Last Updated on September 7, 2022
Cleaning rabbits’ ears are highly necessary. It is important just like grooming. There are some things you should be careful about. And we describe these things in this article about how to clean a rabbit’s ears.
In this post, we are going to explain the method of cleaning rabbit’s ears step-by-step, the ingredients you need to do that, some home-remedy methods, and some tips as well.
Let’s see how it goes!
What To Use To Clean a Rabbit’s Ears?
The cleaning process is regular. It doesn’t need any special solution. With the help of a soft cloth and warm water, you can entirely clean the rabbit’s ears. Some additional things you can use are tweezers, cotton balls, a towel, honey, vegetable or olive oil, hydrogen peroxide, and a flashlight if needed.
Some things are optional. If you need extra care for your rabbit, you can use all these things. Moreover, some rabbits have excessive ear wax. In that case, you should find a cleaning solution. It makes the junk soft and then you can easily clean up the ear.
Consult this with your vet to know about solutions. Another thing you can do is use some home remedies. There are some natural ingredients such as olive oil or vegetable oil and honey that are good for the ears. They work in a good way to clean away all the mild wax from the ears. Using home remedies is always best. But first, consult with the rabbit doctor.
However, if your rabbit has excessive wax then you need some medication like a chemical cleaning solution. Talk to your vet and he will suggest various kinds of rabbit cleaning solutions that will be better for stubborn ear wax.
Besides, make sure you use a tweezer to pluck the small hairs from your rabbit’s ears. Use a headlamp to go inside of your rabbit’s ears easily. Last but not the least, a penlight or a flashlight is useful to see into the ears.
Also learn: How To Treat Rabbit Ear Mites-Things You Need to Know
Ways To Clean Your Rabbits Ears
Various ways that you can apply to clean your rabbit’s ears. As this is an animal, you have to be careful dealing with it. Be gentle while whatever you are doing. Let’s check the process in detail.
Step 1: Prepare The Rabbit
The first thing you need to do is prepare your rabbit before starting the cleaning process. For that, you should behave gently. Some of the facts are important to consider. Such as:
Keep Your Rabbit Calm
Rabbits can get furious and stressed easily. That is why you need to behave calmly with them. When you are cleaning the rabbit’s ears, it can be painful for them if there is excessive wax buildup. It can be a scary experience for them. So, it’s important to build a good relationship with them.
To keep them calm, get them out of the cage and play with them. Gently pet them so that they can be used to your touch. Pet their belly, hands, and ears. In this way, there will be less risk of surprising them.
Contain Your Rabbit
Rabbits may hurt themselves if they are in pain or scared. So, what you need to do is contain your rabbit. Their first attempt is to run away. So, make sure you contain them to do the cleaning properly. Pet them gently and in this way, you will have the rabbit’s trust. You can also get some help from someone to hold whom your rabbits trust.
Also, curve your arm around the rabbit while she is on the table. That’s how you can hold her and stop her from jumping. But make sure you do not push her too hard otherwise she will try to run. You need to hold her ears to clean them.
Be Gentle
You must be gentle with her. As a rabbit’s ears are extremely sensitive, you need to clean her ears by being calm. You need to grasp her ears gently by using your thumb and index finger.
Step 2: Recognize Any Symptom of Stress
Rabbits can be stressed because of a lot of things. Try to identify the symptoms. If you see your rabbit jumping, kicking, scratching, or biting, that means your rabbit is too stressed. At that time, you should behave gently with her. Place her in her cage until she calms down. Then try again until she’s prepared and calm.
Step 3: Gasp Rabbit’s Ear Gently
You need to grasp her ears calmly. Make sure your rabbit is in a comfortable zone. She needs to feel safe with you. Otherwise, she will start jumping and it may hurt her ears. Use a flashlight or a small penlight to see inside her ears.
Step 4: Use Tweezers to Remove Debris
Take a tweezer and remove any kind of debris with it. Before cleaning the ear, you need to get rid of the debris first. Then you should clean any wax or mite if there is any. Remove the larger pieces first then the smaller ones. If you find difficulty removing the debris, don’t try hard to pull it. That will be harsh for rabbits’ ears and it can be a cause of infection.
Step 5: Apply Solution
After removing debris, now you need to apply a solution. There are different kinds of commercial products you can get from any general store. Or, you can apply some home remedies too. Talk to your vet and get the right suggestion about it.
If you want to go with any home remedy, you can use honey, olive oil, or hydrogen peroxide. Make a good solution with any of these ingredients and apply it to your rabbit’s ears. This works well to clear out her ears.
Step 6: Wipe The Outer Ear
Now, you should wipe the outer ear by moving inside out. As you apply the solution, debris becomes loose. So, it will be easier to clean. Take a soft cloth or a paper towel to wipe out the outer portion of the inside of the ear. Always avoid wiping from the outside to the inside of the ears. The reason is it may not clear out debris properly and thus cause infection.
Step 7: Check If There Is Any Ear Infection
Checking on the ear to identify the existence of infection is necessary. There may be some symptoms of infection like discharge, scratching, pain, loss of appetite, and more. This kind of infection can be dangerous. You have to be concerned about it.
Step 8: Check If There Are Any Ear Mites
Further, you also need to check whether there are any ear mites or not. These mites can make the ear look swollen and red. As symptoms, rabbits may have visible mites, wax buildup, and scabs. Rabbits may scratch their ears or shake their head if they feel irritated.
Step 9: Check If There Is Any Wax Buildup
Watch out for any yeast or wax buildup. It may look simply like wax or yellowish scales. Also, you can talk to your vet to know what it exactly is. And he will give you suggestions according to that.
Also, learn: How To Clean Rabbit Eyes
The Importance of Ear Wax Removal In Rabbits
The importance of cleaning rabbit ears is huge. It has to be considered as important as grooming rabbits. As an owner of your rabbit, you should ensure their ultimate cleanliness of them. Besides, keeping their ears clean prevents any infection buildup. It also avoids forming any ear wax, yeast, or bacteria. Cleaning your rabbit’s ears makes it healthy and neat.
Wrap Up
As you can see how important it is to keep your rabbit’s ears clean, you should maintain that. See the information about how to clean rabbit’s ears and then apply the method accordingly.
One thing you should maintain is to keep yourself calm and behave gently with your bunny. Be careful while cleaning the ears.
