Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Rabbit Ear Mites Gone, Cured by using Baby Oil.

Hello All,

My Bunnies ears are pink and healthy again and they are happily doing what bunnies do best, eating and propagating. Me and Marcy soaked their ears with baby oil, in hindsight we over did it for sure filling up their ears with oil like little gas tanks. But it worked and they did not seem to mind. The oil loosened up the nastiness
and the rabbits shook it out and the rest healed clearing up in 2-3 days. Below is all the info about how this treatment works:

Rabbits kept outside are likely to come in contact with ear mites. Ear mites are not likely to be serious, but left untreated, they can lead to infection and deafness.

The ear mite is a parasite, known under the name of Psoroptes cuniculi. they are a member of the arachnid family, which includes spiders and scorpions! The average life span of an ear mite is 21 days.

If your rabbit has an ear mite infestation you are likely to notice a brown waxy build up inside one or both ears. Your rabbit will likely be scratching or shaking his head more then you have previously noticed. Over the next day or two the waxy build up will become scab-like or flaky in its appearance. your rabbit will also have several scratch marks in his ear.

Treatment for ear mites is fairly simple. There are several over the counter treatments that you can use, such as Rabbit RX or a cat ear mite treatment. You may also use any mineral based oil, such as baby oil or even vegetable oil. The oil will suffocate the mites and kill them.

For the oil treatment:

Warm the oil to a lukewarm temperature.
Use a dropper or small plastic syringe.
On day one, place 2-3 drops in ear and gently massage the base of the ear. You may also use a cotton ball to coat the inside of the ear.
Days 2, 4, 6, 8 & 10: repeat day one.
Treat again on days 14, 21 and 28. Mite eggs live for 21 days so be sure to follow through with this treatment.

With this treatment, your mite infestation should be depleted.

Do not remove the crust that may appear in your rabbit's ear. This will leave open, bloody skin that will easily become infected. It will also be exceptionally painful to your rabbit. The crust will come off when it becomes saturated and your rabbit shakes his head.

It would not be unwise to gently wash your rabbits ears on the odd days during treatment. This will help prevent infection and also help in the bonding process. Again, be careful not to stress your rabbit or to pull at any scabs.

Another treatment for ear mites is the medication called ivermectin. I do not recommend such treatment without the supervision of a veterinarian.

If you use the cat treatment, follow the directions on the package. This goes against the manufacturer's suggested use, but the treatment is effective.

This all comes from By BunnyMama29 at:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/62619/treating_ear_mites_in_rabbits.html

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great news Leo! Thanks for the update. We are pulling for them down here in NC!