Head Shaking

[ddunn24]

Hi Everyone!

So my Netherland Dwarf recently started to shake her ears/head. I know that those are usually signs of ear mites or an ear infection, but I can’t see any of those symptoms in her ears other than the shaking. It started a few days ago, when I noticed that she was shaking her head a lot more often, and would occasionally stop to itch the base of her ear. However, as of recently she doesn’t even bother to itch, she just shakes a bit and continues on. The shaking isn’t very consistent, when she’s really focused on eating she won’t do it, but sometimes when she’s wandering around it’ll suddenly bother her. Sometimes she’ll keep the ear more lower than the other, because I think I’ve noticed that when she raises it back up, she’ll start shaking again. However, it’s not always like that, as she sometimes has no problem with keeping both ears up.

I carefully took a look at her ear, there was no crust or mucus, it looks clean like it always does. Other than that, her eating and socializing behavior hasn’t changed at all. I don’t have any other rabbits/pets in my house either. Could there be something else inside her ear?

[Wick & Fable]

Is she shedding right now? Sometimes pieces of fur end up down there, and since they’re so fine, it’s hard to see them and takes a while for a rabbit to get it out. Also, is it possible they are half-binkys? It’s a small gesture of happiness or general energy.

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.

[ddunn24]

Thank you for the quick reply!

So I did notice that she was shedding some very loose fur right behind her ears, kind of her neck area. I suppose that maybe that could be it, but is it normal to just end up in only one ear? I think I forgot to mention this, but it’s specifically only one of her ears while the other one is doing just fine. I even tested her by giving her some ear pets, which she has enjoyed in the past, and she showed no differing reactions between either ears.

Also, I did consider them being half-binkys but I’m pretty positive its not that, considering she only really half-binkys when she gets caught doing something she shouldn’t be. The shaking happens very inconsistently, she could do it a few times in an hour, and then go one hour without doing it. The shaking is like a three second shake back and forth, like she’s really trying to shake something out of her ear. When she does itch it, which is less frequent than the shaking, she focuses more on the base of her ear rather than the upper part.

If it is fur, should I just wait for her to figure it out herself?

[Wick & Fable]

If it’s fur, you can probably just wait it out. And yeah, it could definitely just happen in one ear. If you have been good in checking the ear area and see nothing unusual, fur tickling would be my bet. If it is something more inside the ear, such as an infection, I imagine you’ll be able to see something, or her behavior would reflect it, like head tilting or decreases in health behaviors. like eating and pooping.

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.

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