Ear mites

Ear mites in rabbits are caused by a mite. There are roughly two types of mites in rabbits, one of which is the mite. The mite responsible for ear mites (psoroptic mange) is the parasite Psoropte cuniculi, a sarcoptic mite. This species of mite digs furrows in your rabbit's dermis and settles there. The entire ear canal, from the entrance to the ear to the eardrum, is covered with skin. The effects of the furrows dug by these sarcoptic mites should not be overlooked.

What causes ear mites in rabbits?
The mites open furrows in the dermis and lay eggs there, in which the larvae develop. These furrows do not go through the skin. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks for the eggs to reach the adult stage. The lifespan of a mite is around 4 to 21 days (depending on the circumstances). Dust mites can be very contagious. Young rabbits or those who come from an animal shelter or an educational farm are particularly affected. The mite is only found in rabbits.

How to recognize ear mites in a rabbit?
Mites live mainly in the ear (but outside the eardrum). Both ears are often affected, but sometimes only one. In older or sick rabbits, the mite sometimes spreads all over the body. The neck, head, legs and external genitalia are affected. 

Most rabbits only suffer from their ears. A change in your rabbit's behavior should alert you! Your rabbit will feel the pain by shaking their head, flapping their ears and severe itching. When you examine your rabbit's ear, you'll often find dirty brown scabs that look like "puff pastry."

Because of this itching and throbbing, the ear can become swollen and red. Very often your rabbit refuses to have his ear touched because it is very painful and he can no longer hold it up in the air and tends to let it hang.

There is always a risk that this condition will turn into an otitis media. In severe cases, the inflammation can also reach the middle or inner ear.

How Are Ear Mites In Rabbits Diagnosed?
In general, the diagnosis is easy to make, as this itching and brown scab are enough to make it. However, sometimes it is not so obvious and your vet may need to do a further examination of your rabbit's ear. The vet will definitely notice that mites are wandering around in your pet's ear, although they sometimes have to reach for the microscope to find them!

How are ear mites treated in rabbits?
Fortunately, we manage to fight dust mites well. It is very important not to remove the scabs in the ears, otherwise there is a risk of developing very bad bleeding sores. The scab will fall off on its own within 10 days of starting treatment.

Treatment consists in applying an ointment with a mild and anti-inflammatory composition twice a day. The treatment of mites is also carried out with a pipette injected into the throat, requiring two applications, between which an interval of 4 weeks must be respected. This is to ensure complete elimination of all new mites.

Never apply the pipette for a shorter period of time as this can be dangerous for your rabbit! If you have multiple rabbits, make sure they are all pipetted as mange is highly contagious. Also, always make sure to clean the stable well.

This text was translated by a translation machine