Last Updated on September 7, 2022
Ear mites are not only random mites, it can cause a lot of problems for your rabbit’s ears. That’s why you must treat it well. Check this article about how to treat rabbit ear mites to know the details. In this article, we are going to describe some of the methods of treating ear mites and removing them completely.
Let’s start with the details.
What Are Ear Mites in Rabbits?
Ears mites in rabbits are a different kind of mite. It is called Psoroptes cuniculi. This is the rabbit ear mite. It is oval-shaped and comparatively large. The mites have moderately short legs and long suckers. When there is direct contact via infected fomites and between infected rabbits, mites get into rabbits’ ears. Talking about its lifespan, it is generally 21 days for adult females that have laid eggs in the debris or ear wax in the ear canal.
Eggs develop into larvae and it takes around four days to become adults. The mites are seen if you use an otoscope. This is how you get the confirmation. Another thing you can do is to collect the debris from the ear to examine if there are any ear mites or not. Add some mineral oil so that it can easily be visualized under an otoscope.
What Are The Symptoms Regarding Ear Mite Infections?
The cause of having ear mites can be more than once. If your rabbit has ear mites, it may create otitis externa that can be extremely irritating for the rabbit. The ear canal is irritating to your bunnies, they will scratch it a lot. The irritation is created because of the antigenic element in their saliva and feces.
As a result, pruritis becomes severe. When the rabbits become affected by ear mites, they become head-shy. You can notice a subdued demeanor if you are careful. Besides, most of the time, rabbits scratch their ears by using their hind feet and shaking their head at the same time. This is also a sign to have ear mites.
Moreover, if the rabbits have ear mites, the ear canals may become clogged with thick wax. It is called an ear canker as well. If it gets severe, it may spread to the neck, face, forelimbs, and abdomen.
How To Treat The Mites
Before it gets severe, you should get a diagnosis for your rabbit. Multiple anti-parasite treatments are available. And you can take any of them as your rabbit’s treatment according to the condition.
If your rabbit has ear mites, it may cause some pain and irritation. To know more about it, see the method step-by-step:
Method 1: Treat Ear Mites at Home
The first method is a kind of DIY. You can do it all by yourself at your home. There is no need for a vet. Check the process properly.
Step 1: Clean Everything The Rabbit Has Touched
Make sure you clean all the things the rabbit may touch. The reason is ear mites are dangerous. The things can also be infected that come into contact with ear mites. So, it has to be cleaned and disinfected in the right way. Scrub the areas and disinfect the areas as ear mites are highly infectious. Besides, make sure you provide fresh bedding daily until getting rid of the ear mites fully.
Step 2: Give The Debris Time to Heal on Its Own
If the situation is severe, you need to give the debris some time to heal. In chronic conditions, there may be discharge and substantial scaling on the ears. If you remove the crust, it may be dangerous for the ears. So, make sure you avoid removing the crust and try to remove the debris after it is healed. Otherwise, there can be bleeding and pain.
Step 3: Medications
Give your rabbits the proper medications to kill the mites. You can use drugs from the ivermectin family. These are highly effective to kill ear mites. However, they do not kill eggs. It is needed to kill them once they hatch to avoid laying more eggs.
As the lifespan of ear mites is three weeks, you need to give the dose to your bunny every two weeks. That will stop any infection.
Step 4: Don’t Use Over-the-counter Treatments
Make sure you don’t use over-the-counter treatments. Over-the-counter products are highly sensitive for rabbits. The pyrethroid/pyrethrin family has active ingredients. These commercial mite-killing products are dangerous for rabbits as they probably experience toxicity. It creates a lot of problems like coma, seizures, and even death.
Step 5: Treat If There Are Secondary Infections.
Check if there are any secondary infections on your rabbit’s ears. If you see an infection, go to the vet. He will prescribe the right medications that your bunny needs. He may suggest some antibiotics like Baytril and some painkillers. It will be helpful for the rabbits.
Method 2: Recognize The Symptoms of Ear Mites
The other method depends on the symptoms of having ear mites. First, you should check if there are any symptoms or not then start the process. Check the details below.
Step 1: Check If The Rabbit Is Scratching Ears Or Not
Check your rabbit to know if she is scratching her ears or not. If yes, then it can be a symptom of having ear mites in your rabbit’s ears. Besides, your rabbit may shake her head. This can also be a symptom.
Step 2: Check If There Is Any Discharge
There can be discharge coming from the ear when the condition is severe. It looks like yellow-gray debris that fills the ear canals. It creates an irritating problem in the ears that need to be removed. Check if there is any discharge in the area or not. If yes, then it can be a symptom of having mites in your rabbit’s ears.
Step 3: Monitor for Drooping Ears
If you don’t treat the ear mites for too long, the weight of the debris inside the ears can cause serious damage to the ears. It can create bacterial infections that probably spread inwards. So, you need to monitor the drooping ears first.
Method 3. Ear Mites in Rabbits Diagnosis
The early-stage rabbit ear mites may not be a problem. But if the case becomes serious, it is necessary to have a proper diagnosis to solve the problems. Let’s see the steps for more information.
Step 1: Take Your Rabbit to The Vet
The first thing you must do is to take your rabbit to the vet. When you see the signs of having ear mites, you have to take your rabbit to the vet as soon as possible. Having these kinds of problems can be a major issue for your bunny. Make sure you take your rabbit to your vet immediately.
Step 2: Swab The Ears
When you take your bunny to your vet, he will examine the ear in the right way to identify if there are any abnormalities or not. He will also take a sample of wax and examine it on a microscope slide to suggest the right treatment.
Step 3: Use Otoscope to Check The Ears
Check the ears by using an otoscope to see the condition of the infection. If he does that, he doesn’t need to do an ear swab. He can also check the glistening bodies of the ear mites by using an otoscope to see the condition. That’s how it will be possible to know the condition and suggest a proper diagnosis for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Happens If An Ear Mite Infection Is Not Treated?
The ear mite problem becomes chronic as the infection gets severe daily. It can affect your bunny. She can experience weight loss, bacterial infections, gut stasis, and many other problems.
2. How To Prevent Re-infection?
You can prevent reinfection if you are careful about the situation. Mites can survive for 21 days. So, the treatment should be more than 21 days. In this way, there will be no reinfection in the ears of your rabbit.
3. Is regular ear cleaning in rabbits necessary?
Regular cleaning of your rabbit is necessary. If there is more wax build-up, you need to be careful to clean the ears.
4. Can rabbit ear mites spread to humans?
Ear mites are dangerous. It can spread by touch. It can also spread to humans as well.
Wrap Up
Now that you know all about the ear mites of your rabbit and how you can treat them, you need to execute the method according to this article. Check the entire article about how to treat rabbit ear mites. See the FAQs as well to know more information. Execute the process as it is described to ensure the health of your rabbit’s ears.
