flaking hair on ears?

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

Hi there I have noticed my rabbit has little flakes on his ears and when i go to take them off hair falls off. Is this something to be worried about?

[littlemissflip]

It might just be dry skin–my bun has episodes of dry skin on the back of his ears, and sometimes I dab a tiny drop of food-grade Vitamin E oil on them to help with the dryness/itching.

If it seems to be spreading (like to his shoulders and back), if it appears scaley and scabby and is accompanied by balding, it could be fur mites, which would need to be diagnosed by a vet with a skin scraping and treated with a rabbit-appropriate treatment like Revolution.

Here’s a good article about skin problems in rabbits: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

Although again, if it’s just a few dry skin flakes, I’d just keep an eye on it for now and take him to the vet if it seems to get worse…

[Monkeybun]

Monkey gets dry skin on her ears when she is shedding. Could be that.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

thanks. He did have fur mites about 6 weeks ago and was treated for that.

[RabbitPam]

Then the mites may have laid some eggs somewhere that got back on him again.
Otherwise, my first thought was it was in keeping with shedding. I would check for the mites again, otherwise just watch for redness, swelling or spreading.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

I also found a little scab on his back should i be concerned about it?

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

Does anyone know how rabbits get fur mites?

[Monkeybun]

When you treated him, did you thoroughly clean his habitat as well? Like, wash and bleach any bedding/cage/toys, and vacuum the rug? If not, the mites could have just stayed there, and moved back onto him.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

my rabbit is disabled he has cancer. So i have a dog rug that i put down with a towel over top of that and i change the towel on a day to day basis. His toys are chew able toys. he does still have dandruff on him so maybe i should call back the the vet and just see.

[Beka27]

I’m glad someone posted that bio.miami link. That’s a good one!

[longhairmike]

Posted By kamdynandsunshinesmom on 07/05/2011 06:59 AM
my rabbit is disabled he has cancer. So i have a dog rug that i put down with a towel over top of that and i change the towel on a day to day basis. His toys are chew able toys. he does still have dandruff on him so maybe i should call back the the vet and just see.

 

is the fur itself kind of stiff and hard because of the flakes? when falling out,, is it falling out in small clumps still attached to the flakes?
are you noticing this anywhere else? pehaps around the edges of the eyes or the tops of his feet?

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

I have noticed that he has flakes on his ears and the flakes do fall out with the fur. when you do run your fingers down his back there are some hard pieces. On his ears when i do touch the flakes and take the fur off he does start scratching his ears. I have another question I don’t know if you will know or i should ask my vet. I did call the vet and i am waiting to hear back from her. My question is. I went to walmart and purchased a sherpa rug for dogs. I put that on the bottom of my rabbits cage then I put a towel over top of that because sometimes he pees outside the litterbox. I put the mat down because he falls over and i wanted something soft. When he had the fur mites I just changed the towel i didn’t wash the rug because he isn’t directly on the rug. Should I be washing the rug also? My next question. I also bought the same rug and cut it up into 4 pieces and use this in my rabbit litterbox. I put a towel down then this rug then hay on top of that. I take this rug out everyday and spray it with vinegar and wash it in the sink with really hot water. Is that ok? If i put it in the washer my washer gets clogged with hay since hay sticks to it. Do fur mites stick to plastic. thanks for your help.

[Beka27]

Those are all very good questions. I don’t know much on the specifics, but I am sure someone with mite experience may be able to clarify further.

As far as soft absorbent bedding, have you tried the disposable puppy “pee pads”? You wouldn’t need to worry about cleaning that because they are just thrown out.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

Thank you and yes I have tried the puppy pads and my bunny had such a good time chewing them. I also found they weren’t that absorbant maybe i should try another one

[jerseygirl]

What med did they use to treat the mites before?
If it is fur mite again then you might have to keep him on a maintenance dose of selamectin (Revolution). His immune system might not be able to keep small numbers of mite at bay like a healthier rabbit could.

What type of cancer does he have? There are some skin conditions associated cancer and with the immune system. I’m wondering if any of the meds can cause side effects also? longhairmike may know this from their experience with Fubuki.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

He has a tumour on his spine and he has been on metacam for awhile now. She treated him with ivermectim i think that is how you spell it.

[jerseygirl]

My vet used ivermectin injections too. Had to do 3 shots over 3 weeks which was a real pain. I’ve since read that mites can be persistant and selamectin(Revolution) is the most effective. It;s a form of ivermectin but supposed to be gentler. This was from Dana Krempels who is very rabbit savvy.
{{{Vibes}}} for your boy!

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

I came back from the vets and yes he does have fur mites again so he is getting 4 treatments now. i did disenfect his whole cage took it outside hosed it down and washed it with soapy water and i washed all his bedding to. Keep praying he gets rid of his fur mites.

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