Pregnant with ear mite

[Lightnin1960]

Hi
I got a rabbit that was bred on the 8th of May. Kinda new to having rabbits and wish now I would have looked her over better before I put her in with the buck (that could be another problem) But does anyone know a good way to get them gone. I've read on here about wooden hutches whick I have going to paint it hoping to take care of some problems. I've got double hung cages and got a new part that I just did so I can move them over to a different part. Got 5 rabbits and 3 seems to have a problem. none of them really bad 1 is a little worst then the other 2. 1 seems to have more of a fur type, ears look good.

I've also read that Ivermectin can mess with the development of the babies, so don't want that.

And also got one mother with 6 babies just born on the 10th May that looks good.

Thank you

 

[MaggieJ]

In most cases, simply putting olive oil or mineral oil into the rabbit's ear will smother the mites. You don't have to drench them... just enough so it will spread around and cover the inner surface of the ear. If you warm the oil to body temperature, it will be less annoying to the rabbit and will spread around more easily. Wear old clothes! The first thing the rabbit will do is shake its head vigorously.

Repeat the treatment in a week's time, just to be sure.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I wouldn't move them until you have treated them twice for mites as Maggie suggested. You can also use food-grade diatomaceous earth and rub it in their fur and dust the cages and wood with it, paying special attention to the cracks between the lumber.

 

[Lightnin1960]

I may have wrote one part of this wrong the cages are all wire but the housing or building they are in is wooden..

Where do I get that food-grade diatomaceous earth?

And
Thank you

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Well, it wouldn't hurt to dust the walls too. I use it to kill the flies that like to roost in the rafters of my bunnybarn.

Since you are treating three out of five rabbits anyway, you might as well treat the other two just in case- they may have such a mild infestation that they aren't showing any signs yet. It will save you time in the long run, rather than have them keep passing the mites around. As long as the kit's ears are still closed they should be fine.

 

[Lightnin1960]

Sounds Like a good idea the only thing I think the moma might get mad if I took her out of there. She is a very sweet rabbit but that might change if I take her out

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The mom is probably the most important one to do- if she has mites, she will give them to all of her babies. She should be fine being taken out- I have taken mine out when they have kits. If you are really worried about it though, can you get someone to hold her still in the cage while you put the oil in her ears?

 

[Lightnin1960]

OK will Do. So you only have to put it in there once a week I read on another site to do it ever other day for 10 days then day 14 then once a week for 2 weeks then should be good... what you think???

Just got back from doing the moma she did very good... She is a very good rabbit and a good moma!!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I wouldn't do it more than twice a week- rabbits will scratch their ears a lot when you put anything in them, and you don't want them giving themselves sores. The reason for treating so many times is to kill the hatching eggs- but I would think that eggs coated with oil will never hatch anyway. I think mite eggs hatch in 14 days or less, so two weeks of treating twice a week should definitely do the trick.

I've only done this with dogs and cats because my rabbits haven't needed their ears treated yet, but here is what I do when their ears are really full of stuff:

Fill the ear canal with hydrogen peroxide, and pinch the ear shut at the base and kind of shake it back and forth- you will hear it sloshing around. As soon as you let go, the animal will shake it's head and fling the stuff everywhere, so being away from your rabbit's housing is a good idea. Rabbits, dogs, and cats have an "L" shaped ear canal, so it is okay to use a cotton swab in the ears to clean the rest of it out. You can't puncture their ear drum like a person's ear.

 

[Lightnin1960]

The inside of their ears are looking really good about all cleared up. Was wondering (They are New Zealand's) Their ears look kinda like they are wet on the outside around the base of their ears they look like they are wet and you can see their skin alot not scabbed up just like they are wet.... is that normal and good and will it go back to normal when I stop treating them.

Thank you for all your help!!!!

 

[SatinsRule]

Mineral oil is about all you'll really need. There are products on the market specifically marketed for it (VetRx is one), but they are expensive in comparison and don't work a whole lot better. M.O. has worked very well on 3 rabbits I've treated recently, and you can get it at any local drug store or discount store.

A couple of things I keep around my barn is a tube of Neosporin and a bottle of Bactine. Let's face it, most rabbits are going to scratch their ears repeatedly after M.O. or any other liquid is put in, and some type of ointment is going to help with healing up any cuts or surface scratches they get in the process.<br /><br />__________ Tue May 22, 2012 6:55 am __________<br /><br />

The inside of their ears are looking really good about all cleared up. Was wondering (They are New Zealand's) Their ears look kinda like they are wet on the outside around the base of their ears they look like they are wet and you can see their skin alot not scabbed up just like they are wet.... is that normal and good and will it go back to normal when I stop treating them.

If it's an oily residue on the outside, it's likely there as a result of them shaking their ears after you put oil into them. If that's the case, it will normally clear up in a few days.

 

[grumpy]

I make up my own ear-mite medicine. Three or four times a year, the entire herd gets treated. Their ears will look "wet" for a while. But that's just the oil-base in the medicine. Give them a couple of weeks and their ears will be just fine.

Grumpy.

 

[Lightnin1960]

Here is some pics of the Doe that had the worst mites. They look really good on the inside and as far as skin on the outside also. To me they just look kinda rough just a little wet looking. It's been over a week since I done anything to her ears.

What do ya'll think

 

[MamaSheepdog]

She looks fine- a lot better than the kittens and cats I have treated! It is just the oil making the fur clump up like that.