Does Doggy have ear mites?

[corikim]

yes, i named my holland lop bunny doggy.
anyways.. she's been scratching her ear a lot (the inside middle part). I lifted her ears to check if there was anything but it was too dark to look deep in her ear. There was nothing weird on the parts I could see though.
I'm not sure if bunnies usually scratch themselves often or not, but after watching her for a while, it seems like something was bothering her...
Can anyone help ;(

 

[Dood]

There are several possibities -

Rabbits can also get inner ear infections, lops are more prone to them which require a vet visit to diagnose and a couple weeks of antibiotics. Has your rabbit recently had a cold, "snuffles", or weepy eyes?

Ear mites do start deep in the ear and as the colony grows they work their way out and you can see the flakes of their poop mixed with lymph fluid from them biting the skin in the ears.

A foreign body (seed, hair, flake of hay, etc...) might have fallen in and is causing irritation

Ear mites and foreign body can be drowned and flushed out with oil - sop some up on a cotton ball, place the at the base of the ear and squeeze

 

[Miss M]

Yes, like Dood said, the ear mites start way too deep for you to see at first.

The oil treatment is probably best done outside in the shade, or at least inside a shower stall. The first thing the rabbit will do is shake its head, which naturally flings oil and whatever is in the ear everywhere. Once the initial head shaking stops, you can safely bring her back in or take her out of the shower. The oil will get on the fur around her head a little bit, but she'll have it cleaned off in a day or two.

You can use mineral oil (baby oil) or any oil you would use for cooking. Olive oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, etc. The usual regimen is to treat, then again 10 days later, then again 10 days after that. This way, you make sure to get all of the new hatching mites as well, because the oil does not smother the eggs.

Rabbits will scratch their ears occasionally, but you are correct -- if Doggy is scratching her ear frequently, something's wrong. Mites are the most likely culprit.