bug bites in ears?

[blazn bunz]

Our rabbits all have little red dots in their ears. I don't believe they are mites but I'm not sure what they are. It was very hot earlier this week in Northern Ca. so we put the bunnies outside under a shade tree. Could it be flea or mosquito bites. They don't seem to be itching them. The temp has cooled now so they are back in the bunny barn. Any thoughts? Thanks, Diane

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm not sure that I have heard of this before.
It does sound like either it is bites of some kind or possibly a reaction to some other allergen

it is possible it is mites but doesn"t sound like that either
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11954&forum_id=10
if they are not itching and they do not seem to bother the bunsI would watch for a few days and see if they disappear on their own.

Can you post a pic of their ears ?
You need to download your pics from your computer to a photo site like photobucket

this will show you how

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=25443&forum_id=66

in the meantime maybe someone elseon the forum has seen something similar

How many rabbits are involved and were they all under the tree? Are the red dots similar in both ears on each rabbit?

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds like the reaction people have to being bitten by the rabbit fur mite. See http://www.mybunny.org/info/mites.pdf

However, most mites present as dandruffy looking areas on rabbits, and are usually itchy. They could be bites from some other insect that just happened to find them under the tree, like flies, rather than an infestation of a parasitic insect.

 

[Amy27]

Can rabbits get heat rash like humans? I just ask because you said it had been very hot there.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

oh,the things we wish we could do over,..i do believe a rabbit savy vet is in order,..in the ears could be a special problem,..bugs like hot spots on warm blooded animals,.ever had problems with chiggers,..google this one ,it,ll scare you,.at any rate if the whatever gets to the inner ear,you will spend alot more money later than sooner,..sincerely james waller [email protected]

 

[blazn bunz]

The red spots in the rabbit's ears have almost all gone away. We treated them with alcohol swabbed in the ears and then rubbed a little Vaseline in their ears with a Q-tip. It seams to have done the trick. Also the temp has cooled off here considerably so that may have helped. I still don't know exactly what it was. Diane

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm glad that it is gone, however, I would not use alcohol on the ears of a rabbit.
but since I really cannot suggest an alternative (considering that we have no idea what it was )

Ill just say that I'm glad that it's gone.
maybe someone else can suggest something else that would have been safer than alcohol. :expressionless

 

[tonyshuman]

Alcohol would be ok as long as the bunny didn't get a chill. On the skin, alcohol evaporates quickly and leaves the skin really cold, and since bunnies regulate their body temp through the ears mostly, it could be dangerous to put alcohol on their ears if there was a chance of the bunny catching a cold. I saw an Animal Cops where they had an overheated dog that they were bathing in alcohol to get his body temp down. A better thing would be betadine, but I think alcohol would be ok. They use it all the time to clean the neck for a blood draw, and other parts of the body for injections.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

good deal,.i do not know how you arrived at using alcohol,vasoline,??.as long as the whatever are all gone??/.blood vessels,allow/carry heat out of the rabbits body through their ears,-thats why alcohol would not have been my first choice,but it worked,??..our kitten had parvo-virus,body temp 107*,so the feet were exposed to rubbing alcohol,helped save his life,.as my doctor says ,whatever works..bless you,.sincerely,james waller