How do I get rid of rabbit ear mites...?!

[harlequinmomma]

I'm trying to find out how to treat my rabbits earmites. I can't take them to the vet until mid June and by that time it could be dangerous and they'll be in even worse pain. What can I do to get rid of them naturally?

 

[Schipperkesue]

You can suffocate them using any oil. I like olive oil, but neem oil has great insecticidal properties.

 

[katiebear]

Don't panic I think everyone deals with this at sometime...Just put a few drops of olive oil (doesn't have to be olive,that is what I use) in each ear,it helps if you warm it up to body temp., put the bun on a table or something to make this easier,massage the base of the ears for a few seconds. Then put her back in her pen. she will shake and scratch,but the oil will loosen up any crud and she can shake it out. Treat every other day for three treatments then 21 days later treat again to get any hatch lings...Treat everyone as these little buggers are very prolific. Got this info off rabbit talk so if you want to go to illness and injury,you will find lots of information.Oh and make sure you have trimmed the toenails they scratch pretty hard and you don't want them to hurt themselves.
I have large breed meat mutts they seem to be prone to ear mites so I check everyone daily.
upon rereading the illness injury and parasite pages it seems it is 10 days, not 21 as I had posted sorry for the misstatement....but I do retreat after 20-21 days just to be sure...just my way I am sure there are other ways...

 

[squidpop]

Just a suggestion

If you treat with the oil, 10 days later any eggs in the environment might hatch out and start the cycle all over again, so if you follow the oil up with the Revolution dog/cat flea treatment (over the counter), you will treat the whole cycle and hopefully they won't come back again.

Here's a link for safely calculating the dosage of Revolution for rabbits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyqNwCCRSq8

 

[OneAcreFarm]

You can suffocate them using any oil. I like olive oil, but neem oil has great insecticidal properties.

I strongly suggest NOT to use Neem oil. It can be a skin and eye irritant and it can also be toxic when ingested, which the rabbit WILL do when it cleans its ears. Read this:

Neem oil shows toxicity to fish like tilapia and carp, and oral administration of the oil in rats and rabbits (at 14 ml/kg and 24ml/kg respectively) produced a severe hypoglycaemic effect and possibly targets the central nervous system and lungs.

Taking Neem oil internally is not recommended and taking internal doses as small as 5 ml has killed infants – and although there are some people stating that the toxicity was caused by other contaminants, and not the oil itself – we would recommend to err on the side of safety.
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/neem-oil.htm

Just a vegetable oil is fine, but you will need to treat every 7-10 days, 2 or 3 times, as oil doesn't kill the eggs, only the hatched mites.

 

[portia]

I have used mineral oil rubbed inside and out to effectively treat ear mites. I also know a man who swears by a monthly application of listerine (the mouth wash) as a deterrent. It works well for him and all of his rabbits smell minty fresh for a couple of days after! :lol:

 

[Schipperkesue]

You can suffocate them using any oil. I like olive oil, but neem oil has great insecticidal properties.

I strongly suggest NOT to use Neem oil. It can be a skin and eye irritant and it can also be toxic when ingested, which the rabbit WILL do when it cleans its ears. Read this:

Neem oil shows toxicity to fish like tilapia and carp, and oral administration of the oil in rats and rabbits (at 14 ml/kg and 24ml/kg respectively) produced a severe hypoglycaemic effect and possibly targets the central nervous system and lungs.

Taking Neem oil internally is not recommended and taking internal doses as small as 5 ml has killed infants – and although there are some people stating that the toxicity was caused by other contaminants, and not the oil itself – we would recommend to err on the side of safety.
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/neem-oil.htm

Just a vegetable oil is fine, but you will need to treat every 7-10 days, 2 or 3 times, as oil doesn't kill the eggs, only the hatched mites.

Wow! That is harsh! I have never had issues, but I will rethink using it on areas where it might be taken internally. Thanks, Oneacre!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

You can suffocate them using any oil. I like olive oil, but neem oil has great insecticidal properties.

I strongly suggest NOT to use Neem oil. It can be a skin and eye irritant and it can also be toxic when ingested, which the rabbit WILL do when it cleans its ears. Read this:

Neem oil shows toxicity to fish like tilapia and carp, and oral administration of the oil in rats and rabbits (at 14 ml/kg and 24ml/kg respectively) produced a severe hypoglycaemic effect and possibly targets the central nervous system and lungs.

Taking Neem oil internally is not recommended and taking internal doses as small as 5 ml has killed infants – and although there are some people stating that the toxicity was caused by other contaminants, and not the oil itself – we would recommend to err on the side of safety.
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/neem-oil.htm

Just a vegetable oil is fine, but you will need to treat every 7-10 days, 2 or 3 times, as oil doesn't kill the eggs, only the hatched mites.

Wow! That is harsh! I have never had issues, but I will rethink using it on areas where it might be taken internally. Thanks, Oneacre!

I know, right? :x I looked it up recently for another person and I was really surprised...