Is this normal?

[lovebunny]

Marinette is an 8 week old lionhead. Both of her parents ears point up like most lionheads I have seen. Sometimes her ears lop down and sometimes they are up. Sometimes one will be up and the other will be down and sometimes they will both be up or down at the same time. Is this normal for lionhead rabbits? The coworker I got her from keeps her buns outside so I did put oil in her ears just in case it might be ear mites but inside her ears look clean and clear. She does groom them a lot but she grooms her whole body a lot. My coworker also told me she has a sibling with lop ears, so I’m thinking maybe she has a little holland lop in her family tree. I am still looking for a rabbit savvy vet in my area to give her a well bunny check up so i’m not sure if I should be concerned. I could not figure out how to resize a photo to show her off but If anyone has any advice or ideas I would be glad to hear them. 

[Asriel and Bombur]

Sounds like she’s mixed to me, and nothing to be worried about.

[lovebunny]

Thanks, I seen a video of a bunny with head tilt and it was really sad. So when her ears started to lop down I got a little concerned. She doesn’t seem to be in pain, she does shake her head once and a wile. I am going to keep looking for a vet but I wont stress over her ears so much in the mean time. Unless they start to look dirty or something like that. My husband said I’m like a first time mom the way I fuss over her but I just want her to be healthy and happy.  

[kurottabun]

I too think it sounds like she’s a mix A head tilt is quite obvious in that it’s the head that is actually tilting, rather than the ears lopping. It’s also very common for bunnies to groom themselves very often and shake their heads once in a while.

Do be careful about putting any oil IN her ears though. It’s generally not advised to put anything in their ears as it might irritate them. For mites, the typical treatment is via topical application, i.e. a dose of Revolution at the back of their necks, in between the ears.

[lovebunny]

Thank you for the advice. I will not put any more oil in her ears. I thought that would help her if she did have ear mites because of a few videos I watched on you tube. This is just another reason I am so glad I found this community. I found a vet who has experience with rabbits. He said a lot of people bring their rabbits to him for small things like regular checkups because his prices are lower than than the vet hospital at the collage, but suggested I take her there for anything major. He is not willing to spay a female but he does neuter males so that is good to know if I get her a companion some day.

[Asriel and Bombur]

If she has dry ears ever you can use coconut oil but that’s more like a small amount on a cotton ball gently patted around the parts that look dry. Ear mites will never go away with oil, it’s always vet care.

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