This is the one I use when needed.

I only suggested the cone due to the description of intense scratching. But I admit I didnt give enough information. Do not keep the cone on all the time, but put it on for 1 or 2h after treatment. This way whatever discomfort shoulve calmed down by then so the scratching should be reduced.

Homer, keep in mind not everyone can have access to these medications. Being from Canada I have to go to US to get mine, shipping wont work either since they'll be stopped at customs. If Olafthebunny cannot get his hands on any medication the oil is the only solution. But yes getting some ivermectin is much much much better.

As for ivermectin, I've never herd of giving the injectable kind orally. I had that exact kind before and we injected it and it worked great like that. Though I know not everyone can manage doing injections.
I preffer the pour-on myself, I put 0.05cc (about 4-5 drops) in each ear for an adult bunny and that's it. Repeat every 6 months or when needed. This is the kind I use.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... _vc=-10005

I believe I've given the injectable kind as just a few drops in the ear, but the syringe they gave me of ivermectin was unmarked, so it might've been a topical kind? XD The vet gave it to me in a syringe with a needle though, so who knows. It cleared it up very fast.

Either way, you have to continue treatment for a bit even after the symptoms disappear. At first, you kill off all the adult mites that cause the crustiness, but their eggs are still there once they're gone, so if you stop treatment as soon as the symptoms go away, the mites will most likely just come back.

SableSteel":2a8zr2iy said:

I believe I've given the injectable kind as just a few drops in the ear, but the syringe they gave me of ivermectin was unmarked, so it might've been a topical kind? XD The vet gave it to me in a syringe with a needle though, so who knows.

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If it was blue it was pour on kind. Other colors couldve been injected or a different kind of pour on. The reason for the seringe is they are mesured so when a small dose is provided it's easier to give it in a seringe already. The needle bit becomes a cap to make sure the liquid doesnt pour out in those cases.

It was clear.

KimitsuKouseki":1htq2lwj said:

I only suggested the cone due to the description of intense scratching. But I admit I didnt give enough information. Do not keep the cone on all the time, but put it on for 1 or 2h after treatment. This way whatever discomfort shoulve calmed down by then so the scratching should be reduced.

Homer, keep in mind not everyone can have access to these medications. Being from Canada I have to go to US to get mine, shipping wont work either since they'll be stopped at customs. If Olafthebunny cannot get his hands on any medication the oil is the only solution. But yes getting some ivermectin is much much much better.

As for ivermectin, I've never herd of giving the injectable kind orally. I had that exact kind before and we injected it and it worked great like that. Though I know not everyone can manage doing injections.
I preffer the pour-on myself, I put 0.05cc (about 4-5 drops) in each ear for an adult bunny and that's it. Repeat every 6 months or when needed. This is the kind I use.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... _vc=-10005

Click to expand...

Actually Ivermectin is available in Africa. Has been since the late 70's. The APOC distribution program was started to stop what was know as River Blindness. The product was handed out free of charge at the time to eradicate the disease carrying black fly population. It effected not only livestock but the people too.

I've used it since the late 70's / early 80's and have always given it orally or used it topically. It really doesn't matter how you get it in them as it will enter the blood stream and make the entire animals body and "bug killer". The only time I give a sub Q injection is with antibiotics. (they can cause G.I. stasis if given orally in rabbits) Anytime you puncher the skin there is a risk of the animal developing and abscess. Not fun in rabbits. :shock:

I remember reading somewhere the pour-on wasn't the first choice to use on bunnies but I can't remember where I saw that. "Second thing to go is the mind, wish I could remember what the first was". :?

The reason you received your in a syringe is the vile it comes in Sable.(the injectable) It has to be drawn out with a needle and syringe through the rubber cap just like when you get a shot at the doctors office.

Thanks so much everyone for being so helpful! The cone didn't work anyways.....I tried making one but it was sooo funny and weird. Also I did realize how hard it would be for him with one on.
I have re started his treatment since he was only half way through it any ways. I switched to olive oil just in case and it's been great! The flaky skin has completely cleared up and he hasn't been scratching as much anymore which is great. I've been treating his ears much more thoroughly as well. We just got some eye droppers as we didn't have any on hand, and I will use those to drop the oil in.
Thanks so much again to everyone who helped! Olaf has a love of getting sick which drives me crazy! And I care for him sooo well ( I have had way too many small pets die for no reason. I'M NOT LETTING HIM GO. :lol: ) too make sure nothing happens. But he just gets some health issue. He's crazy :lol:

olafthebunny":1scggiu1 said:

Thanks so much everyone for being so helpful! The cone didn't work anyways.....I tried making one but it was sooo funny and weird. Also I did realize how hard it would be for him with one on.
I have re started his treatment since he was only half way through it any ways. I switched to olive oil just in case and it's been great! The flaky skin has completely cleared up and he hasn't been scratching as much anymore which is great. I've been treating his ears much more thoroughly as well. We just got some eye droppers as we didn't have any on hand, and I will use those to drop the oil in.
Thanks so much again to everyone who helped! Olaf has a love of getting sick which drives me crazy! And I care for him sooo well ( I have had way too many small pets die for no reason. I'M NOT LETTING HIM GO. :lol: ) too make sure nothing happens. But he just gets some health issue. He's crazy :lol:

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Glad to know the olive oil did well, I've used that one before. I'll keep in mind the palm oil seems to have caused side effects in your bun for futur people.
I've used cones before on my friend's meat monsters (continental giants/flemish giants) they tend to have absesses often due to their weight. She's changed her setup now so it's not as comon but she still has issues. So when treating them I put a cone on em to reduce the chances of getting bit. Also I had to remove a huge infected tumor from the neck of one of em and that bun kept the cone on a couple days cause it kept going after the wound. Deciding to use a cone depends on what's going on with a specific bun, you have to balance between what they need and what has to be done some times.
As for health issues, do you never get sick? It happens with every animals, Homo sapiens included
Some just are more or less lucky then others.