Ringworm?

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 12 months ago by LBJ10.

Viewing 5 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 03/05/2022 at 4:13 PM
  WNG5
  Participant
  2 posts
  Hello all,
  
  I bought my rabbit a few weeks ago and recently noticed this patch on the back of her head (it progressively got worse). I’ve tried scouring the internet for images that may resemble what she has but I’m having no luck. What could this be? Thank you.
  
  Maintenance and Housing
  Is your bunny housed indoors or outdoors? Indoor
  Does your bunny live with other bunnies? No
  If yes, are they bonded?
  If you rabbit spends time outside, are wild rabbits around? N/A
  How much exercise does your bunny get per day? A few hours
  How often do you clean the litter box? Every 2 days
  How often do you groom your bunny? Once a week
  
  Spay/Neuter
  Is your bunny spayed/neutered? No
  If so, for how long?
  If not, why not? Recently purchased, and apparently too young and to wait a few months
  Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here. – Yes
  
  Pooping and Diet – Very Important
  What does your bunny eat normally:
  How much hay and what type? I give unlimited Hay, alfalfa
  How much pellets and what type? Oxbow young rabbit food
  How much veggies and what types? Leafy greens (rocket, watercress, spinach, kale, broccoli, parsley)
  How many treats and what types? VET IQ calming bites (no more than 4 a day), small dried pieces of apple, pineapple, papaya
  Anything else not listed?
  When was the last time your bunny ate? An hour ago (If > 12 hours ago this is an emergency, contact a vet ASAP)
  What was the last thing your bunny ate? Small bit of dried apple
  When was the last time your bunny pooped? recently
  How did your bunny’s most recent poops look (round and firm, misshapen, small and hard, soft/mushy, runny, etc.) ? Round and firm
  
  Illness & Symptoms
  How long have you had this bunny? 3-4 weeks
  In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Welt on skin with scaly bits, some moulting on the area
  How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Last Tuesday
  Have you consulted a vet? Asked a vet and they suspect ringworm
  Have you started any treatment for the symptoms? No
  Was your bunny physically ill or injured when you got them? Not that I know of
  How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Not that I know of
- 03/05/2022 at 4:59 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17224 posts
  Considering it’s location, it’s probably ringworm or a similar infection.
- 03/05/2022 at 7:32 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5834 posts
  Treating for ringworm would be smart — it has a similar presentation, yes: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Ringworm
  (Graphic images warning: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Fungal/Fungal_en.htm)
  
  Separately, there are some things in the care content you outline that are unusual. First, how old is your rabbit? The alfalfa-based diet suggests young, and it appears you are feeding a lot of veggies, which is typically not OK for younger rabbits since their digestive system is not yet fully mature to break down diverse and significant quantities of vegetables. Introduction to veggies when age-appropriate should be done slowly as well, so just double-checking that has been done properly and/or is age-appropriate.
  
  Also, I do not know why you’re feeding Vet IQ calming bites, but they are not needed in a rabbit diet. All a young rabbit needs is unlimited alfalfa hay, alfalfa-based pellets, and water. Anything additional risks GI upset: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Diet .
  
  If the diet you’re currently feeding (including the IQ bites) comes through recommendation of the individual from whom you got the rabbit, I suspect they were not very rabbit-experienced nor knowledgeable on best care practices. I recommend going through the RABBIT INFO section of this website, in addition to looking here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/New_Rabbit_Owner_Primer … I make these observations because, if it is ringworm, it is something commonly seen in younger rabbits, especially those raised in suboptimal conditions (not saying you are providing that; I know you just received this rabbit!). In addition to informed veterinary treatment, ensuring the rabbit is presently in the best conditions will do favorably towards their recovery.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 03/06/2022 at 7:46 AM
  WNG5
  Participant
  2 posts
  Thank you both for your responses, I will look into ringworm treatment asap.
  
