Ear Mites!

[lostcreekrabbits]

So yesterday after trying to breed my FG cross doe to one of our Bucks I was carrying it back to it's own cage and happened to check it's ears and saw what I beleived to be ear mites, I put her back in her cage and put some drops of the VetRx oil into her ears to try and clear things up. When I went to check on her today she had scratched the bases of her ears raw and had blood on her paws. I feel like a total Jackass for trying to get her to breed as she obviously wasn't feeling too hot. It is strange that we've never seen her scratching her ears before this and only after I put the medicine in did she really go to town on them. So I guess my question would be, should I keep up with the VetRx treatment or try something else

Thanks, Jake

 

[ottersatin]

Try Ivermectine and any type of oil:
A few drops and massage it into the base of the ear.
Retreat in ten days to get any hatchlings.
See my website: crescentvalley.webs.com Click on "Diseases and treatments."
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[anika_perry]

Is it true that rabbits are hard to maintain as pets? I mean are they really sensitive to those kind of parasites?

 

[SatinsRule]

I've used VetRx on my rabbits and it works, but the downside is that it seems to sting a bit, which is somethin you won't typically get with mineral oil or baby oil (which is basically just mineral oil with fragrance).

Switch over to mineral oil, although I'll warn you up front that it gets a bit messy so don't get excessive with what you put into the ears. It doesn't take much, but you will want to check them routinely once every couple of weeks once you've gotten it cleared up.

Also, the scratching and pawing will likely happen regardless of what you put in their ears. They just aren't crazy about having liquid anything poured into their ears.

 

[lostcreekrabbits]

Thank you guys soo much, I just got back in from hayin everybody up and she seems to be doing better, she's lost the forlorn and downtrodden look and her ears look a little bit clearer and she ate all of her pellets and hay

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Warning-- ANY time I have used fragranced baby oil instead of plain mineral oil, my rabbits ears have BURNED!!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Is it true that rabbits are hard to maintain as pets? I mean are they really sensitive to those kind of parasites?

Parasites are pretty rare in rabbits, since many/most are kept in wire cages which don't harbor pests well. You may run into problems if the hutch is wood framed because mites will hide in the wood cracks. If you have a flea infestation due to your dogs or cats, the rabbit may get fleas as well. The topic doesn't come up very frequently here, so I think most are parasite free.

The biggest problem most people have is due to heat- if the rabbit is kept outdoors, it will need to be in a shaded area during the hot months, and even then it is a good idea to provide a frozen water bottle for them to lie against, or even a piece of tile to lay on.

 

[SatinsRule]

Ear mites tend to infest by laying eggs after they've burrowed into the skin. It's not particularly hard to kill them, but dealing with the damage they cause can be messy and painful for the rabbit.

I've had to deal with them recently, and had a couple of messy instances of them. In each case, the initial treatment I used was that of VetRx, followed by using bactine in the latter stages to prevent infections from setting in once any scabbing has been flushed out and any remaining sores are exposed. It's important to follow up with additional inspections and treatments to prevent recurrences or additional flare-ups.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Using Ivomec is better than anything else. It is the pour on . So a few drops goes a long way. It doesnt burn or hurt the rabbit. In 3 days it is all gone. It also kills other stuff as well.

 

[Rustina]

Ivomec is a good way to get rid of ear mites(and worms for that matter ), but be careful to only use a couple drops per ear. Ivermectin can cause neurologic behaviors if too much is used.You may want to ask you vet for a doseage,or dilution ratio. Also if you get it on your skin be sure to wash your hands asap.

 

[Peach]

I've been successful with removing mites with Mineral Oil on several rabbits. They just don't like me putting it in their ear very much!

 

[Fatboy]

Can Adams Flea and Tick spray be used for ear mites? I know it works very well in treating chickens with mites.