Probable ear mites. Help!!!

[jacobmsnyder1991]

So never dealt with ear mites. I notices one of my tamuks with a little scab farther in her one ear. She also shakes her head more than the others. So I would like to do something natural for her. What should I use, should I treat other rabbits as a preventative, and what should i use to spray the cages down with to kill them?? Tĥanks!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Try using Ivermectin

 

[Alaska Satin]

So never dealt with ear mites. I notices one of my tamuks with a little scab farther in her one ear. She also shakes her head more than the others. So I would like to do something natural for her. What should I use, should I treat other rabbits as a preventative, and what should i use to spray the cages down with to kill them?? Tĥanks!

While fur mites can be more challenging, for ear mites I've always had good results from using oil: almond, olive, mineral, or sweet oil all work. Just drip a little in each ear, then massage it gently and thoroughly, getting it down into the ear where the mites will hide. The oil suffocates the mites. The rabbit will shake its head and scratch and will eventually remove the dead mites itself that way. Many of the "natural" treatments are basically expensive oil.

I don't treat rabbits that aren't showing evidence of mites; they're not super contagious in my experience, and some rabbits just seem more susceptible than others (you might consider keeping the less susceptible individuals as your breeding stock). I don't treat the cages, other than to make sure they're clean and free of bedding that could harbor mites or other parasites; I prefer all-wire cages for that reason.

 

[R Buns]

Ivermectin works great. The Tamuk breeder we bought our trio from uses Arava natural ear mite treatment for dogs and cats. I believe it's purchased off amazon. Tries to avoid ivermectin unless this treatment isn't effective which didn't sound like it has been a problem to date. One treatment is usually all it takes according to the breeder. One of the trio we got had just been treated when we picked them up and the doe hasn't had an issue since. With over 500 rabbits I trust that the treatment must be effective or it wouldn't be used.

 

[jacobmsnyder1991]

While fur mites can be more challenging, for ear mites I've always had good results from using oil: almond, olive, mineral, or sweet oil all work. Just drip a little in each ear, then massage it gently and thoroughly, getting it down into the ear where the mites will hide. The oil suffocates the mites. The rabbit will shake its head and scratch and will eventually remove the dead mites itself that way. Many of the "natural" treatments are basically expensive oil.

I don't treat rabbits that aren't showing evidence of mites; they're not super contagious in my experience, and some rabbits just seem more susceptible than others (you might consider keeping the less susceptible individuals as your breeding stock). I don't treat the cages, other than to make sure they're clean and free of bedding that could harbor mites or other parasites; I prefer all-wire cages for that reason.

Do you just treat once? How do I know if it worked? Just keep an eye to make sure the scabs don't get worse?

 

[Florida Jeff]

I used ivermectin 1 drop behind the head. then administer coconut oil in ears for a three of four days. That work great for me. good luck

 

[Alaska Satin]

Do you just treat once? How do I know if it worked? Just keep an eye to make sure the scabs don't get worse?

I usually do it for 2-3 days just to make sure we've hit all the mites. As long as you catch it before you see big crustiness building up in the ear, it doesn't seem to take much, but since it's such a low-impact treatment, I give a couple of days to make sure.

You can tell it worked because the rabbit stops shaking and digging at its ears (except for immediately after oil application), and the scabs go away.

I don't use ivermectin or any other drug unless the oil does not work; it's not an emergency, so I let the oil have a chance before resorting to meds. I have never had ear mites resist oil treatments. (But I did have to use ivermectin to get rid of fur mites.)