  In regards to my rabbit’s age, I am afraid I do not know. The pet store I originally purchased my rabbit from gave me conflicting information on several occasions. I was first told she was 8-9 weeks old, after purchasing her and taking her home, and I called them for some advice, the assistant told me she was 5-6 months. However, when the assistant confirmed it with the owner, he said the rabbit was 9-10 weeks. He also told me the rabbit was a boy when in fact she’s a girl (later confirmed with vet). In addition, when I asked the owner what type of hay she needed, he sold me some type of grass, along with some muesli pellets, young rabbit pellets, and some treats. I asked if the rabbit needed vegetables and he replied with ‘you can feed your rabbit vegetables’. In hindsight, it did seem like the owner lacked [embed]https://imgur.com/a/2v8cn61[/embed]any real knowledge about rabbits, but I was also none the wise as I was/am a new rabbit owner. It was only when doing my own research that I realised young rabbits needed alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets – that’s when I went and got her some Oxbow Alfalfa Hay and Oxbow Essentials Young Rabbit Food.
  
  Whilst waiting for my vet appointment for a health check, I noticed my rabbit scratching herself a lot. I noticed her ears were getting flakey and she had this small red patch with some flakey skin behind her head. So when the day came for the appointment, I asked the vet a whole host of questions. The vet confirmed my rabbit was a female and was closer to 5-6 months than she was to the other ages the pet store owner gave. The vet treated her for ear mites and told me to wait and see if the treatment also helps the rash behind her head over the next 2 weeks. If not, she will be tested for ringworm and treated.
  
  Knowing the rabbit is now most likely 6 months of age, I have been introducing very small quantities of the vegetables that I mentioned previously into her diet. As I did my research the past few weeks, I realised the items the store owner sold me was inadequate, however knowing that rabbits have a sensitive digestive system, I did not want to just stop giving her the food the store was originally giving her. So I phased out her original diet of these muesli pellets she was fed on to the oxbow rabbit food. It has been challenging trying to give my rabbit an age-appropriate diet because I had no idea how old she actually was. However, after the vet appointment, I am hopeful I am on the right course now. In a few weeks’ time, I will be introducing Timothy hay and phasing out Alfalfa from her diet.
  
  Returning back to the original topic, I am unsure how my rabbit contracted ringworm or ear mites for the matter. Would it have been possible that she already had it before I brought her home before she started showing symptoms? Or would it be possible that someone accidentally brought mites/spores back to my home? My rabbit is a free roam indoor rabbit, she has full access to my apartment (bar the bathroom). However, I do have a Ferplast 120 cage as her safe area with her litter area in there as well. I clean the litter tray every other day, her safe area once a week, and I hoover almost daily.
  
  For some reason it won’t allow me to upload a picture to the post, so here’s a link to my setup: https://imgur.com/a/2v8cn61
- 03/06/2022 at 7:54 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5834 posts
  We are having site wide issues with image upload so thanks for the resourcefulness of posting a link!
  
  That is really frustrating about the misinformation and poor diet recommendations — how wonderful you’re taking the time to get your rabbit back on track!! It definitely sounds like there’s some lack of knowledge in the past owner’s treatment which can absolutely contribute to this current stage.
  
  Re: how she got ringworm/ear mites, ringworm is difficult to fully exterminate from the environment. According to a past vet who helped one of my rabbits get through ringworm, when it comes to rabbits, the emphasis is try to clean the environment as much as possible, but the priority for treatment is topical/oral meds and getting the rabbit’s overall immune system better via improving care so the rabbit can combat future ringworm infection themselves, since spores are invisible and trying to clean all surfaces and such is a potentially impossible task. The vast majority of ringworm cases occur in younger rabbits and those in poor conditions, and both will have compromised/weak immune systems.
  
  My hope and suspicion is pairing your vet’s treatment with you providing a better diet and lifestyle will be adequate in treating any ongoing ringworm and prevent future contraction as your rabbit’s body gets stronger via a better diet. For ear mites as well, I think the same logic though I don’t have direct experience with it specifically.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 03/06/2022 at 8:18 AM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17224 posts
  It does take awhile for ear mites to get to large enough numbers to where you see noticeable symptoms. It’s very possible she got them at the store, especially if other rabbits were there.
Author

Messages

Viewing 5 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.