First of all, mites are not a huge deal, so dont be sad. Sparse hair at the back base of the ears is common and normal, but the spot between the shoulder blades is, as you’ve probably read, a typical place where mites can fester, because the bun cant groom himself there.  Fur mites are easy to treat, and many buns dont seem bothered by them until they get really bad.

Do you feel any sort of uneveness when you feel the bald area? Mites typically cause little crusts that are hard to see, because they are yellowish-white. If you try to pick at a crust, the bun will react with pain. If you find a crust/crusts, I’d say this is mites. Also check around/just above the tail, that is a other common spot where mites are typically located.

This can be mites even though the problem hasnt gotten worse in 2 months. The rabbit’s immune defense keeps the mites in reasonable check as long as the rabbit is happy and healthy. Stress of any kind has the potential to exacerbate the problem though. This can happen very quickly, in just a day or so you suddenly see lots of skin flakes.

Diacematous earth isnt toxic. It’s only a problem if the bun breathes in the particles or happens to eat a significant amount. The mechanism by which it kills mites is simply that the mites dry out and die. This is perhaps not very effective as a treatment on an animal, since the skin will still provide moisture enough for the mites. It’s very good for getting rid of mites in the environment though, such as between floor boards, thresholds and carpets.

Mites on rabbits can be treated with Revolution (selamectin) or Advantage Multi (imidaclopride + moxidectin). Depending on where you live  these products may be prescription only, but if you have a vet, they might be willing to give you a prescription without a visit, for a smallish fee, because as you say, these are not normal times. Both these products are spot on compounds, not injections, so they’re easy to apply.

And now a public service message that we issue routinely whenever anti-parasitics are mentioned: Never use any compound containing fipronil on a rabbit. Fipronil is sold otc for cats and dogs, under a whole host of brand names, f ex Frontline. Fipronil is deadly toxic to rabbits.