Something else to cure ear mites...

[Piper]

Piper, please post an update on this so we know how well it works!

I will! Am having to wait, to start. Right now, I am doing good to get them water and food. My lower back is 'out'. Can not lift the bag of DE, and the sulfur is in my pick-up. Found a feed store, in this area that carries the Nu-Stock, and will get some, to use as an control, to see if what I mix, works, better or worse.

__________ Fri Sep 14, 2012 7:48 am __________

benifit - I should not have to wait, to butcher. Sulfur is a component in onions, wish I could just feed the rabbits, some onions!<br /><br />__________ Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:04 am __________<br /><br />I have seen - sulfur as an ingredient in some feeds, wonder if I can sprinkle sulfur on their pellets, like some use DE. Will try a small amount, the smell may keep them from eating.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

One of the comments said that the tube suggests, diluting it with more oil --

That is because it tends to separate, like natural peanut butter. What I do, with both Nu-Stock and Peanut Butter (in a plastic jar), is put it in a ziploc bag and toss it in the dryer with some towels on low or no heat. It mixes the oil back in.

one way or another, I am going to be trying a 'sulfur/oil' mix for the ears and
a DE application, for the fur.

As an experiment, would you be willing to try dusting one of the rabbits with fur mites with your sulfur powder to see how well it works?

the mite can live w/o a host for over 36 hours

Dust the surrounding area with DE to "pre-treat" any mites that are wandering around. They dehydrate within a day or two, so wont have much time to set up housekeeping once they get to the host animal.

it looks like I will be doing this every 4 days, for about a month.

For the ear mites, that is a good plan- it might be "overkill" but that should rid you of the problem.

I only applied the DE once to most of my animals. The fur mites and pinworms occurred at the same time, so I thoroughly cleaned all of the cages using my steam cleaner, which probably hard-boiled any eggs that were there. The rabbits were all dosed with Ivomec and powdered with DE before going back into their cages.

Then I will do it, once a month.

Personally, I wouldn't bother unless I saw a problem. I guess I am on the lazy side!

Since I have different animals, that have different mites, but can be
carriers of mites, too. This includes me, as a carrier, to possibly reinfect them.

Mites are very "host specific". I suspect mine may have come from wild rodents, which are close enough to rabbits that they may have infected them. I suspect that they never got very established because they were not on their preferred host. It is highly unlikely that the rabbits would become infected by mites that are specific to dogs, cats, or poultry.

 

[Secuono]

I only treat when something is there, I will not contribute to the super-bug/high resistance problem we have these days.

 

[Piper]

- none of these items (oil, DE, Sulfur) allow the pest to build up an resistance, so no contribution to resistance.
- Reason for monthly treating, I live on the edge of the country. Wild animals can meet a wild
rabbit and bring it in. I caught a possum, eating my chicken's eggs, a week or so ago.
- Even though mites are 'host specific' and seem to die, if on the wrong host, they
will still hitch a ride, to an appropriate host.

As an experiment, would you be willing to try dusting one of the rabbits with fur mites with your sulfur powder to see how well it works?

Even with the smell, I could, but it might not answer your question.
I have not actually seen any fur mites, and only have one rabbit (in quarantine) that has 'confirmed' ear mites, and he was treated with Pyrethrum, before he left the breeder.
- What I do have
1) a lot (to me) of unexplained fur loss, should not be due to molting, this late in the year.
2) a couple of ears, that have 'barely', a spot or two of lace look to them.
3) 9 rabbits, leaving quarantine, that I have just been nice to and the only thing I have done is weigh - Some have had nails clipped, but others still need a 'complete' head to tail exam, again.
4) what almost seems like a Noah's ark of animals trouping through my yard. Cats, squirrels, possums, wild ducks, my ducks, the ones I do not know about, and me - who goes to visit other rabbitry, and may bring back an unwelcome pest.
- I just want, to have an action plan. From what I have read, some of these mites are on the rabbits, almost all the time, and just get to bad levels, when the rabbits get stressed. Like weaning, transporting and so on. Then others mention the potential of the mites hitch hiking a ride in on hay, feed, cages, and so on.

 

[Secuono]

Updating; All ears are now clear.<br /><br />__________ Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:59 pm __________<br /><br />Updating again that ears are still clean. Will redo treatment on the 29th for any stragglers or whatnot's.