What is this thing in my rabbit’s ear? Has anyone ever encountered this?

[Barush]

TL;DR A skin rash/bumps in my lop rabbit, his sister doesn’t have it, so probably not mites/nothing contageous. Does anyone recognize this?

On 17.7. I noticed some unusual raised bumps or a rash inside my 5-year-old lop’s ear. He hasn’t been scratching more than usual and is otherwise acting completely normal — eating, playing, and behaving with his usual energy, so the discovery really caught me off guard. If I didn’t routinely check his ears, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed. His sister, who shares the same space and is always by his side, shows no signs of the same issue and appears perfectly healthy.

He has, however, been sneezing more than usual recently. We’ve had a very dusty batch of hay, and we also switched to a new litter brand that even made me cough a bit. I’m wondering if this could be some kind of allergic reaction? Aside from the sneezing, there’s no runny nose or other symptoms, and like I mentioned, his behaviour hasn’t changed.

I looked up information online, and to me it doesn’t quite look like ear mites – he’s barely scratching, and his sister remains unaffected. That gives me some hope that it’s not something contagious like mites, as I’d expect her to show symptoms too if that were the case.
[video width="768" height="576" mp4="https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/Video-17.7.mp4"][/video]
Does anyone here recognize what this might be? Could it be an allergic reaction, possibly irritation from scratching due to the new litter? Or even dry skin? I have since switched back to the old litter. I think it’s slowly improving too, but it’s still there. 

I’m in a really difficult situation at the moment. I don’t have any family support (I had to go no contact due to abuse towards me), my ex-partner I bought them with recently left, and I’ve just started studying. I feel terrible, but I can barely afford to eat now as is, I even had to skip eating several times a week as is, because my situation is so dire. I feel awful even writing this, but a vet visit would be upwards of 300€, which I simply can’t afford right now and would need to pay off for 5+ months.

Of course, I won’t let him suffer – if the rash gets worse, more inflamed, or doesn’t start to improve soon, I will of course take him to the vet. But in the past, we’ve had situations where a vet just told us to monitor things and come back if they worsen. So if there’s any way to avoid that initial visit while still keeping him safe and well, I’d be incredibly grateful for advice or shared experiences.

Thank you so much in advance! ❤️

[caption id="attachment_1997583" align="alignnone" width="300"] 17.7.[/caption]

ear two

[video src="https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/Video-17.7.mp4" /]

LATEST, 23.7.

[caption id="attachment_1997589" align="alignnone" width="300"] 23.7., today (very zoomed)[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1997590" align="alignnone" width="177"] 23.7., ear 2[/caption]

video, 23.7 https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/video-23.7.mp4
video, 23.7. ear 2 – https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/video-23.7.-ear-2.mp4

 

(Videos checked by moderator Bam)

[Barush]

The formating is somehow all over the place, sadly. It didn’t look like this when I posted it.

But basically the first two pictures are how it looked on 17.7., both ears. Since the video didn’t show up (first ear, taken on 17.7.) I will post the link again here, if you’d like to check it – https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/Video-17.7.mp4

The following pictures are the latest pictures taken on 23.7. – First is the first ear, second is the detail of the first ear, and then there is the picture of the second ear.

Hope this makes it easier.

[LBJ10]

The clustering reminds me of itch mites. Some people (and presumably animals) are unaffected by itch mite bites, while others have a pretty intense allergic reaction. Something like this could explain why the other bunny seems unaffected. Have you noticed any bites on yourself? Itch mites can sometimes get into batches of hay.

The other thought would be fur mites or similar. They can be present on bunnies and not cause any issues until something happens that allows them to be opportunistic (usually stress or weakening of the immune system). Again, this would explain why one bunny is affected while the other is not.

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